The Death of the TV Talk Show

By Leonard Aaron Caplan

I date 1988 as the “death” of what had been up ‘til then, (from the early 1950s on) the traditional TV talk show, at least nationally; Donahue, Oprah, and Art Linkletter’s Kids Say the Darndest Things;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBMOhM31EyM&feature=related, etc.

These featured mostly family-friendly entertainment and discussions.

When Morton Downey Jr. debuted he threw all decorum out the window, berating his guests, smoking on camera, talking over people and letting them talk over each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGu6LjmgeL4&feature=related

The Jerry Springer Show, still seen today, took even that to the next level, expanding on Downey’s brand of shlock until it became the norm, rather than the exception.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LQla5x_tfw

Eventually, A Current Affair, Maury Povich, The Jenny Jones Show and others, all getting high ratings, ensured that shows in the Pre-Springer/Downey mold, at least nationally didn’t have a chance after that.

The real shame is that since then, young people really haven’t experienced what a real TV talk show is like, or should be like! Sure, there’s still Oprah, and many local TV talk shows in the traditional vein, but Oprah is viewed as Oprah-ish, a common synonym for ‘preachy”. Local talk shows simply aren’t high profile enough for most audiences to be aware of and PBS and its affiliated stations, except to hardcore followers, is unfortunately seen as “boring” to the masses.

Sensationalism in the form of family confrontations, lurid happenings such as cheating spouses, battling ex’s, DNA tests to determine parenthood, physical and sexual abuse, incest, drug abuse, and the list goes on, today passes for “entertainment”.

Of course, what it all comes down to is money. As long as audiences support the sponsors of these shows, they will continue in the same vein. Jerry Springer himself admits that his show is tacky and tasteless, not to mention FAKE a lot of the time, but he rakes in millions upon millions doing it. Strangely, Jerrry Springer is a very intelligent person and entrepreneur. If you ever listened to his once-syndicated radio show, it was everything his TV show is not; insightful, tasteful and dealing with important issues. The way of the world is that people love making money and as long as a TV show does this, it will continue to be produced.

What I will never understand is how people like Springer, already a multi-millionaire many times over, continue to pollute the airwaves with this stuff. He, and many others argue “freedom of speech’ and they are right. I wouldn’t want shows like this to be forced off the air. But wouldn’t it be great if audiences refused to accept this as entertainment or better yet, if the producers simply thought a little bit more about their affect on society rather than further filling their own already stuffed pockets?

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