NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut’s Gold Coast, a bastion of suburban perfection including both Martha Stewart and the Stepford Wives, is about to become home to Jerry Springer’s bawdy TV show, which features wife-swappers, strippers and skinheads.
Subject to negotiations, Springer’s show will move from Chicago this summer into the production studio at the Rich Forum Theater in Stamford, about 30 miles from New York City and next to one of the region’s largest and oldest Catholic churches.
The Rev. Stephen DiGiovanni of St. John’s Catholic Church says he plans to talk to church lawyers to see whether they can stop the plan.
“I’m not very thrilled about it,” he said.
Connecticut officials see dollar signs amid the Wall Street meltdown that has taken a toll on Fairfield County. They said the new studio that will house Springer’s show and two other shows will create 150 to 200 jobs and could be the start of an emerging entertainment industry in Connecticut.
Stamford has long been home to World Wrestling Entertainment, whose televised wrestling shows have sparked controversy over the years.
