Talk Shows Essay, Research Paper

Talk shows, do they really help out people with their problems? Or are they

just their for the public to watch and make them feel good about themselves.

There are many talk shows, but there is only a couple of them that stay on the air.

These talk shows are the ones that make people feel good about themselves

because they can watch it and know that it is not them that this is occurring to. I

am going to talk about the different talk shows and the way they are unlike each

other.

The first talk show I will be discussing is a famous talk show known to

America, the Jerry Springer show. This show was ?one of the hottest talk shows in

America? (Francesca 11). The topics in this show are hard-hitting and sometimes

controversial, and the guests are always wild and unpredictable, Sometimes the

action gets to wild. There is wild family feuds, beautiful exotic dancers and all

different kind of people. Shocking secrets that turn relationships upside down are

talked about. And Jerry?s guest always throw temper tantrums, I think they are the

wildest guests I have ever seen. Jerry Springer was born in London he is now 53

years old, he was a campaign aide to Sen. Robert Kennedy, 1968, he was a city

council men at large, 1971-76, also mayor of cincinnati,1977-81. He worked for

Cincinnati?s WLWWT-TV as a political reporter, 1982-84, and a anchor and

managing editor from, 1984-93. Jerry attended Tulane University from 1961-65

where he earned a bachelor?s degree in political science. Today he is the host of a

talk show which is now in the seventh season (14-16). Jerry Springer show was all

fun and games until the show was told to not show any more guests fighting,

because on every show there was a fight that would break out and some people

(the minority) did not like it. After much fighting and court cases the Jerry

Springer show lost and they are back to being a ordinary talk show. The Jerry

Springer show is not as popular as it was before, and I can vouch for that because I

do not watch it any more after they couldn?t fight on the show anymore(16-17).

Now when I see the Jerry Springer show allot of the times I do not sit through it

unless a good topic is being talked about. Before I used to watch it all the time

even if the topic was not good because I just wanted to see a fight break out, and

everytime I watched that?s what the show let me see. Scenes from the show were

just too wild that they could not air them on television, so they made uncensored

videos of the show and sold allot of them. The shows latest video is called Jerry

Springer To Hot For TV. Jerry Springer just released a movie called Ring Master

which is about what it is like to be on a talk show, everything that goes on before

and after the show. Jerry Springer Show used to be my personal favorite but now

it is Jenny Jones.

Jenny Jones is a female talk show host who has the best personality and

appearance than anyone in those other talk shows. Jenny Jones has allot of variety

in her show but her trademark show is doing makeovers. She is so fun and

energetic that people watch her show more because she is hosting it, and not due to

the people on it. The Jenny Jones Show is the number one talk show right now,

(23) because she has helped many people with their problems:

Jenny my life has changed because of your show, Maurice used to be the

ultimate chauvinist pig- he felt that cooking, cleaning, and child bearing was

?womens work?. After his appearance on Jenny Jones he received a lot of heat

from friends, family, and complete strangers for his bad attitude, and

realized that it was time to make a change (Weiss 44-45).

That is just one of the million?s of letter?s Jenny get?s from people she changes

lives:

Another guest by the name of Ms. Peaches on a Jenny Jones Show Titled ?It

wasn?t my choice, I was born with this voice!? Because she had an extremely

high pitched voice, since her appearance on the show, she began training

exercises prescribed by a speech therapist and has after any a matter of

month?s, dramatically changed her voice (45-46).

After hearing these stories you will definitely want to see the show. One other

story that Jenny Jones Shares is about an over weight women:

Beth?s dramatic 150- pound weight loss was featured on the show. Beth went

from a size 2 to a size 11/12 in less than a year by ?trading in her Ben & Jerry?s

ice cream for a pair of roller blades and a pocket full of will power (52-54).

Another show which is very good but different from the rest is the Montel

Williams show. This show focuses on serious issues, Montel rarely has shows

about relationships or things in that sort. Montell focuses on gun control,

abortions, the President, murderers, etc… The Montel show is a very serious show

that is usually viewed by the older audiences. In one of Montels show?s he was

talking about animal brutality and the different stories from people who killed there

pet?s, or tortured them. After this show was over it got allot of feed back from the

audience one lady wrote back:

I was deeply hurt and mortified when I watched in horror what these kids did.

I was very angry at the mother who had the nerve to sit there and say that it

was just a dog. I don?t think she understands that allot of people raise their

pet?s as children. I know from experience because I have two beautiful cat?s

who I adore. I could not be without them because they give me unconditional

love. I recently had to mourn over my cat Spike who past away February

19,1997 from an enlarged heart. Spike will always be in my heart. My heart

goes out o Scruffy?s owners. Scruffy will be in my prayers. Thanks for

listening. Animal lover from Canada (Potmae/montell.htm/)

This is the sort of people that watch the Montel Williams show and the kind of

topics he talks about.

There was a segment Montel did on ?Children With Cancer? that viewers

from all over called and sent letters.

there was a man who wrote back to the show taking about how he was devastated

to see al these kids with their hair falling out, and tubes running up their nostrils.

He talked about getting tears from watching the show because it reminded him of

his own two little boy?s. He lost a grandfather and a close family friend to cancer,

he now works an a reactor all day trying to find a cure for this horrible disease

(Ibid). I have seen The Montel Williams show myself and I can tell you that I have

gotten a little teary eyed before. There was another show I viewed that was

concentrated on murderers and different stories and incident?s. I was so horrified

when I saw this show because the show was telling the audience how the killers

killed the victims and it was hard to watch some of the footage they displayed.

One show that was of interest to allot of people, mostly women was a show on how

to remove wrinkles without surgery. Mitchell C. Stickler, M.D. a board certified

dermatologist and Bonnie Chasanov of Milford Delaware, appeared as guests on

the Montel Williams show on Wednesday December 17, 1997. ?The Emmy

winning Montel Williams show which is currently the third most watched talk

show in the United States reaching 11 million homes per week? (sampson 22-23).

Dr. Stickler was consulted as a national expert on the subject of Botox for the

treatment of facial lines and wrinkles. Mrs. Chasanov has recently undergone this

treatment for fore head wrinkles and shared her experience with Montel (winters

55-61) ?Botox is purified botolium toxin and is used to soften facial lines and

wrinkles. Botox works well for forehead wrinkles, crow?s feet and frown lines?

(42-45). Botox is injected into the muscle in these areas and works by weakening

the muscle, which in turn lessens the lines of facial expression. The results last 4-6

months. By combining Botox with peels, daily alpha hydroxyacid, and tretinoin

cream, a patient can look years younger without surgery (45-47) this story got allot

of ratings. The Montel Williams show entered its seventh season on September

14, 1998 and is reaching 98% of the country. Montel is a highly decorated, former

naval intelligence officer and popular motivational speaker (Case/Montel).

Williams passionate and active approach has allowed the series to make a special

place for itself in all the daytime talk shows. His commitment to making a

difference has resulted in finding solutions to problems by tackling them first hand.

This past season, The Montel Williams Show continued it?s tradition of

responding to breaking news by featuring the story of NuShawn Williams, a young

man arrested for supposedly infecting over 50 teen age girls with the AIDS virus

(Bernd 15-17). Williams was able to speak exclusively with some of the young

teens and their families. The director of the White House Office of National Drug

Control Policy, General Barry McCaffrey, was interviewed on the show in

response to the rash of reported heroin and other drug-related overdoses in Plano

Texas and Richmond, Virginia. Williams also spoke with several parents whose

children, former addicts, recently died. The Montel Williams Show used the

support of affiliate stations across America, Williams has previously worked with

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in producing several

PSAs about drug prevention last season. The show was another opportunity for

Williams and THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW to educate America about the

importance of AIDS education in communities across the country. As a result of

the show?s ongoing coverage of the AIDS epidemic, The White House Office of

National Aids Policy invited Williams to produce several Public Service

Announcements on AIDS prevention. The PSAs will be producing during the

upcoming season (Bernd 19-25).

The Montel Williams Show continues to benefit from Williams? ability to

empower an audience like no other talk show. Through the show?s after-care

program, THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW successfully arranges for guests to

attend psychological treatment, motivational camps, drug and alcohol rehabilitation

and treatment for eating disorders (ny.com/talk).

Ricki Lake is another day time talk show similar to all the others. Ricki had

a good personality on the air but her physical features were not all that appealing.

A reporter by the name of Kelly Haramis wrote about the show when she went to

it:

Anticipation slowly filled me as I stood fourth in line next to my friends for the

?Ricki Lake Show? last Friday. It?s not that I?m a big fan of talk shows, but I

question their authenticity. I chose to view Lake?s show because her topics

usually fit the stereotypical ?trash TV? category and I wanted a good laugh at

her guests and the so-called problems (Haramis 67-68).

She went on to tell who she saw backstage on the show:

A women who looked like fran Drescher from ?The Nanny? sat behind us

wearing stylish eyeglasses from the 80s and a fur coat. I refrained from

reminding her that Ricki was arrested last year after protesting against the

manufacturing of fur. Instead, my friend Jan told her she looked like Drescher.

The women laughed and said someone once said she looked like Suzanne

Sommers. She and her husband Jerry were attending the show for the first

time (69).

Then the reporter goes on a say?s the seven steps to being a great audience

member:

Number 1)Be Funny. 2) Be outrages. 3) Start argument. 4) Reveal something

about yourself. 5) Put someone in their place. 6) Tell it like it is. After each

one, comments from previous shows were used as an example. The last step,

?Most importantly be yourself,? was followed by the audience waving their arms

and screaming ?Go Ricki!? (69-70)

She then talks about when Ricki comes in to the studio:

Ricki entered the studio wearing a beige pantsuit. Jan and Maryann

commented that she looks thinner and prettier in person. Ricki walked up and

down the rows with a smile on her face. She came over to talk to us after Jan

yelled out her name. We congratulated Ricki on her two year wedding

anniversary. With a smile on her face, she showed us her ring and thanked us

in a sweet, soft spoken voice(70-72).

There are many talk shows out there that are different, shows with

celebrities, and shows with problems there are some shows I did not talk about.

The Late Show with David Letterman, ?Dave?s studio is new located in the famous

Ed Sullivan Theater heart of the theater district at 54th street and Broadway?

(Rutgers). Right next door is the famous bagel store. Regis and Kathie Lee is the

cute duo of morning television deliver delight from ABC?s Lincoln Center studios

near 67th Street and Columbus Ave, They start at 9am every morning Monday

through Friday. Geraldo Rivera is the one who kicked off the tabloid TV industry

(Ibid). ?Geraldo practices the art of sensationalism from his midtown studios?

(Ibid).

I have shown you many different talk shows some that just make fun of

people the whole time, some that have fighting and no conclusion, also the

important shows that talk about real issues and way?s we can get involved to help

others. So from all these shows we have many to choose from in what we want to

view, allot of the talk shows are there just for entertainment but some do help us

with our problems and we turn to that channel every day because we know it?s

worth it. Sometimes it seems like American TV is making fun of the way we are

because what is depicted on the talk shows it may seem to someone else that this is

the way we are. Characterizes us as allot of discfunctional families who need

?council of despair? (Ozersky 205).

1. Fransesca, lia. ?day time talk?. New York, NY: Collins, 1998.

2. Potmae, James. Online Internet. 29 Nov. 1998 Available http://

www.Collegian.psu.edu/archive 1998/ Montel.htm/

3. Weiss, Brandon ?Jenny Jones? The Viewers. New York, Del rey, 1997.

4. Sampson, Kyle. ?Day time TV? New York,NY: Simon & Shuster Inc, 1998.

5. Case, Steve. Online Internet. 29 Nov. 1998 Avaliable

http://www.Paramount.com/tvMontel/.

6. Bernd, Kelly. ?Montel williams? Taking care of it. New York, NY: Penguin,

1997.

7. Unknown, online Internet. 2 Dec. 1998 Avaliable

http://www.ny.com/entertainment/talk.

8. Haramis, Kelly. ?Ricki Lake? Backstage. New York. NY: Macmillian,1998.

9. Rutgers, John. ?presentation? online Internet. 5 Dec. 1998. Avaliable

http://www.heisenburg.edu/timberhaven//.

10. Maasik, Sonia. Jack Solomon. ?Signs of Life? Cheap Thrills: The Images of

Music, Video, and TV. New York, NY: Bedford Books, 1997.