Jane M. Shattuc is Associate Professor of Mass Communication-Film at Emerson College, Boston. She is the author of Television, Tabloids and Tears: Fassbinder andPopular Culture.

"Shattuc eschews cheap shots and easy laughs in favor of content analysis and a chronicling of 'the rise and fall of a participatory form of TV devoted to the public debate of everyday issues by women.' In comparing the individual shows by approach, content, and audience, Shattuc offers the means to understand an often confusing or disturbing trend in popular taste." -- Booklist"Nothing is omitted from this exhaustive, much-needed study, the result of numerous interviews and research over a four-year period..." -- Publishers Weekly

• Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Sobbing Sisters; Chapter 3 Talk is Cheap; Chapter 4 The “Oprahfication” of America?; Chapter 5 Freud vs. Women; Chapter 6 “Go Ricki”; Chapter 7 Conclusion;

Jane M. Shattuc is Associate Professor of Mass Communication-Film at Emerson College, Boston. She is the author of Television, Tabloids and Tears: Fassbinder andPopular Culture.

"Shattuc eschews cheap shots and easy laughs in favor of content analysis and a chronicling of 'the rise and fall of a participatory form of TV devoted to the public debate of everyday issues by women.' In comparing the individual shows by approach, content, and audience, Shattuc offers the means to understand an often confusing or disturbing trend in popular taste." -- Booklist"Nothing is omitted from this exhaustive, much-needed study, the result of numerous interviews and research over a four-year period..." -- Publishers Weekly

• Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Sobbing Sisters; Chapter 3 Talk is Cheap; Chapter 4 The “Oprahfication” of America?; Chapter 5 Freud vs. Women; Chapter 6 “Go Ricki”; Chapter 7 Conclusion;