Talk Show In American Culture

In the world where mass media are considered to be extremely powerful tools used to establish rules and regulations of everyday life, economy and even politics no one can deny the significance of talk shows. The power of talk show concept is highly visible in one of most developed society in modern world- society of the United States of America. But how do they influence culture, what are the values which are prioritized by talk shows and finally, which areas of people' lives are reflected in them?

Accordingly to historian Wayne Muson, talk show genre originated in 1920's in Springfield, Massachusetts . It all started in through radio broadcasts, were hosts would invite experts on various topics, from politics to housekeeping, who were to

Some would say that this is disgrace for the genre, however on the other hand I think that not many people would deny the importance of entertainment in our lives. I think that an American comedian, Joy Behar described a perfect show by saying: "I want to do an intelligent talk show where you have room to breathe". This reminds us of a fact that entertainment does not have to be easy and shallow. The best kind of entertainment which talk shows can offer is the kind when we can admire the intelligence of people talking to each other on various topics, without making any "forced" jokes and laughs. People very often mistakenly believe that entertainment must make people laugh. We have shows like Oprah Winfrey, where the background is not cheerful and yet millions of people feel somehow entertained while watching the show, and definitely they feel better. Of course people would not feel comfortable while watching someone who is not honest with the audience, who is faking. As Jane Pauley wrote in one of her works " I think the success of a talk show depends on how true it is to the personality of the person hosting it. The shows I really admire, like 'Oprah' and 'Ellen,' are distinctively like their hosts, so I think my show will be successful only if we try to stay consistent to my own sense of myself". Therefore, if a show is to entertain people it must be

Talk shows are now very often used as tools in hand of politicians, who make various statements and declarations before a broad audience. They are very much aware of the power of talk shows. People tend to judge other looking at their appearance, so called first impression. Politicians know it, and use talk shows to make a gooIn the world where mass media are considered to be extremely powerful tools used to establish rules and regulations of everyday life, economy and even politics no one can deny the significance of talk shows. The power of talk show concept is highly visible in one of most developed society in modern world- society of the United States of America. But how do they influence culture, what are the values which are prioritized by talk shows and finally, which areas of people' lives are reflected in