Talk show host Springer lures viewers with racy subject matter

In the world of talk shows, Jerry Springer has become the new king.

With the recent release of a raucous home video, Jerry Springer: Too Hot For TV, and a ratings share that dethroned Oprah Winfrey as the top talk show host in some markets for the first time in 10 years, Springer has become almost like his video -- too hot for TV.

The result, a seemingly open embrace of sex, violence and profanity, has taken the much-debated issue of content on talk shows into the mainstream and created Springer zealots on both sides of the coin.

Show topics such as yesterday's episode, "I won't let you sell your body," and today's "Guess what . . . I'm a man" have won fans throughout the country.

Such subject matter is typical terrain for Springer: "I won't . . . " features a woman who doesn't want to stop stripping, despite protests from her boyfriend, while "Guess . . ." showcases a woman who wants to reveal the true identity of her transvestite brother to his boyfriend.

Eye-catching topics such as those mentioned have been drawing larger audiences recently.

"It is great entertainment," said Era Smith (sophomore-agricultural economics). "I missed the bus last week because I was watching the show."

However, while fans like Smith can't get enough of the outrageous show topics, others are not so amused.

Last summer, when the daytime king was hired as a commentator on Chicago TV station WMAQ, the station's lead anchorwoman, Carol Marin, quit in protest, calling Springer "the poster child for the worst TV has to offer."

Though Springer's show is seen by some as crude and insensitive, few realize the background the man behind the controversial talk show has come from.

Springer, the current vice-president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, was born in 1944 in London and immigrated to New York City with his family to escape persecution of the Holocaust.

After earning a law degree from Northwestern University, he worked as a presidential campaign aide to Robert Kennedy.

Springer then became the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977.

After leaving office, Springer went on to become an Emmy award-winning anchor at WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, where he was offered a talk show by the same company that produced Phil Donahue's successful show.

Originally, a more subtle format intended to showcase Springer's strong belief in the First Amendment, the show quickly turned to more shocking topics in an attempt to gain ratings.

The theory seems to be working as fans like Smith watch the show on a regular basis. These loyal fans have catapulted Springer into top contention with Winfrey.

Carrie Jaffe (junior-communication disorders) said she has noticed the striking difference between the two shows and has opted for the guaranteed chaos that Springer's show is famous for. This chaos has involved fist fights, hair-pulling and entire sentences being bleeped out of the syndicated show.

"The topics on Oprah's shows don't have the excitement that 'The Jerry Springer Show' has," said Jaffe. "Jerry has turned up the notch and blown shows like Oprah's out of the water."