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Jerry Springer

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Talk show host Jerry Springer
This article is about the talk show host. For the 1998 "Weird Al" Yankovic song, see Jerry Springer (song).

Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer (born February 13, 1944 in London, England) is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and host of the television tabloid talk show bearing his name, The Jerry Springer Show. He also hosts a talk radio program called Springer on the Radio on the Air America Radio network.

Early years

Springer was born in an Underground station in East Finchley, London, England. His parents were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. In January 1949, he immigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom with his family on the RMS Queen Mary. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in 1965, majoring in political science. He earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Northwestern University in 1968. He then became a political campaign aide to Robert Kennedy; after Kennedy's assassination, he joined a Cincinnati law firm.

Political career

In 1970, Springer ran for Congress, but failed to unseat incumbent Republican Donald D. Clancy, garnering 44% of the vote. He had previously spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age, and had testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of ratification of the 26th Amendment.

Springer was elected to the Cincinnati city council in 1971. He was forced to resign in 1974 after admitting to hiring a prostitute. The episode was uncovered when a police raid on a Fort Wright, Kentucky "massage parlor" unearthed a check Jerry Springer had written for its "services". Jerry Springer came clean at a press conference. His honesty helped him win back his seat in 1975. In 1977, he was chosen to serve one year as mayor by the City Council. Springer was also alluded to in a number of episodes of the television series WKRP in Cincinnati, but never appeared.

In 1982, Springer sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio. As part of the campaign, Springer appeared in a TV commercial where he admits that he once paid a prostitute for sex. He used this admission as way of proving that he wasn't afraid of the truth "even if it hurts". In 2006, the video began appearing on several internet sites.

After failing to win the party's nomination, Springer put his political career on hiatus.

Politics to journalism

His broadcast career started while he was still Mayor of Cincinnati with album-oriented rock radio station WEBN FM, noted for its laid-back and irreverent radio format. The station featured commentaries by Springer under the banner "The Springer Memorandum". The popularity of these commentaries helped launch his broadcasting career.

In 1982, having not sought reelection to the city council in 1981, Springer failed in his bid to win the Democratic primary for governor of Ohio coming in third behind former Lt. Gov. Richard F. Celeste, who won the primary and general elections, and Ohio Attorney General William J. Brown. He was hired as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT TV, which had, at the time, the lowest-rated news program. Later, having been named primary news anchor and Managing Editor, he needed a broadcast "catch phrase" in the model of other great newsmen. With the help of some others at WLWT, he created his signature line: "Take care of yourself, and each other". Within two years he was Cincinnati's number one news anchor, along with partner Norma Rashid, and for five years, the most popular one in the city, garnering 10 local Emmy Awards in the process. It was a position he held until January 1993.

The Jerry Springer Show

The Jerry Springer Show debuted on 20 September 1991. It was developed by WLWT-TV to replace its Phil Donahue Show. It started as a politically oriented talk show, a longer version of Springer's commentaries. Guests included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and topics included homelessness and gun politics.

Springer revamped the format of the show in order to garner higher ratings. The show became more and more successful as it became more and more lowbrow. It included outrageous situations like adulterers, post-op-transsexuals, paternity tests, the Ku Klux Klan, Nation of Islam and Black Panther Party members and other groups, and, in one of the most famous episodes, an exposee of shock rock featuring El Duce from The Mentors and GWAR. However, since 2002 female audience members are actively encouraged to expose their breasts for the cameras and are awarded strings of beads in emulation of Mardi Gras tradition.

Though under some harsh criticism, Springer has always maintained that he has no control over the guests. If they were making up their story to get their fifteen minutes of fame, he and his producers knew nothing of it. He showed outtakes in which a lesbian couple was caught lying about their affair.

On 10 July 2002, the sons of guest Nancy Campbell-Panitz, who was murdered by her ex-husband after they appeared on an episode with his girlfriend, filed suit in Sarasota County against Springer, his producers and his distributor, claiming he created "a mood that led to murder."

In 2005 a UK version was shown on ITV1 entitled The Springer Show. It beat its talkshow rival Trisha Goddard five to one in the ratings.

American Folk singer Frank Carlier pays humorous tribute to the show with his song, "I'm Going On The Jerry Springer Show" on his CD, Americana 101 .

Modern political involvement

Outside of his show, Springer remains politically active, particularly in Ohio. He has contributed large sums to the Ohio Democratic Party and he was a member of the Ohio delegation to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Many Ohio Democrats hoped that he would challenge George Voinovich, who ran for re-election to the United States Senate in 2004. However, Springer decided early on that his contractual obligation to his television program would prevent him from running for elective office in 2004.

Springer had expressed interest in running for office in 2006, but he has stated that should he decide to do so, he would resign from the television show at least 18 months prior to the election date, which would have been in May of 2005. It had been widely surmised that he is either considering a run for the United States Senate against incumbent Republican R. Michael DeWine, who is up for re-election in 2006 or a run for the Ohio governorship, where Republican Bob Taft would be barred from running due to term limits. Ultimately, however, Springer chose not to run for either the Senate or the governorship.

In 2004, the Ohio Democratic Party named Springer Democrat of the Year for his fund-raising efforts on behalf of the party.

Springer lives part time on Bird Key, in Sarasota County, Florida, where he occasionally helps raise funds on behalf of the local Democratic Party.

Latest endeavors in entertainment

On January 17, 2005, Springer began hosting Springer on the Radio, a liberal talk show on Cincinnati's WCKY-AM. The show is carried nationwide on Air America Radio. He does the show from the Clear Channel studios in Kenwood on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and in Chicago (where his television show tapes) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

He also hosted the Miss World beauty pageant in 2000.

In June the same year Springer traveled to the UK where he hosted a British version of his show entitled The Springer Show on ITV1. In an interview he claimed that he had expected British guests to be more sedate, but found them to be even noisier and more argumentative than Americans.

Jerry also hosted the British version of the game show Greed on Five. He also appeared on the series Dancing with the Stars - Videos on ABC; he finished in fifth place, and was eliminated in week seven on 10/25/2006.

See also:

Inspired by Springer

  • The Peter Gabriel song entitled "The Barry Williams Show" (released on the Up album) is a reference to The Jerry Springer Show and shows like it.
  • Dutch punk rock band Heideroosjes made a song called "Jerry Rules In the Land Of the Free" that was featured partly in a compilation of clips in a Jerry Springer show episode.
  • Jerry Springer made a cameo appearance in Domino (film) as himself during an episode of the show featuring Mo'nique.
  • The popular Peruvian talk-show Laura en América features on-air fights amongst guests and scandalous topics similar to the Springer Show.
  • On the NBC soap opera Passions Jerry Springer made an appearance as "Larry Winger" and as the same type of talk show host. During his appearance, he was featured in Eve's nightmare, where she believed her daughter was impregnated by her son.
  • After winning the lottery, Roseanne Conner and her family appear on the Jerry Springer Show to discuss their newfound wealth.

References

External links

Preceded byJim Luken Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
1977-1978 		Succeeded byBobbie L. Sterne
Air America (and list of affiliates)
Programs
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