# Shows With The Most Effective Influence For Popularity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462 "2022-01-08T23:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/1 "2022-01-08T23:03:24Z")
Back in the day, with music, if you made it on The Ed Sullivan Show, you had a great chance to really make it big, much like “The Tonight Show” helped comedians, especially if he invited them on the couch. What’s the most influential thing now? Podcasts is a new thing, but to get on someone popular like Joe Rogan, you have to be popular somewhat already, and on the times I browse, I hardly ever see musicians, and if I do, they’re older and already established. But what about Film? Doesn’t have to be a traditional show… A re-tweet from someone perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/2 "2022-01-09T03:01:20Z")
JMHO but I don’t think there **is** anything like a major influencer anymore. There are too many media outlets targeted to too many limited audiences. I can’t think of any source that is “universally” (even colloquially speaking) watched/read/listened to/respected/trusted. There’s no more Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, or Walter Cronkite. And no potential for one either. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/3 "2022-01-09T03:10:40Z")
Maybe Schwarzenegger. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/4 "2022-01-09T05:46:50Z")
Last decade it was either being on Oprah’s Show or having a Sex Tape ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/5 "2022-01-09T15:20:02Z")
“Controversial” tweet? I notice the movie or music is never mentioned, but a lot of gossip and trivia is… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/6 "2022-01-09T15:33:53Z")
Some reality show like _The Voice_ or _America’s Got Talent_ is probably the modern equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/7 "2022-01-09T18:58:23Z")
The purpose of an influential show is to expose you to a big audience. Ideally, one that is likely to appreciate your talent. After exposure, you are or are not well liked. There are still influential shows, but none of them have the dominance of an old TV show due to so many alternatives. If you were on Colbert or Jimmy or The Voice, lots of people would see you. I’m sure that is also true of movies, Internet sites and the right recommendations. But no one has forty percent of the viewing public anymore. (This is my profoundly inexpert opinion). ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/8 "2022-01-09T23:13:13Z")
I enjoyed Larry King Live. Especially in the heyday which I would say was the 1990s. He was a great interviewer of powerful people in politics and business but just the sheer volume of shows he did must have meant a lot of people went on as unknowns and got their 15 minutes of fame in front of a large audience before fading back into obscurity. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/9 "2022-01-10T01:35:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > JMHO but I don’t think there **is** anything like a major influencer anymore. As far as traditional television goes, you’re probably right. Apparently the way most up and coming entertainers get their big break now is by having a current celebrity share their work on social media. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/10 "2022-01-10T17:19:31Z")
I think it’s important to consider that “back in the day” there were only 3 channels, and now it’s probably thinned out. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-the-most-effective-influence-for-popularity/957462/11 "2022-01-12T15:06:32Z")
TikTok - look at how Lil Nas X leveraged it to popularize _Old Town Road_…