THE Clinton scandal will be remembered as the story that killed network news.

It demonstrated that there’s simply nothing that the news divisions at ABC, CBS or NBC can do that the cable news networks can’t do just as well, or better.

The cable guys have the resources and the talent today to cover any event in the same way the broadcast networks do, with one big difference – the cable networks don’t have to worry about pulling the plug on a big story to return to regularly scheduled programs that make money, like soaps or sports events.

And that’s why the year-long Clinton scandal will be seen as a watershed in the evolution of cable news. The long-running story drove news viewers to cable in ever-increasing numbers. That means that, in the future, those viewers are going to go to cable first when news breaks.

Of the three broadcast news divisions, only NBC is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing dominance of cable news, since it owns one of the all-news channels, MSNBC.

That leaves CBS and ABC as odd men out. And unless you’re a huge fan of Dan Rather and Peter Jennings, there’s no earthly reason to tune them in.

Sure, the cable news channels took some hits last year for obsessing over the story of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. But for those who are truly interested in what’s happening on a daily basis, having those dependable all-news networks around sure comes in handy.

Take some of the past year’s biggest televised milestones in the scandal: The release of the infamous Starr report Sept.11, the airing Sept.21 of President Clinton’s videotaped grand jury deposition, the start of Clinton’s defense before the House Judiciary Committee on Dec.8, and the House vote to impeach him on Dec.19.

Although ABC, CBS and NBC carried all or part of these events, you never knew when they were going to bail out.

With the all-news cable channels – CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel – there was no danger of being left high and dry. You knew they’d stick with a story all day and all night if they had to. Even now, cable gives you the freedom to tune in and out of the ongoing Senate impeachment trial when you want. And if you want to return later, you know it’s going to be on.