“Security Brief.” Photo provided by East 86th Productions.
They could have called it “Oprah for the Age of Terror.”
A new TV chat show, premiering Dec. 7 in Denver and other test markets, is using the threat of violence and terrorism to sell an entertainment product.
will air on KUSA-Channel 9 at 1 p.m. for a four-week trial run. Viollis is a career law enforcement and security specialist. “After the Paris attacks, the demand for real-world solutions to keep America’s families safe is at an all-time high,” reads the pitch. Apparently the press release went out before they had a chance to reference .
Episode titles include “My Son Joined ISIS,” “Hostage at Gunpoint,” and “My Baby Was Carjacked.” In case your nerves aren’t rattled enough watching the news, now there’s a talk show to extend your worry.
The idea is to provide solutions along with the scary scenarios, complete with–what else? — “integrated brand partnerships.” Gannett/TEGNA is among the groups signed on to carry the show.
This exploitation of the public’s uneasiness for profit makes daytime fare like “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” seem so last-millennium. Now on the rare day there’s not a mass shooting somewhere in America unfolding live on television, traumatized viewers will have something else to watch.
