Geraldo (talk show)

Did You Know?

• The episode "Young Hate Mongers" averaged a 13.9 rating and a 39 share in 18 major television markets, numbers described as virtually unheard of for daytime programs.
• Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times called the show frequently dull and always derivative.
• New York listed it as one of the worst television shows of 1995.

Production

In 1986, Geraldo Rivera hosted The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, a live television special that became the highest-rated syndicated show in television history despite being critically panned after the vault was found empty. The special's success led to numerous offers from television syndicators, and Rivera chose to host a talk show because he wanted a platform to "affect [the audience's] lives or affect an issue or affect the TV landscape." Early seasons featured controversial topics such as "Men in Lace Panties," "Kids Who Murder in the Name of Satan," "When the Other Woman Is a Man," and "Teens Who Trade Sex for Drugs," though Rivera claimed topics had become "positively G-rated" by 1994. The show provided counseling to some guests and launched an aftercare referral service in 1992 for those lacking resources for treatment. Executive producer Martin Berman noted that the audience could make an ordinary show extraordinary and was the only element that could not be planned.

Broadcast history and release

Geraldo was syndicated worldwide, with Tribune Entertainment distributing it in first-run syndication in the United States starting September 7, 1987, on about 60 stations. By January 1988, coverage increased to 120 stations and the show was renewed for a second season. It was renewed again in January 1990, though some stations delayed renewal hoping for toned-down topics. The 1,000th episode aired on September 21, 1992, and Tribune Entertainment renewed the show for five more years in August 1994. The final episode, a retrospective of the show and Rivera's career, aired on May 8, 1998.

Controversy

On November 3, 1988, an episode featuring white supremacists, Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, black activists, and Jewish activists erupted into a brawl after John Metzger goaded Roy Innis by calling him "Uncle Tom." Innis grabbed Metzger by the neck, and a full-scale fight broke out involving audience members, stage hands, and Rivera, who was struck in the face by a chair and punched in the nose by white supremacist Wyatt Kaldenberg, resulting in a nasal fracture. Rivera did not press charges, stating he did not want to be "tied up with the roaches" and that it was "a case of deserved violence." Ratings for the episode increased as news of the fight spread before it aired. In August 1992, Rivera scuffled with KKK members at a Klan rally in Janesville, Wisconsin, suffering cuts and a bite to his left thumb.