In Search of a Classic Talk Show: Functional and Structural Aspects of Cognitive and Entertaining Talk Shows on the Example of "Day Code" and "Eka Khoferia Show
Authors: Karchava Mariam 
Published: December 2024

Based on the qualitative research methods, this article will study and analyze the genre characteristics of two talk shows in the Georgian television space to determine how the mentioned genre adapts to the realization of two different functions - entertainment and cognition –, how Georgian TV showmen (show presenters) use the authentic features of the genre when presenting a topic that requires a multifaceted vision. Georgian television media uses various mechanisms to expand the audience and maintain interest in their creative products. In the globalized media world, Georgian television journalism borrowed „ from the American media at the end of the 90s, then developed and adapted several genres of television shows to its audience. One such genre is the talk show, which occupies a place in the network of all broadcasting companies. At the dawn of the appearance of talk shows in Georgia, it was believed that having a talk show in primetime was equal to quality nonsense. There was also an opinion that the most sought-after person in the TV media of that time was the host of the evening talk show; despite these performances today, the rating of watching TV channels is decreasing, one of the reasons for which may be the quality of Georgian talk shows. To narrow the selection spectrum of programs, two types of talk shows on the most popular topics in Georgia – recreational and cognitive were found. Even though there is quite a large selection of shows on Georgian television, the number of programs of the classic talk show genre is scarce, and most of them are mentioned in my dissertation. Based on the above, I searched for TV projects launched in the recent past for the mentioned research: • “Eka Khoferia's talk show“, which carried signs of recreational direction transmission and enjoyed great popularity on the TV channel „Imedi“; • „Day code”, which carried signs of cognitive direction transmission, enjoyed great popularity on the TV channel „Public Broadcaster“. The paper is based on comparing the “day code” and Eka Khoferia's programs. Critical structural monitoring is the main research tool. The discussion of empirical data is preceded by a theoretical part, in which the genre spectrum of television programs, in particular, the specifics and directions of the talk show, is described. Structural monitoring of both programs includes formal and compositional elements: principles of selecting invited guests, details of conducting dialogue, and interesting presentation of problematic topics. The mentioned study criteria were the basis for determining how high-quality talk shows are broadcast on Georgian television. When analyzing both types of Georgian programs and comparing them with Western classic talk shows, it was revealed that certain parameters necessary to ensure the high quality of the talk show are not met. The absence of a golden mean in the formation of the content and form of the talk show was revealed, which led to a decrease in interest in the satellite product.