|
|
may be upon us
Springer springing? Jones jettisoned? #s tumble.
By Kevin Downey
All television trends come to an end, by definition, and the latest to see its death written across the forehead of the American TV viewer is the daytime trash talk show.
"The Jerry Springer Show" has been in a deep slide, and his latest announcement of a possible run for political office signals an exit from the show.
Similarly, “Jenny Jones,” which is in its 12th season, is facing cancellation. Though nothing is official, staffers at the Warner Brothers-distributed show were encouraged last week to freshen up their resumes.
“Jenny” and shows like it have been fading for a number of years, with the turning point possibly being the end of fist fights on “Jerry Springer” in 1999, when Barry Diller vowed to clean up the USA Networks- produced show.
Exactly what is behind viewer migration from trashy talk shows, however, is difficult to pinpoint.
It may simply be that viewers have grown tired of topics like the one on “Jenny” yesterday, “Can you pass the test … Are you having sex with your ex.”
Or it could be that viewers have become bored with hosts like Jones.
“It may just be that her popularity is waning,” says Shari Anne Brill, vice president and director of programming services at Carat.
“I can’t say the public has lost its taste for the trailer park mentality because scandal plays so well in primetime. But I think a lot of it has to do with the recognizability of the host.”
The demise of “Jenny” has been coming for some time. Rumors that the show was ending took off last year when the similarly low-rated “Sally Jessy Raphael” was canceled after two decades on the air.
Moreover, it was probably the beginning of the end for Jones when in 1996 a former guest killed another male guest who had confessed on air to having a crush on him.
Whatever the reason, “Jenny” has been plagued by its ratings.
The show fell 16 percent since last year, to a 1.6 household rating this season. It ranks No. 92 among all syndicated programs.
“Syndication has had a couple of rough years,” says Deana Myers, an analyst with Kagan World Media.
“My guess is that there is just an overhaul going on, which also happened a few years ago. Ratings are going down and people are going somewhere else.”
Ratings for similar talk shows are falling.
“Maury,” which some weeks defies the downward trend, is off 3 percent this season. “Jerry Springer” is down 11 percent. The former Cincinnati mayor may be setting the stage for his exit by hinting, as he has in the past, that he’ll get back into politics.
“Montel Williams” is down 8 percent, and “Ricki Lake,” which has the same rating as “Jenny,” is down 11 percent.
Perhaps a bigger issue for “Jenny” and other trash talk shows, however, is the rise of the Oprah-backed “Dr. Phil” show.
“Dr. Phil” did more than become the No. 2 talk show this season. It also brought back a format notable for its serious topics and lack of flying fists.
Other relatively tame talk shows, like “Oprah,” have done well this season, either with ratings that are up or flat.
Even the low-rated “John Walsh,” with the host of Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted,” has benefited from the trend.
“Walsh” is only one of three talk shows in its first season to get picked up for next year. The other two are “Dr. Phil” and “Wayne Brady,” which is equal parts variety and talk show.
“People have gotten bored with the same thing,” says Myers.
“A while ago the big thing was ‘Jerry Springer’ and shock talk shows, but people are tired of that format. ‘Dr. Phil’ has done well, which probably means you need to do something different.”
While some viewers who used to watch “Jenny” have probably moved over to “Dr. Phil,” cable TV has also picked up some viewers.
The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau reports that cable’s audience share in daytime, defined here as 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., was up 7 percent in 2002, to 48.1 percent.
“Younger viewers in particular are very fickle,” says Brill.
“The popularity of reality shows proves that viewers are on to the next thing. Those other types of shows just aren’t interesting anymore.”
|
SYNDICATED TALK SHOWS |
|||||
|
Program |
2002/03 Season-to-Date* |
2001/02 Full Season |
02/03 vs.
01/02 |
||
|
Overall Rank |
Household Rtg% |
Overall Rank |
Household Rtg% |
||
|
OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (AT) |
9 |
5.7 |
9 |
5.6 |
2% |
|
DR. PHIL SHOW |
16 |
4.5 |
|
|
|
|
LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY |
20 |
3.4 |
18 |
3.6 |
-6% |
|
MAURY (AT) |
28 |
3.1 |
25 |
3.2 |
-3% |
|
JERRY SPRINGER (AT) |
45 |
2.5 |
34 |
2.8 |
-11% |
|
MONTEL WILLIAMS (AT) |
49 |
2.4 |
41 |
2.6 |
-8% |
|
ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW |
|
|
54 |
2.3 |
|
|
JENNY JONES SHOW (AT) |
92 |
1.6 |
74 |
1.9 |
-16% |
|
RICKI LAKE (AT) |
92 |
1.6 |
78 |
1.8 |
-11% |
|
JOHN EDWARD (AT) |
112 |
1.4 |
78 |
1.8 |
-22% |
|
JOHN WALSH |
122 |
1.3 |
|
|
|
|
CAROLINE RHEA |
156 |
1.0 |
|
|
|
|
SALLY JESSY RAPHAEL (AT) |
|
|
93 |
1.6 |
|
|
ANANDA LEWIS SHOW |
|
|
137 |
1.1 |
|
|
ROB NELSON SHOW (AT) |
156 |
1.0 |
|
|
|
|
BEYOND W/JV PRAAGH (AT) |
156 |
1.0 |
|
|
|
|
OTHER HALF, THE |
164 |
0.9 |
137 |
1.1 |
-18% |
|
GOOD DAY LIVE |
164 |
0.9 |
|
|
|
|
IYANLA |
|
|
148 |
1.0 |
|
|
QUEEN LATIFAH (AT) |
|
|
148 |
1.0 |
|
|
* Season-to-Date:
Aug 26, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003 and Aug. 27, 2001-Aug. 25, 2002 |
|||||
February 5, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.
Printer-Friendly
Version | Send
to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact
Us