“‘Geraldo At Large’ Is A Dud”

…That’s the headline on this article by Media Life Magazine. After four months on the air, it seems the syndicated show Geraldo At Large “isn’t faring any better than what it replaced.”

In the 16 weeks since its premiere, the show has averaged a 2.3 rating, according to Twentieth Television, “down 18 percent from the comparable year-ago time period average.” Also: The show is “off 33 percent from the 3.0 averaged by its lead-ins.”

Here’s a key paragraph: “Ironicially, ‘Geraldo’ may be suffering from the same affliction that brought down ‘Affair,’ a me -too sameness in a field that has become crowded with the sort of sensationalist stories that Rivera pioneered decades ago as a young, brash television reporter. TV afternoons are now filled with sensational stories of incest and rape, whether on trash talk shows such as ‘Jerry Springer’ or investigative news reports by legitimate news organizations.”