Jerry Springer is currently the guru of TV talk shows. Maclean's reported that he beat Oprah in ratings in January, 1998. His show has done episodes on topics ranging from bi-sexual love triangles to the Ku Klux Klan. Teens make up a large part of his audience, and they seem to be coming down with a severe case of springer-fever. What's causing teens to go "gaga" over Jerry?
According to Karen Bertelsen, a segment commentator on The Jerry Springer Show, teens watch the show because it's funny, wild, and entertaining. "It has to do with the time-slots. At 10:00 pm there isn't anything entertaining to watch other than Springer," says Bertelsen. She suggests that some people get pleasure out of seeing other people's misfortune or, on the other hand, feel a connection with the lower-class guests. "Some people watch the show to say, 'thank God I'm not like that,' or 'hey, look, there's someone in the same situation as I am.'"
Chris Molina, an 18-year-old Toronto student, says, "Watching Springer minimizes the problems I face in terms of family relationships because when I see that other people are in the slum like I am, I begin to feel 'normal'." Similarly, Lea Nhium, a 16-year-old Etobicoke student, says, "I sometimes watch Springer to derive my self-esteem from others' lack of it."
Still other teens enjoy watching Springer because of the bizarre and unusual guests who appear on the show. "It's wacky, crazy, and outrageous. That's why I enjoy watching it so much," says Samantha Louis, a 15-year-old Mississauga student.
Springer's show has constant Hercules vs. Xena confrontations; strong feelings erupt into physical violence. There are brawls and cat fights. Jerry says there's a cycle. "It (fighting) has now become the thing to do. Viewers see everyone else on the show fighting, so when they come on and get angry, they figure it's okay," Springer told Broadcasting and Cable in 1997.
Recently, Springer released a hot item on the market - Jerry Springer: Too Hot for TV. This video contains nudity, fighting, and street language (swear words), which are too explicit for broadcast. The teens I've talked to either purchased the video through mail-order or borrowed it from a friend because of its rude content.
So, we know why teens watch the show. It's sensationalistic, outrageous, crude and violent. But why does Jerry do the show?
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"Our purpose is not to do a morality show but to entertain," says Springer in The Columbus Dispatch. Springer is up-front with people, telling them what they should expect on his show. Springer also feels that people should be given a voice to be heard. "This is America, and everyone's entitled to share the microphone," Springer told Maclean's senior writer Joe Chidley in 1996. |