24. Late-Night Talk Shows: Why People Watch and What They Seek to Gain

• In Event: Scholar to Scholar Presents: Popular Culture Extravaganza
  In Paper Session: Scholar to Scholar Presents: Where the 'Popular' Kids Are: Popular Culture Research and Theory

Abstract

This paper will examine the historical importance of late-night talk show genre in the development of American television culture and why people watch for what purposes. Our main argument is that the popularity of the genre originates in broadcasting strategy and audiences’ imagination. Based on para-social interaction theory and uses and gratification theory, we identified four major reasons for the popularity of late-night talk show: entertainment, education, habitual media use and emotional attachment.

Authors

• Jin Kim, University of Iowa

• Julie Kocsis, Hope College