The Rise of the Television Talk ShowThe Rise of the Television Talk Show

Because of low production costs and high ratings, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of television talk shows in recent years. Some are anchored by former news personalities and others by former stand-up comedians. In the age of the talk show, it is often difficult to distinguish between opinion and fact in modern culture. How many of the talk shows are informative programs, and how many are pure entertainment? Each program claims to have its own expert on every subject imaginable. Yet, the integrity of some shows is questionable. This program looks at the phenomenon known as the television talk show and the public's fascination with it. Featured on the program are Phil Donahue, and Vicki Abt, a sociologist at Penn State University.