The TV icon, journalist and politician who was even the subject of an opera, will take to the Edinburgh TV Festival stage to deliver his speech on Friday 23rd August.
Jerry Springer has a unique place in popular culture, and will give a short speech ahead of a Q&A with Channel 4's Head of News and Current Affairs, Dorothy Byrne, in which he will discuss his long career hosting The Jerry Springer Show, which ran for 27 seasons from 1991 to 2018, as well as his views on the interplay between politics and the media.
UK-born Springer has described himself as a “political junkie” and began his career as a former political campaign adviser to Robert F Kennedy before becoming mayor of Cincinnati.
His broadcasting career began with a stint as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT. He subsequently became the station’s number one news anchor where he created his signature line: "Take care of yourself, and each other," and won several local Emmys.
His eponymous TV talk show originally began as a politically-themed series before it was revamped to focus on more sensationalist stories. It became famous for its confrontational style with families taking each other to task over issues such as homosexuality and prostitution, attracting record ratings.
Springer will share his views on politicians’ relationship with the media and what part traditional news organisations can play to uphold democratic debate in an era of fake news.
Jerry Springer said: “Clearly one of the most beautiful cities in the world - it's an honour to be asked to speak, usually I'm being asked to be quiet!”
Advisory Chair for the festival, Kelly Webb-Lamb, said “As the king of the tabloid talk show, who better to hear from right now? And with Dorothy Byrne by his side, it’s definitely box office. The popcorn is already in the microwave.”
Whilst Executive Chair for the festival, Graham Stuart said “He is the legendary Godfather of tabloid television. Could there be a more relevant time for him to bare his soul at Edinburgh?”
This year's Edinburgh TV Festival runs from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd August and you can book tickets here. Find out more about what to expect from this year's festival here,