CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - For 17 years, the circus that was the Jerry Springer Show took place in Chicago.
The Jerry Springer Show was indeed a new kind of talk show but not in the way the host and producers imagined when it went on the air in 1991. Yes, he was the former mayor of Cincinnati, but he came into the talk show arena as a popular local news anchor and commentator.
The following year the show moved to Chicago and was taped at the NBC Tower. It was lost in a sea of daytime talk until Springer and his producer decided to chase college students and young adults who were watching during the day.
As the 90s rolled on, the Jerry Springer Show became known for large fights, blurred nudity and a near constant use of the bleep button. Depending on your point of view, it was as entertaining as pro wrestling or the height of bad taste.
In 1997, NBC-5 asked Springer to step into his old role of delivering commentaries on the 10 O’clock news. Anchors Ron Magers and Carol Marin quit in protest.
Marin was rewarded with a Peabody Award for her integrity. Springer was rewarded with even higher ratings. In 1998, his show topped Oprah Winfrey in the daytime ratings, and he starred in a movie loosely based on his show called “Ringmaster.” Siskel and Ebert were not fans.
In the summer of 1999, Springer was called to testify before the Chicago City Council, where he was peppered with questions about violence on the show.
“I personally take a backseat to no one. God will be the judge of that, in terms of acting responsibly on the issue, for example, of violence,” Springer told the Council. The message that people get by watching our show is that fighting does not work. The bad guy comes out and inevitably gets booed by the crowd. He fights, he loses his battle. He looks silly.”
The Springer Show would remain rooted in Chicago until 2009 until to moved to Connecticut. The show ended for good in 2018.
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