First of all, forget about the menu. There was no leafy salad, no vegetable medley, no stuffed chicken, no flaming dessert.
Behind his desk in his second-story office at the NBC Tower, Richard Dominick, the executive producer of “The Jerry Springer Show,” served as an appetizer a warm, nostalgic remembrance of the travails of the 1962 New York Mets and then followed with the main course: a heaping defense of the nation’s top-rated talk show.
On this day, the 47-year-old Dominick blew off lunch–not even touching the bottled water on his desk. He talked about Springer’s show being on the ratings ropes in 1994, and how the program found salvation by targeting college students.
The only time Dominick emerged from the comfy slouch in his leather recliner was to reach every 5 or 10 minutes for the miniature flamethrower on his desk, to light the tip of his Cuban cigar in a careful, circular motion.
The meat of the interview, trimmed of editorial fat, follows.
Q–The cover of the tabloid Star says your show is fake. What do you think of that?
A–We have taken so much criticism on everything. We’ve been called too fake. We’ve been called too real. We’ve been called everything under the sun. Nobody knows what we are.
Q–Since your syndicator, Studios USA, said last month there should be no more violence on the show, the ratings have dropped, right?
A–Oh yeah. There’s no question about it. But we still beat Oprah.
Q–What do you do now?
A–You try to put together a show that will be more popular in the ratings–let’s face it, we’re in it for ratings, no matter what anyone says.
Q–Are these no-violence guidelines you can live with?
A–I’d prefer not to. But it’s not my car, it’s not my gasoline. We’re doing what we’ve been asked to do.
Q–Why did it happen? Was it the school shootings in Colorado?
A–Do I think that’s why this happened? Might have been. . . . But if it did, I think it was the wrong decision to make, because I think when you blame Hollywood or you blame television for what happens in Littleton, you’re trivializing the slaughter of 15 kids. What does that have to do with “The Jerry Springer Show?” What does that have to do with a Sylvester Stallone movie? The same TV shows and movies are aired in Canada at the same time, and they’re not shooting up anything. It has to do with guns, not “The Jerry Springer Show.”
Q–You don’t think there should be some media responsibility in the portrayal of violence, some limits?
A–Personally, I don’t think so. I think the beauty of this country is that you don’t have to watch something you don’t want to see. I have two children, and I like to believe that if I say don’t do something, they won’t do it. My children are too young to go to a movie and see a bang-up, shoot-em-up movie.
Q–How old are they?
A–Five and 4.
Q–They watch your show?
A–They watch Mickey Mouse.
Q–If they did, would it bother you?
A–No. If they did at 5 and 4, they wouldn’t understand what they were watching. It would be like they were watching Goofy and seeing the same thing. Now, if they were 10, 11 or 12, would I let them watch it? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the show. I’d rather have a child grow up knowing all aspects of what’s out there than to live a sheltered life.
Q–Some people think your show has great and negative influence.
A–We’re just a television show. We shouldn’t have that much influence on anybody. If we do, then somebody’s parents should make sure they don’t watch the show. I have read things in the paper that say 12-year-old kids are playing Jerry Springer on the playground and hitting each other, and does that bother me? Yeah. Is that an influence that I wish we did not have? Yeah. But to be honest, where are the parents of these children? If it is a bad influence–and I’m not saying it is–do something about it. Tell your kids they can’t watch it. This is an adult show for adult people. When I was a kid, I never watched television. I was outside constantly. Now I drive around and see ballfields that are vacant in the summertime. Go outside–you’re 12 years old! Don’t be watchin’ television!
Q–You get 3,000 to 5,000 people calling you every week to be on the show. Why?
A–I ain’t got a clue, I really don’t. Twenty percent of the people who call are just a hoax. They will call in to say “I married a horse” or “I married a pig” or something. Everybody’s different. Me, I like my privacy. I wouldn’t go anywhere to talk about my personal life, even with my staff. I’m a private person. Some people aren’t as private. Some people come on because they know it’s the only chance they’ll ever have to be on TV, and maybe that’s what’s going on in their life. To them, it’s a chance to get on an airplane and come to Chicago and be somebody for a couple of days. Most people get yelled at at work and yelled at at home and they get yelled at wherever they are. For a couple of days, somebody is listening to them. Finally, somebody in Chicago is listening to them.
Q–Does the Jenny Jones verdict worry you?
A–No. We never want anything to happen to people who are on the show. You know when you come on “The Jerry Springer Show” that you’re not going to hear something good. When you take that seat, you know you’re not gonna be told you won the lottery. Everybody who’s here has been fighting with these people long before “The Jerry Springer Show.” This is just a continuation of their life; they’re bringing their life to TV.
Q–Talk shows go in cycles. How long does this shtick last?
A–I don’t know, not much longer. For the last year and a half, the show has been confrontational. What will it become? I don’t know; it sort of evolves. Right now, people really want to see the show that’s been on the air except for the past couple of weeks. If we’re not allowed to do that, we’ll certainly change. Right now, we’re trying to be a little more bizarre.
Q–How bizarre?
A–Well, there are people who have love affairs with stuffed animals. One guy came on with a giant stuffed panda bear, and he told a story. So it’s more like shocking stories, like, “Wow, I don’t believe that’s out there.” We’re just trying to be different, more than I’m cheating with your best friend.
Q–Are you getting tired of being a media lightning rod?
A–I don’t read the press, I don’t read the criticisms or the praise. The only thing I watch each day are the numbers–are people watching the show. We do a show that we like to say America wants to see. Obviously they do want to see it, because they watch it. When they stop watching, then it’s time to listen to what they have to say. You never listen to the critics.
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ON THE INTERNET: Read recent Q&A’s with other Chicago executives at chicagotribune.com/go/interview
