Daytime and Late Night Television - Essay Example

TV Talk Shows These days it is almost impossible to tune into daytime or late night television without coming across one television talk show programme or the other. From "Oprah show" through "This is Your Life", "Ricki Lake", to the Danish, "Mors Hammer" the list of talk show programmes is endless. So, too, is the range of topics on these shows, including everything from racism and domestic violence to alien abduction and vampirism. TV Talk shows have therefore become one predominant form of television entertainment that knows no territorial or cultural limitations (Abt and Leonard, 1997; Bruun, 1999). Though TV talk shows are numerous and different, spanning the gamut between any topic and theme imaginable, the constitutive element of all these different forms of talk shows is their strong orientation towards a combination of entertainment and information, called "emotainment" (Wetschanow, 1999 p.2). According to Aslama and Pantti (2006), this is apparently because interest in the emotions of other people seems to be very much a part of contemporary culture, as is the pressure to reveal emotions and talk about them in both private and public forums. They argue that the present age seems to be living in a 'confessional' or 'therapeutic' culture (Furedi, 2004) that celebrates individual feelings, intimate revelations and languages of therapy. And the media, specifically through TV talk shows have not only helped to foster this culture, but also profited from it (Aslama and Pantti, 2006 p.167). The purpose of this essay is to analyse TV talk show popularity in the UK. How Talk shows, as a form of entertainment, have become so popular and common place in the UK; why they attract so much English audience within the targeted age range and gender, despite the fact that most of the programmes are foreign; which gender and/or age group are targeted by talk show programmes and the implications talk shows programmes is likely to have on popular culture. These are the questions this essay shall attempt to address. Bruun (1999) opine that talk shows exhibit three distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from other TV programmes. He believes that what he referred to as the trio of "TV studio, the host, and the interview" are the three basic elements common to all TV talk shows that set them apart from other TV programmes (Brunn, 1999 p.244). According to Brunn, in the talk show the TV studio is the space of the programme and in talk shows the unity of time and place is observed in the same way as in classical drama. Thus the role of the TV medium in the talk show is to be, both the event in itself and to the place of the event at, one and the same time. The host is the central element who functions as an intermediary between the programme and the viewers. For this reason, unlike the staging of an anchor person in a news broadcast, the talk show attaches great importance to the television personality of the host, as this is an essential part of the content of the talk show. The talk show is, to a great extent, the studio host's programme - and the programme is the host's world. The interview is an important method of creating the content for the talk show. It is also the way in which a great portion of the content of the programme is presented. Consequently the focus is on people and conversation between people. This is what is on offer to the viewers. Because of this focus on people and conversation, the talk show differs from similar programmes like TV-quiz show and the TV game show in which the emphasis is on a game governed by a set of rules. The talk show is like the performance of a theatrical improvisation, and the way in which this performance is set up with regard to interview style, the role of the interviewer, and the role of the participants, has a vital significance for the viewers' perception of talk shows (Brunn, 1999 p.244). Describing the factors responsible for the popularity of talk shows, Horton and Wohl (1996), argues that talk shows tend to create an illusion of intimacy and participation in the mind of the viewers through several devices; this include: the topics discussed in talk shows emerge from the private and intimate spheres and are taken mainly from the field of absolute interest like love, death and sex; guests are non-prominent people "like you and me" who talk about "their experiences" and tell "their stories"; within the stories presented, a strong stress is placed on the "human-interest component." Even actual social problems are illustrated by intimate and affecting stories; the host attempts, verbally, to give the impression of camaraderie and personal knowledge of the production team, who are addressed and brought into the programme; the host duplicates the gestures of informal interaction, conversational style, and milieu (Horton & Wohl 1996 p 218). These features of Talk shows primarily serve the purpose of entertaining people by affecting them, of entertaining the audience via emotions. In that respect, they belong to the genre of "emotainment," or according to Gary Bente and Bettina Fromm, to the genres of affect-television characterised by several key features. They follow the principle of personalisation in that the individual comes before the general picture. The experience of a single person is the main interest, and a single person (the host) functions as the central and constant human element within the talk shows. They attempt to create authenticity by relying on "true" people, "true" stories and "true" emotions and thus evoke the impression of intimacy. Issues formerly ascribed to the private sphere are discussed in the public in order to create more intimate television. Lastly, talk shows espouse the principle of emotionalising i.e. the emotional aspect of the "personal stories" is of foremost importance, whereas facts are subordinated to experiences and feelings (Bente and Fromm, 1997 quoted in Wetschanow, 1999). However, talk show programmes audience tend to attribute an entirely different set of factors for the popularity and follower-ship that these programmes enjoy. Researching the British audience response to talk show programmes, Frisby (1998), reports that regular viewers of TV talk shows believe that the talk shows provide them with valuable information. They respond that it helps keep them abreast of current societal events. Other viewers are of the opinion that the major benefit of watching TV talk shows is the fact the programmes are very entertaining. Summing these audience responses, the author concludes that regular viewers of talk shows are addicted to these programmes because the content of the programmes elicit an "exciting" affective response (Frisby, 1998). With respect to gender, talk shows can be conveniently described as a TV programme targeted at the female sex. For example, Schattuc (1999) defines daytime television talk shows as a programme "devoted to the public debate of everyday issues by women." Citing the Oprah Winfrey show as an example, she claims that "the new genre has ended the near-fifty-year reign of soap operas as the most popular daytime 'dramatic' form. More importantly, talk had become the most watched for-women TV genre" (Schattuc 1997 p1-2). From this argument it is apparent that the typical talk show viewer is conceptualised as a female. Some authors opine that the industrial production process of talk shows conceives of the talk show viewer as a woman who is a mother, a homemaker, and consumer of emotion-filled narratives about socially current domestic issues (Schattuc 1997). Since talk shows involve story-telling about everyday problems which are told emotionally by "ordinary" people in order to affect the audience; Talk shows have been likened to gossip, which Mary Ellen Brown (1990) characterises as "feminine discourse. For centuries, the emotional sphere and the private sphere have been conceptualised as "natural" female domains, interestingly, this still appears to be the case (Brown, 1990 p183). Furthermore, the fact that women constitute a large chunk of the hosts, guests and members of the studio audience, though, contributes to an increasing number of women visible in the media public; also lends credence to the argument that talk shows is a female domain. The English Talk show audience appears to follow this established trend. Most talk show programmes aired in the UK targets the 18-34 age group among the female population. The Ricki Lake show, one of the main talk show programmes in the UK is estimated to enjoy a follower-ship of approximately 3million people among the 18-34yr old female population. It is important to point out one effect of talk shows here. It appears that a talk-show subculture with its own moral values has emerged. Women can now speak publicly about their experiences and are - and this is the crucial point - valued for their experiences: confessing publicly has become a sign of power. And this appears to be the major cultural influence of TV talk shows (Priest, 1995 p19; Timberg, 1994). Gone are those days when it was a near taboo to discuss certain private issues, like sex, in public arenas. On stage there is a mother and her 17-year-old daughter. Today's problem is mothers who can't stand their children's partners. Mother and daughter tell the studio host about the conflict, and the studio host and the studio audience ask questions and make comments. Finally, the apple of discord - the boyfriend - is let into the studio. There now follows an extremely violent verbal clash between the mother and the boyfriend. They scream and shout at each other, and the studio audience applauds, jeers, and shouts comments. The emotional climax is reached when the tearful daughter declares her love to both mother and boyfriend, and calls upon them to make reconciliation. The studio host rounds off, and, in a close up shot, she praises the maturity of the daughter to the applause of the studio audience. A commercial break follows. What has just been witnessed is the "Ricki Lake" and the sequence with the mother, daughter, and boyfriend is one of the day's three stories. Such is how a typical TV talk show runs. In The UK, the Ricki Lake is aired on ITV2 at 3:40-16:30pm on weekdays. The show is targeted at young adult females. The fact that the Ricki show received the "Best Talk Show" award of the UK National Television Awards some years back, reflects the large number of faithful viewers, and hence popularity, that this programme enjoys among its target audience of 18- to 34-year-old women. According to Abt and Mustazza, (1997), the Ricki Lake show has a 3.6% audience rating, which indicate that the show reaches an estimated 3million people among the targeted audience. Several reasons or factors have been proffered for the popularity of the show amongst the English audience; however, according to the Ricki homepage, the popularity of the show reflects its ability to meet the evolving tastes of its young adult audience and its promise to deliver original, lively talk for its viewers. Reporting what the audience feel about the show, the Ricki Homepage quotes its audience as saying "The Ricki Lake show also lets us [viewers] share other people's relationship issues in a cutting-edge daytime forum designed to keep action hot and audience members involved" (Ricki Lake Internet Home Page). In addition, assessing the popularity of the show, Abt and Mustazza assert that: "to these younger people, it [the show] makes a couple of deliciously tempting promises: that Ricki will let them 'eavesdrop on other people's traumas and dramas in a cutting edge daytime forum designed to keep action hot and audience members involved,' and that Ricki's 'trademark compassion, intellect, and irresistible charm creates an atmosphere where guests and audience members feel comfortable letting it all hang out with absolute candour and some surprising results'" (Abt & Mustazza, 1991, p. 75). Lastly, several cultural and moral implications of TV talk shows on the English audience have been highlighted by researchers and critics. First, through talk shows, people are valued for their experiences, and a culture of people helping people through sharing experiences is created. There is a general feeling of empathy and increased tolerance. Most importantly, a public forum is created where problems of "ordinary people" can be thematised, discussed and solved. These can be conveniently described as the driving force behind the increasing popularity of the TV Talk show among the English audience. On the other hand, concerns have been raised about the effect of the content of talk show programmes on the English audience. The Ricki Lake show, for example, appear to have gained prominence due to the increasing confrontation and violence that characterise the show. Frisby (1998) argues that most of the content of talk shows are negative, focussing on human misery and tragedies and the misfortunes of others. Critics of talk shows argue that these types of contents only succeed at creating and exacerbating conflict. Others contend that talk shows distort reality as they do not really reflect the real world. What is clear, therefore, is that talk shows possess both positive and negative powers, depending on how it is used. TV talk shows should be seen as a tool that can be used both for negative and positive purposes, depending on the personality, intentions and values of the person wielding this weapon. Conclusion Though TV talk show programmes are probably as old as the television itself, they probably never experienced the amount of popularity and audience they have seen in recent years. Talk shows have no cultural or territorial boundaries, they cut across every part of the world where television is seen an important part of living. However, quantifying the impacts and implications of talk shows on the audience, is probably not an easy task. What is apparent, though, is the fact that TV talk shows have turned hitherto private issues, topics and problems to publicly debated topics. The private experiences of ordinary people have become a source of power and respect. Talk shows have created an audience that feeds on and find solution to emotional problems in the stories and experiences of others. The impact of this culture is great and perhaps, disturbing. While it provides support and empowers the audience to solve emotional and family issues, it also creates a culture of emotionally dependent audiences that can be easily manipulated and exploited for marketing purposes. References Abt, Vicki and Leonard Mustazza (1997) Coming After Oprah: Cultural Fallout In The Age of The TV Talk Show. Bowling Green, OH. Popular Press. Aslama, Minna and Mervi Pantti (2006) Talking Alone Reality TV, Emotions and Authenticity. European Journal of Cultural Studies. Vol 9(2) 167-184; 1367-5494. SAGE Publications. Brown, Mary Ellen (1990) Motley Moments: Soap Opera, Carnival, Gossip and The Power Of The Utterance. In Brown, Mary Ellen (Ed.). Television and Women's Culture. The Politics of The Popular. London, Newbury Park, New Delhi. Sage Publications. Bruun, Hanne (1999) The Aesthetics Of The Television Talk Show. In Gunhild Agger & Jens F. Jensen (Eds.): The Aesthetics of Television. Aalborg Universitetsforlag. Frisby Cynthia M (1998) Can Social Comparison Theory Explain Fascination with TV talk Shows Paper Presented at the AEJMC National convention Furedi, F. (2004) Therapy Culture: Cultivating Vulnerability In An Uncertain Age. London. Routledge. Horton, Donald and R. Richard Wohl (1996) Mass Communications And Para-Social Interaction. Psychiatry 19(3). Livingstone, Sonia and Peter Lunt (1994) Talk On Television - Audience Participation and Public Debate. London. Peck, Janice (2002) The Oprah Effect: Texts, Readers, and The Dialectic of Signification. The Communication Review. 5:143-178. Taylor & Francis. Priest, Patricia Joyner (1995). Public Intimacies. Talk Show Participants And Tell-All TV. Hampton Press. Ricki Lake Internet Home Page (2006). Available online at http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/shows/ricki/ Shattuc, Jane M. (1997). The Talking Cure - TV Talk Shows and Women. New York. Routledge. Timberg, Bernard (1994). The Unspoken Rules Of Talk Television. In Horace Newcomb (Ed.) Television - The Critical View. New York. Oxford University Press. Wetschanow, Karin (1999). The Personal Is Political - Are Daytime Talk Shows Feminist In A Decade Of Transformation, IWM Junior Visiting Fellows Conferences. Vol.VIII. No.10: Vienna Read More