Price, time right for retirement
by Mike Epstein
Arts | 5/22/07
Posted online at 1:46 AM EST on 5/22/07
/ Last updated at 8:01 PM EST on 5/22/07
Between the two shows, Baerker has been on air five days a week, every week. During that run, he has won 17 Emmy awards, including 12 for best game show host, and the lifetime achievement award. Barker has held a job longer than any man in television. The Price is Right is the second-longest running show in television history, second only to the Mexican Sabado Gigante.
But it's not over yet: The Price is Right will live on after Barker's retirement because the show is still quite popular. After 35 years, it remains the number one daytime show. Its closest competitor, The View, averages about half as many viewers. CBS has yet to announce who the new host will be, though they said they have been searching for a replacement for the last two years, when Barker first talked about retiring.
Bob Barker is significant because of his stability. In the last 50 years, the world has changed radically; it's easy to lose track of the past once it's gone. Having a constant in one's life acts both as a unit by which to measure time and as a reminder that things haven't always been the way they are now. Television especially is a constantly changing medium; there are very few shows on TV right now that have been on for more than a couple of years, never mind 35. It's important to be able to look at a show like The Price is Right and see that a show does not have to be on the cutting-edge to be successful. People simply appreciate the show's consistency in their lives.
As silly as it sounds, there are generations , our own included, who don't know what a world without Bob Barker will be like. He is a staple, a man who securely captivated our attentions for 50 years. TV will go on without him, but it won't be the same.
But it's not over yet: The Price is Right will live on after Barker's retirement because the show is still quite popular. After 35 years, it remains the number one daytime show. Its closest competitor, The View, averages about half as many viewers. CBS has yet to announce who the new host will be, though they said they have been searching for a replacement for the last two years, when Barker first talked about retiring.
Bob Barker is significant because of his stability. In the last 50 years, the world has changed radically; it's easy to lose track of the past once it's gone. Having a constant in one's life acts both as a unit by which to measure time and as a reminder that things haven't always been the way they are now. Television especially is a constantly changing medium; there are very few shows on TV right now that have been on for more than a couple of years, never mind 35. It's important to be able to look at a show like The Price is Right and see that a show does not have to be on the cutting-edge to be successful. People simply appreciate the show's consistency in their lives.
As silly as it sounds, there are generations , our own included, who don't know what a world without Bob Barker will be like. He is a staple, a man who securely captivated our attentions for 50 years. TV will go on without him, but it won't be the same.






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Chris
posted 5/22/07 @ 9:41 AM EST
Bob Barker has not stopped taping episodes. He will continue taping through June 6, and the new episdoes will air to the end of June!!!
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