DAYTIME TELEVISION TALK SHOWS - GUESTS, CONTENT AND INTERACTIONS

Strident controversy over the often-bizarre subject matter of daytime television talk shows motivated this content analysis of 11 shows with the highest Nielsen ratings in 1994-95. A sample of 10 episodes of ea ch of the shows was videotaped and subjected to a systematic analysis of the shows' guests, topics of discussion and interactions. Results i ndicate that this genre of program indulges in overrepresentation of f emale, youthful and African American guests. The most prevalent major topic of discussion was parenting on nearly half the episodes. In gene ral, these talk shows center around family issues, sexual activity and dating.