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55-533: The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin . The series ran on NBC from 1962 to 1963; in first-run syndication from 1965 to 1969 and again from 1972 to 1986; and on CBS from 1969 to 1972. After a short run as a daytime show on NBC from October 1, 1962, to March 29, 1963, Merv Griffin launched a syndicated version of his talk show produced by Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W), which made its debut on May 10, 1965. Intended as

110-662: A brief foray into a more news-style program in 1957 and then reverting that same year, it has remained a talk show. Ireland's The Late Late Show is the second-longest running talk show in television history, and the longest running talk show in Europe, having debuted in 1962. Steve Allen was the first host of The Tonight Show , which began as a local New York show, being picked up by the NBC network in 1954. It in turn had evolved from his late-night radio talk show in Los Angeles. Allen pioneered

165-399: A contract with Metromedia and its production arm, Metromedia Producers Corporation (MPC) to continue his program in syndication. The last edition of The Merv Griffin Show on CBS aired February 11, 1972. His new MPC-distributed show began four weeks later, on March 13, 1972, and returned Griffin to late afternoon and late–night time slots. Metromedia also gave Griffin prime time clearances on

220-565: A guest for a cursory five or six minute segment, Griffin preferred lengthy, in-depth discussions with many stretching out past 30 minutes. In addition, Griffin sometimes dedicated an entire show to a single person or topic, allowing for greater exploration of his guests’ personality and thoughts. Griffin’s idea of the perfect show was to have as many diverse guests as possible, from entertainers to scientists, Hollywood glamour to Vegas variety, and from comedians to political leaders. A perfect example lies in an episode from September 1965 which featured

275-495: A more universally appealing "interview" or "lifestyle TV" format. Talk shows have more recently started to appear on Internet radio. Also, several Internet blogs are in talk show format including the Baugh Experience. The current world record for the longest talk show is held by Rabi Lamichhane from Nepal by staying on air for 62 hours from April 11 to 13, 2013 breaking the previous record set by two Ukrainians by airing

330-444: A new closing logo to replace the old logos of King World, CBS Paramount Domestic Television, and its predecessors. CBS Television Distribution was renamed CBS Media Ventures in 2021. King World was responsible for the highest rated shows in syndication for over two decades. They also had the television rights to a large library of theatrical films. When it was acquired by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 2000, it distributed

385-453: A nighttime companion to The Mike Douglas Show and succeeding Steve Allen and Regis Philbin in the time slot, this version of the Griffin program aired in multiple time slots throughout North America (many stations ran it in the daytime, and other non-NBC affiliates broadcast it opposite The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ). Stations had the option of carrying either a sixty–minute or

440-634: A ninety–minute version. Griffin's announcer-sidekick was the veteran British character actor Arthur Treacher , who had been his mentor. After reading off the list of guests for that evening's show, Treacher would introduce Griffin with the phrase: "...and now, here's the dear boy himself, Meeeer-vyn!" Seeing his strong ratings, CBS offered him a network series opposite the Tonight Show , and his program debuted there on August 18, 1969, with his debut guest lineup consisting of Hedy Lamarr , Ted Sorensen , Leslie Uggams , Moms Mabley , and Woody Allen . Although

495-577: A panel made up of different freelance comedians and celebrities each program, although the program is generally hosted by the same compere . Talk shows evolved in tandem with the Japanese variety show and it is very common for talk shows to borrow variety elements, typically by having celebrity guests attempt some kind of amusingly incongruous activity. Often, one of the guests will be a gaijin tarento (foreign talent) in order to provide comedy or to comment on matters related to Western culture. Comedic material

550-464: A syndication deal and agreed to distribute her Chicago -based daytime talk program nationally, resulting in the premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show in September of that year. The acquisitions paid off, and Oprah , Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune became three of the most popular shows in the history of television syndication, drawing high ratings consistently well into the 21st century. In particular,

605-428: A talk show entitled Small World in the late 1950s and since then, political TV talk shows have predominantly aired on Sunday mornings . Syndicated daily talk shows began to gain more popularity during the mid-1970s and reached their height of popularity with the rise of the tabloid talk show . Morning talk shows gradually replaced earlier forms of programming — there were a plethora of morning game shows during

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660-541: A variety of sharp topics related to people's livelihoods, the state system, and power structures. The show was eventually taken off the air as a direct result of the last episode of "Approaching Homosexuality." In 2012, Dragon Television created a new high-end cultural, American-style talk show called Tonight 80's Talk Show ; it is hosted by the comedian Wang Zijian , showing young people's attitudes and thoughts on social hotspots, cultural events, and fashion trends. King World Productions Following his death, it

715-501: Is a television programming , radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation . A talk show is distinguished from other television programs by certain common attributes. In a talk show, one person (or group of people or guests) discusses various topics put forth by a talk show host . This discussion can be in the form of an interview or a simple conversation about important social, political or religious issues and events. The personality of

770-603: Is commonly written and rehearsed before tapings with or without a live audience . Korean and Taiwanese talk shows have used the panel format similar to Japanese programs and rely on famous celebrities and comedic banter than topics. Their programs often shorten interviews from lengthy tapings. Rabi Lamichhane from Nepal previously held the Guinness World Record for longest talk show, continuously broadcasting for 62 hours in April 2013. In Brazil , Jô Soares inaugurated

825-463: Is included on Whitney: The Greatest Hits DVD (2000), the DVD version of Houston’s 25th anniversary debut album (2010), “We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston” (2012), Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances (2014), and the 2018 docu-film Whitney . The performance is considered one of Houston’s best and her introduction to the music world. Talk show A talk show

880-500: The Hollywood Squares format rights from Orion Pictures after Orion closed down its television division. In 1995, it made a partner deal with Columbia TriStar Television to launch game shows. In 1996, King World began co-distributing Geraldo (later The Geraldo Rivera Show ) with Tribune Entertainment , and would continue co-distributing the show until its cancellation in 1998. On September 28, 1998, King World acquired

935-623: The CBS Television Distribution Group (CTD). Roger King was announced as CEO of the new entity and retained that position until suffering a stroke on December 7, 2007, and dying the next day. Paul Franklin currently serves as President of CTD. For one year, the King World on-screen identity was kept for the programs it distributed at its closure. However, most of the programs handled by King World were distributed under CTD. On September 27, 2007, CBS Television Distribution introduced

990-594: The GetTV channel. Seinfeld spoofed the show in Season 9, Episode 6, “ The Merv Griffin Show ,” in which Cosmo Kramer pretends that he hosts his own talk show using the discarded set from the show, which he sets up in his apartment. Andy Kaufman 's appearance on the show was a feature in the plot of the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon , with Griffin being played by character actor Mike Villani. The movie claims that all guests of

1045-579: The United States . Breakfast television is a staple of British television . The daytime talk format has become popular in Latin America as well as the United States. These genres also do not represent "generic" talk show genres. "Generic" genres are categorized based on the audiences' social views of talks shows derived through their cultural identities, fondness, preferences and character judgements of

1100-669: The 1960s and early to mid-1970s, and some stations formerly showed a morning movie in the time slot that many talk shows now occupy. Current late night talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Conan and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert have aired featuring celebrity guests and comedy sketches. Syndicated daily talk shows range from tabloid talk shows , such as Jerry Springer and Maury , to celebrity interview shows, like Live with Kelly and Ryan , Tamron Hall , Sherri , Steve Wilkos , The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show , to industry leader The Oprah Winfrey Show , which popularized

1155-568: The 1990s, King World operated an " As Seen on TV " VHS service called King World Direct . Stuart Hersch, a lawyer by trade, was the financial expert who helped to take the company public, making it one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street at the time. The company traded as "KWP". King World had virtually no debt and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues after going public. Television stations that broadcast King World programming had first choice on any series King World offered to distribute. On November 25, 1991, King World acquired

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1210-515: The announcing himself, and walk on stage with the phrase: "And now..., here I come!" However, Griffin's show continued to rank in second place behind Carson, even after the move. By late summer 1971, sensing that his time at CBS was ending, Griffin sought to exit his contract with the network early. CBS would soon agree, and on December 6, 1971, both Griffin and the network announced they were going their separate ways; CBS would replace Griffin with The CBS Late Movie . The following day, Griffin signed

1265-407: The comedy shorts made from 1929 through 1938 have been made available to audiences for the past fifty years. King World later co-produced an animated TV special with Muller-Rosen Productions and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in 1979 called The Little Rascals Christmas Special and later co-produced a 1982–1984 animated The Little Rascals TV series with Hanna-Barbera . King died in 1972 and the company

1320-579: The company to form The Television Program Source ; a television syndication company that was founded as a joint venture between King, Alan Bennett, and Columbia Pictures Television . King World also purchased television and film distributor Leo A. Gutman, Inc. whose titles included the theatricals Joan of Arc , Anna Karenina and the Sherlock Holmes and East Side Kids series; and two 1960s television westerns, Branded and The Guns of Will Sonnett . In 1986, King World signed Oprah Winfrey to

1375-477: The company's group of independent stations , which included outlets in New York , Los Angeles , Minneapolis–Saint Paul , Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. Beginning in 1981, The Merv Griffin Show was cut back to one hour in order to accommodate stations who preferred that length over the 90-minute version. King World Productions (now CBS Media Ventures ) took over syndication of the program in 1984; King World

1430-535: The day via different avenues. Beyond the inclusion of a host, a guest(s), and a studio or call-in audience, specific attributes of talk shows may be identified: There are several major formats of talk shows. Generally, each subgenre predominates during a specific programming block during the broadcast day. These formats are not absolute; some afternoon programs have similar structures to late-night talk shows. These formats may vary across different countries or markets. Late night talk shows are especially significant in

1485-466: The earliest days of the medium. Joe Franklin , an American radio and television personality, hosted the first television talk show. The show began in 1951 on WJZ-TV (later WABC-TV ) and moved to WOR-TV (later WWOR-TV ) from 1962 to 1993. NBC's The Tonight Show is the world's longest-running talk show; having debuted in 1954, it continues to this day. The show underwent some minor title changes until settling on its current title in 1962, and despite

1540-421: The format of late night network TV talk shows, originating such talk show staples as an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, audience participation, and comedy bits in which cameras were taken outside the studio, as well as music, although the series' popularity was cemented by second host Jack Paar , who took over after Allen had left and the show had ceased to exist. TV news pioneer Edward R. Murrow hosted

1595-421: The former genre and has been evolving towards the latter. On November 10, 2010, Oprah Winfrey invited several of the most prominent American talk show hosts - Phil Donahue , Sally Jessy Raphael , Geraldo Rivera , Ricki Lake , and Montel Williams - to join her as guests on her show. The 1990s in particular saw a spike in the number of "tabloid" talk shows, most of which were short-lived and are now replaced by

1650-401: The four main television stations. Due to language and cultural differences, Japanese TV stations could not freely use syndicated programs (mostly from Europe and North America) and therefore turned to panel shows , which could be produced cheaply and easily, to fill time during daytime programming. Japanese panel shows are distinct in generally not employing regular panelists but instead having

1705-432: The genre with Jô Soares Onze e Meia ("Jô Soares Eleven Thirty") from 1988 to 1999 on SBT . In 2000, Soares took his show's format to TV Globo , where it was then called Programa do Jô , and was broadcast until 2016. Jô's main competitors at the time were Danilo Gentili and Fábio Porchat . In 1999, Speak Up , hosted by Ma Dong , son of the famous Chinese comedian Ma Ji , was born as an early talk show "chatting" about

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1760-402: The host shapes the tone and style of the show. A common feature or unwritten rule of talk shows is to be based on "fresh talk", which is talk that is spontaneous or has the appearance of spontaneity. The history of the talk show spans back from the 1950s to the present. Talk shows can also have several different subgenres, which all have unique material and can air at different times of

1815-792: The interaction of viewers created difficult moments and awkward silences to hosts who usually used audience responses to transition conversations. Tetsuko's Room ( 徹子の部屋 , Tetsuko no Heya ) is a talk show hosted by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi and broadcast on TV Asahi from February 2, 1976, every Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 13:30 ( JST ). It is a long-lived program, and as of 2022, it has been broadcast for 47 years and more than 11,000 times, repeatedly winning Guinness World Records . Other talk shows include Nichiyō Tōron (1994 onwards), Ametalk! (2003 onwards) and Takeda Tetsuya no Shōwa wa kagayaiteita (2013 onwards). In Japan , panel shows called tōku bangumi (トーク番組) are very commonplace, accounting for about 30% of daytime and prime-time programming on

1870-587: The network purchased King World, CBS was bought by Viacom always in 1999; such buyout was reversed at the end of 2005, when King World became part of the post-split CBS Corporation as well as all of Viacom's former TV production and distribution operations. In its latter days, King World was considered the syndication branch of the CBS network (a role Viacom actually first served upon its creation), having succeeded Eyemark in that role. King World, however, distributed newer CBS shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond while

1925-403: The older shows were syndicated by corporate affiliate CBS Paramount Television , the successor to the original distributor Viacom Enterprises . Additionally, from 2000 to 2006, King World distributed archive programs from Group W, such as The Mike Douglas Show . On September 26, 2006, CBS announced that King World and CBS Paramount Television's syndication operations would be combined to form

1980-528: The only subject of American talk shows, however. Other radio talk show subjects include Car Talk hosted by NPR and Coast to Coast AM hosted by Art Bell and George Noory which discusses topics of the paranormal , conspiracy theories , and fringe science . Sports talk shows are also very popular ranging from high-budget shows like The Best Damn Sports Show Period to Max Kellerman 's original public-access television cable TV show Max on Boxing . Talk shows have been broadcast on television since

2035-863: The program include Orson Welles , John Wayne , Judy Garland (who took over as guest hostess for Griffin on one program in January 1969, six months before her death), Doris Day (Griffin's longtime friend), Robert De Niro , Tom Cruise , Sophia Loren , George Clooney , Tom Hanks , Gene Wilder , Francis Ford Coppola , Dustin Hoffman , Clint Eastwood and Grace Kelly . Musical performers and composers ranging from Devo to Aretha Franklin with Bobby Vinton , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Marvin Gaye , Merle Haggard , The Bee Gees and Johnny Cash , among others, all guesting. The Merv Griffin Show hosted Whitney Houston ’s first TV appearance in 1983. Sports figures interviewed by Griffin on

2090-412: The rights to distribute Griffin's own long-running talk/variety program from Metromedia 's syndication division. A year later, Griffin announced plans to revive another of his game show creations, Jeopardy! , and King World agreed to distribute that program as well. In 1984 King World formed an ad-sales barter division called Camelot Entertainment Sales . Later that year president Robert King left

2145-521: The series did well enough to quickly force the cancellation of another Carson competitor, ABC 's The Joey Bishop Show , it was unable to make much of a dent in Carson's ratings. Furthermore, the network was uncomfortable with the guests Griffin wanted, who often spoke out against the Vietnam War and on other taboo topics. When political activist Abbie Hoffman was Griffin's guest in April 1970, CBS blurred

2200-399: The show for 52 hours in 2011. In 2020, the fear of the spread of the coronavirus led to large changes in the operation of talk shows, with many being filmed without live audiences to ensure adherence to the rules of social distancing . The inclusion of a live, participating audience is one of the attributes that contribute to the defining characteristics of talk shows. Operating without

2255-555: The show include Muhammad Ali , Joe Namath , Roger Maris , Willie Mays and Reggie Jackson . In addition, many of the most important comedians of the era were on the show including early performances by George Carlin , Richard Pryor , Andy Kaufman , Steve Martin , Jerry Lewis , and Jerry Seinfeld , who made his TV debut on the show in 1981. Other notable guests that rarely made TV appearances showed up to talk to Griffin include Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , Andy Warhol , Norman Rockwell and Salvador Dalí . Griffin's longtime bandleader

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2310-624: The show receive an autographed photo of Griffin, coupons, and Turtle Wax . The Merv Griffin Show was parodied on Second City Television , with Griffin played by Rick Moranis . The sketches included a crossover with The Andy Griffith Show and a mash-up of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind . Since making her TV debut on The Merv Griffin Show with the song in June 1983, pop/R&B singer Whitney Houston ’s performance of “ Home ” has been used frequently. The performance

2365-580: The stations as the nucleus of the Fox Broadcasting Company . As Fox was already setting up its own late-night talk show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers , the former Metromedia stations dropped the show soon thereafter. The show was canceled altogether later that year, and aired its final episode on September 5, 1986. Griffin's conversational style created the perfect atmosphere for conducting intelligent interviews that could be serious with some and light-hearted with others. Rather than interview

2420-484: The subgenres, a further distinction of genres would better represent and target the audience. Talk-radio host Howard Stern also hosted a talk show that was syndicated nationally in the US, then moved to satellite radio's Sirius . The tabloid talk show genre, pioneered by Phil Donahue in 1967 but popularized by Oprah Winfrey , was extremely popular during the last two decades of the 20th century. Politics are hardly

2475-734: The success of Oprah eventually led to the creation of the spin-off series Dr. Phil , Rachael Ray , and The Dr. Oz Show . On February 11, 1985, King World formed the King World Enterprises division to develop joint-venture programs with advertisers and station groups and to handle international distribution for King World and Camelot. In 1987, King World's Camelot Entertainment Sales entered into an agreement with Buena Vista Television , whereas Camelot would sell all national spots for all programming produced by Buena Vista Television, which included Siskel & Ebert , DuckTales , Disney Magic I and Win, Lose or Draw , and Camelot

2530-519: The talk shows in question. The subgenres listed above are based on television programming and broadly defined based on the TV guide rather than on the more specific categorizations of talk show viewers. However, there is a lack of research on "generic" genres, making it difficult to list them here. According to Mittell, "generic" genres is of significant importance in further identifying talk show genres because with such differentiation in cultural preferences within

2585-613: The video of Hoffman so viewers at home would not see his trademark American flag pattern shirt, even though other guests had worn the same shirt in the past, uncensored, and Pat Boone appeared in an automobile commercial on that very broadcast wearing a similar flag-motif shirt. That same year, Griffin relocated his show from New York's Cort Theatre to CBS Television City in Los Angeles , without sidekick Arthur Treacher, who told him "at my age, I don't want to move, especially to someplace that shakes!". From that point on, Griffin would do

2640-501: The worldwide leasing rights to the solo-developed game shows by Merrill Heatter Productions for a limited time. In April 1999, King World was acquired by CBS . On January 19, 2000, Eyemark Entertainment , the successor to Westinghouse Broadcasting following the CBS/ Westinghouse Electric Corporation merger, was folded into King World. The sale was first discussed on March 28, 1999, for $ 3 billion. After

2695-762: The zany comedian Phyllis Diller followed by an interview with Capt. Mitsuo Fuchida , the Japanese navy officer who planned and led the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941— a truly unique moment in television history. For over a quarter of a century, more than 25,000 guests appeared on The Merv Griffin Show including numerous significant cultural, political, social and musical icons of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Four American presidents– Richard Nixon , Gerald Ford , Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan appeared, as did Martin Luther King Jr. , Rosa Parks , Jonas Salk and Robert F. Kennedy . Legendary actors and directors who appeared on

2750-645: Was Mort Lindsey . Griffin frequently clowned and sang novelty songs with trumpeter Jack Sheldon . In 2012, Reelin' In the Years Productions started handling all rights to the series on behalf of The Griffin Group. As of February 2014, 1,800 episodes, spanning over 2,000 hours of footage, have been located and preserved for future generations. Episodes of the show have been released on DVDs. Selected edited episodes, distributed by Paul Brownstein Productions, are airing on

2805-417: Was Griffin's syndication partner for Wheel of Fortune and was about to relaunch his other game show Jeopardy! (Metromedia had briefly syndicated the original Jeopardy! a decade prior and would initially provide the studio for the revival). Metromedia's independent stations continued to carry The Merv Griffin Show until they were sold in early 1986 to News Corporation and 20th Century Fox , who used

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2860-463: Was run by his son Roger until it was acquired by CBS in 1999 and merged with CBS Paramount Domestic Television to form CBS Television Distribution (now CBS Media Ventures ). Following Roger King's death, the company continues to exist on paper as an intellectual property holder and under the moniker of KWP Studios Inc. to hold the copyrights for television shows like Rachael Ray , which aired from September 18, 2006 to July 28, 2023. The division

2915-543: Was started in 1964 by Charles King (1912–1972). It was a company that expressly handled television distribution of the Hal Roach -produced Our Gang short comedy films from the 1930s. When Roach lost the rights to the name Our Gang (it was retained by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio, who bought the series from Roach in 1938), the shorts were retitled as The Little Rascals . It was through this acquisition that

2970-438: Was taken over by King's children: Roger M. King (1944–2007), Michael (1948–2015), Robert (1940–2020), Diana (1949–2019), Richard (1941–2020), and Karen. In 1983, the company acquired the syndication rights to NBC 's daytime game show Wheel of Fortune . Merv Griffin , the show's creator and producer, had shopped the program to various other studios prior to reaching a deal with King World. King World also would acquire

3025-565: Was willing to accept the lower figure because DuckTales represented King World's first foray into the animated strip business, and Disney Magic I marked King World to the barter movie operation business for the first time. In 1988, the company made its only foray onto television stations when it bought out WIVB-TV in Buffalo for $ 100 million. King World ended up selling the station to LIN TV Corporation in 1995. Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license . In

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