Expert advice on daytime talk television: A beneficial source of information for the general public?

Experts on talk television have an opportunity to disseminate useful information to the general public. However, many negative claims have been made about experts on talk television, including that experts are not utilized effectively by being delegated to the end of talk shows, by not being given much time to present advice, and by not providing useful advice. None of these claims have been examined utilizing empirical evidence.

This study seeks to correct this deficiency. It examines 78 talk show transcripts for expert advice. Results indicated that talk shows utilized a small portion of their potential as a source of useful information; however, the analysis also suggested changes which talk shows could implement to increase the effectiveness of expert advice.