Trash TV Trash TV, which consists of talk shows such as

Jerry Springer and the "reality shows" such as Survivor and The

Real World, has been characterized by Jim Impoco (1996) as consisting of programs that deliberately seek out the lowest

common denominator, focus on sordid and squalid topics, and

often interject a fair amount of blatant sexual misconduct into

their contents. Driving the proliferation of "trash TV" is a

quest for higher ratings from audiences and higher advertising

fees from sponsors (Crabtree, 1995). In this brief report, it

will be argued that the redeeming social value of such shows,

which include talk shows and "reality programs" like Survivor

and its ilk is minimal at best and non-existent at worst.

Crabtree (1995) commented fairly early on that trash TV,

including talk shows hosted by Springer, Ricki Lake, Sally

Jessie Raphael, Maury Povich, and so forth, was rapidly

replacing traditional morning and afternoon television

programming and standing up well in ratings wars with the now

old-fashioned "soap operas." Programs with titles such as

"Transvestite Makeovers, " "Women Who Marry Their Rapists, " and

Gay Gang Members" (to name a few of the less sordid ad lurid

shows airing in the mid-1990s as "talk TV") were available all

Crabtree (1995) suggested that such titles may be equally

at home on an adult-video shelf. As of 1995, there were 23 such

talk programs in which the deepest, most intimate and least

. . .
ny. Who watches reality and trash TV? Surprisingly, just about everyone at some time or another tunes in to one of these programs. American Demographics (The tribe has spoken, 2001) identified viewers of this genre as people in all age cohorts, from all races and ethnic groups, and from a wide range of socio-economic, educational and geographic backgrounds. About 37 percent of all Americans even prefer to watch reality TV than scripted programming or documentary/historical programs. The notion that it is teenagers and the 18 to 25-year-old crowd that is watching most of the reality shows (and that this same group plus older female viewers are addicted to the trash talk shows) is simply incorrect; these shows attract a much broader and deeper fan base than one might suspect. Network and cable executives and programmers argue that such shows are clearly designed as entertainment and that there are actually moral lessons to be learned from even the most sordid shows (Poniewozik, 2001). Chains of Love, a program in which a "picker" who is literally chained to four persons of the opposite sex, is seen as a "morality play" about intimate relationships; this show was ultimately cancelled, but its sole purpose was app
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
American Demographics, Gay Gang, Chains Love, James Collins, Jim Impoco, Joseph Lieberman, Real World, James Bowman, References Alter, Theater Gritty, trash tv, reality tv, crabtree 1995, moral lessons, tribe spoken 2001, american demographics, talk reality, trash talk, poniewozik 2001, collins 1998, tribe spoken, watch reality tv, demographics tribe spoken, audience live home, american demographics tribe,
Approximate Word count = 1373
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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