BREAKING: Jerry Springer, politician-turned-TV ringmaster, dies at 79
At its peak, "The Jerry Springer Show" was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah, synonymous with lurid drama. Known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments, the daytime talk show was a favourite American guilty pleasure over its 27-year run, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey's show.Springer called it "escapist entertainment," while others saw the show as contributing to a dumbing-down decline in American social values.
"Look, television does not and must not create values, it's merely a picture of all that's out there -- the good, the bad, the ugly," Springer said, adding: "Believe this: The politicians and companies that seek to control what each of us may watch are a far greater danger to America and our treasured freedom than any of our guests ever were or could be."
In 1974 -- in what The Cincinnati Enquirer reported as "an abrupt move that shook Cincinnati's political community" -- Springer resigned. He cited "very personal family considerations," but what he didn't mention was a vice probe involving prostitution. In a subsequent admission that could have been the basis for one of his future shows, Springer said he had paid prostitutes with personal checks.
"With all the joking I do with the show, I'm fully aware and thank God every day that my life has taken this incredible turn because of this silly show," Springer told Cincinnati Enquirer media reporter John Kiesewetter in 2011.
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