An old Springer clip...

[Donkey]

Never realized Springer was like this. Shame it couldn't have stayed this way.

Donahue and Geraldo were like that before him...

[Merkurie]

Jerry did not change as much as his audience and his guests did. People chose to clown and carry on, and he did not stop them.

[danthepoetman]

They're all a bunch of fucking bloodsuckers, who enjoy stonings and crucifixions! The only person who was sensible enough to get out of this shitty business is Oprah. To me, it was a woman's show, of course. BAOWWWWRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I always admired the woman for the gamble she took at a time when these tv lynchings were popular: she just decided it was wrong. And that is why Oprah got to have so much credibility -and well deserved credibility. Don't get me wrong, I hated that show. But the lady was outstanding to me.
As to Springer, he just decided to the opposite: just go for it and make a total farce out of it. For some reason, it just works, and I suspect it has something to do with the Net generation...

[danthepoetman]

Christ! I have a whole lot of trouble distinguishing between our adorable Ben with our new "Ben from LA". Willie, please, reconsider! or make the Ben your whole name!

[Ben in LA]

Christ! I have a whole lot of trouble distinguishing between our adorable Ben with our new "Ben from LA". Willie, please, reconsider! or make the Ben your whole name!

I WAS going to use "Benjamin in Los Angeles"...but I didn't feel like typing all of that. Just watch for my signature; there's always a picture.

[youngblood61]

Donahue and Geraldo were like that before him...

People forget about these 2.

[danthepoetman]

I WAS going to use "Benjamin in Los Angeles"...but I didn't feel like typing all of that. Just watch for my signature; there's always a picture.

Right Ben. We'll get used to it...

[youngblood61]

Don't forget about early Oprah!

[brooke3]

Donahue and Geraldo were like that before him...

Donahue was a gentleman who truly cared about the human condition. Geraldo was,is,and always has been a total jerk.

[JenniferParisHusband]

I don't know if people on the West Coast ever got to see him, but when Springer and those guys were starting out, there was a guy out of New Jersey named Morton Downey Jr. who was doing trash before it became the thing to do. That show literally stole pieces of your soul. Then everyone slowly started to copy him, except maybe Oprah.