The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has the nation in a very precautious, and almost fearful climate with major festivals, events, meetings and conferences canceling left and right.
Now some of the biggest shows in daytime and primetime TV are getting on board and taking preventative measures to ensure the safety of their staff and others.
It was announced late Tuesday (March 10) that several major talk shows including ABC’s ‘The View‘ and ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan,‘ as well as FOX’s ‘The Wendy Williams Show‘ and more are all set to now ban live studio audiences and will begin going live without them.
via Page Six:
Sources say that “Good Morning America” — which has a live audience in its second hour — will also keep the public out of its studio. “Given the current developing situation in New York City, we have made the decision to suspend live audiences from attending our news broadcasts and talk shows,” ABC confirmed Tuesday night.
We’re also told that the network has already banned its stars including Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan from taking selfies with the crowd, while its New York City studio has been littered with hand-sanitizer stations and signs are up telling visitors to take precautions.
It’s unclear if ABC’s late-night show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which tapes in LA, will follow suit.
Meanwhile, we’re told that execs at NBC are keeping an eye on the situation, but the Peacock Network hasn’t made a decision about studio audiences.
On Tuesday evening, the “Tamron Hall Show” and “The Wendy Williams Show” announced they would be taping without an audience.
A spokesperson for “The Wendy Williams Show” said, “Wendy values her co-hosts and their daily participation but in light of the current health climate, ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ will not have a live studio audience until further notice. We will continue to produce a daily live talk show and look forward to welcoming the studio audience back when the time is right.”
“Dr Phil,” “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” are already taping without audiences.
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For many shows, such as ‘Wendy,’ the audience being interactive is a major component of the show, and why fans watch–so it will be interesting to see how they engage viewers without them.
