As ‘Springer’ Plans to Pull Punches, It Still Gets Knocked

LAS VEGAS —  While network executives and conservatives blasted the violence on the “Jerry Springer Show” at an industry conference Tuesday, uncertainty over how much the series’ trademark fisticuffs between guests would be toned down continued to surround the controversial talk show.

At the National Assn. of Broadcasters gathering, “Springer” came under fire from prominent attendees ranging from ABC Inc. President Robert Iger to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and William Bennett of conservative advocacy group Empower America.

Producers and distributors of the series announced Friday that they would be cutting back on the show’s violence in response to criticism.

Lieberman said Tuesday that he had just spoken with Barry Diller, part-owner of USA Networks Studios, which produces and distributes “Springer,” to express gratitude for the policy shift. Bennett added, “We are not calling for censorship but exercise in good judgment.”

Both men, who have been leading critics of some TV programming, also called for the NAB to institute rules of conduct for talk shows.

In a keynote speech Monday, Iger said, “I believe there is room on the air for adult-oriented programming, provided they are high in quality. Programs like ‘Jerry Springer’ are another matter. I question the logic of putting him on the air, and I believe the entire industry suffers from the association. . . . Programs that are embarrassments to our business, will, in the long run, alienate our viewers.”

Meanwhile, Greg Meidel, chairman and CEO of USA Networks Studios, said he and other executives have not yet determined how much and what kind of fighting will be permitted on the show.

Meidel said that “Springer”--whose notoriety has grown due to the frequent brawls among guests--would continue to be confrontational. He added, however, that “we will determine in a few weeks where to draw the line. One thing we will be is good corporate citizens. I think the criticism, that there has been a little too much fighting, is a valid criticism. That’s the area we want to focus on.”

Meidel acknowledged that the show--which has beaten syndicated talk-show ratings champ “Oprah” twice in two months and is now the top-rated syndicated series--might lose viewers with the cutback in violence.

“Are we willing to give up a little bit in ratings? Yes, we are,” Meidel said. “But we will still be fresh and compelling.”

Industry insiders said the furor over “Springer” has intensified since several stations around the country started to air repeats of the show in the afternoon, when children can watch. They also said that Diller has expressed discomfort over the show.

Executive Producer Richard Dominick said the show will show more “fuses burning. It had been that you would see the fuses burning, then you would see the explosions. But it got to the point where it would just be the explosion, where people would just come out on stage and start punching.”

Dominick also said that the show would become “sexier.” One of the highest-rated recent episodes focused on the topic “I Have a Wild Lifestyle,” and it featured a minimum of physical altercations.

“We’re not going to become ‘Leeza Gibbons,’ ” he said. “We will still have a wild show. We just don’t want it to get out of hand.”

Henry Schleiff, executive vice president in charge of talk shows for USA Networks, last week noted that syndicated courtroom series “Judge Judy” can be as confrontational and entertaining as “Springer” without getting physical.

But Larry Lyttle, president of Big Ticket Television, which produces “Judge Judy,” said “Springer” is likely to suffer a large ratings drop if the fights are toned down.

“No fights, no ratings,” Lyttle said. “ ‘Judge Judy’ is about emotional conflict and resolution. But fights are organic to the ‘Springer’ show. The audience will not tune in if you don’t give them what they want. They won’t have the highest-rated show in America.”

A rival syndicator also said that opposition by major advertisers, who shun “Springer,” and criticism from viewers will hurt the show.

“If they tone it down, it will drop down to the ratings it had before.”