Good points, all
Sua
Exapno Mapcase thanks for the link.
It is possible that the ratings aren’t based on as a representative a sample as one would hope. Also as was mentioned certain demographics are more important to slant pop culture towards, or at least certain shows. So the Daily Show knows a bit about its viewers and what else they watch so it references these things and has no those stars. The people watching all have seen the show. So you rarely see references to Touched By an Angel on MTV because of lack of overlap.
I think it’s a sort of cultural literacy phenominen. People often know things about shows they’ve never watched because it’s something they’ve just picked up. Just as many people who’ve never read Moby Dick have some idea of what it’s about, people who’ve never seen The Sopranos have some idea of what it’s about.
As far as I know, I’ve never watched a show Susan Lucci is in. I don’t know exactly what shows she’s been in (a soap, maybe?). But somehow I ssem to know that she’s viewed as having been unjustly overlooked for an Emmy, and that this is often joked about. A lot of these things are just there in the ether. It’s hard to avoid picking up on them.
If the culture is seeped in something, you wind up knowing at least something about it. Consider sports. I have no interest whatsoever in pro sports. I avoid sports coverage. Yet I do recognise the names of many major sports figures. When it was annouced that Magic Johnson was retiring, I did know he was someone in sports. Didn’t know what team or which sport, but I did recognise his name.