Springer was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 1971.[16] On April 29, 1974, Springer resigned from the council after admitting to soliciting a prostitute.[16][22] He ran for the office in 1975, winning by a landslide.[23][24] He was reelected in 1977 and 1979.[25] Springer was considered a “gonzo” type politician with stunts such as staying a night in jail and commandeering a bus after the city took over bus service.[26] In 1977, Springer was chosen by the Cincinnati City Council to serve for one year as mayor.[16]

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Jerry Springer [talk show] debuted on September 30, 1991.[39] It started as a politically oriented talk show, a longer version of Springer’s commentaries. Guests on the show included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and topics included homelessness and gun politics.[40][41][42]

In early 1994, Springer and his new producer, Richard Dominick, revamped the show’s format to garner higher ratings. The show became more successful as it became targeted toward tabloidish sensationalism.[43] Guests were everyday people confronted on a television stage by a spouse or family member’s adultery, homosexuality, transsexuality, prostitution, transvestism, hate group membership, or other controversial situations.[43] These confrontations were often promoted by scripted shouting or violence on stage. The show received substantial ratings and much attention.[43] By 1998, it was beating The Oprah Winfrey Show in many cities, and was reaching around 8 million viewers.[44]