The imaginery in Televised Talk. Permanence, change and conflict

Abstract

Summary: Discussion programmes, long dominated by the 'debate' model, were gradually superseded on French television in the mid-eighties by a new model known in professional and critical discourse by the generic term 'talk show'. This change can be imputed to a shift in the 'communicational imagination' of the professionals (presenters and producers) on whom the process of mediating these programmes depends. If we extend our investigation to include Europe and North America, we find that there are in fact several models, each fulfilling a different social function, which can broadly be described as 'talk shows'. The emergence and proliferation of such shows provides an effective indicator of a new relationship between television and its public, and of a new way of regulating programme schedules. It also makes possible a reconsideration of the elaboration of both internal and external communication contracts for studio performances in general.