Abstract

During the last television seasons (2015-2016), after several years of success, Italian political talk shows have suffered a period of exhaustion. Adopting the perspective of television studies, this essay investigates the structural and strategic reasons accompanying such crisis. Through a careful analysis of television schedules, audience ratings and running orders for a series of prime time talk shows, we detect the role of networks' and broadcasters' editorial policies in defining, shaping and modifying Italian TV programs devoted to political debate. Indeed, in talk shows exquisitely televisual goals often prevail on political communication logics.