For nearly 10 years, “The Colbert Report” has been this generation’s version of “Meet the Press.” Host Stephen Colbert tackles complex political issues, grills powerful politicians and generally pokes fun at the proliferation of political pundits.
On December 18, 2014, it all comes to an end.
It will be Colbert’s last show on Comedy Central before he takes over the time slot on CBS that is currently held by David Letterman. Colbert has already said that he will be himself on the new “Late Night” program and not the fictional character he portrays on “The Colbert Report.”
ARTICLE: Read more about his tenure on Comedy Central.
Not only did the South Carolina native win 7 Emmy Awards for his late night program, but Colbert also dominated his time slot rating in the coveted 18-49 age group.
College of Charleston political science professor Jordan Ragusa says he is not surprised that young voters flocked to “The Colbert Report.”
“Despite our perceptions of young people, I’ve found that they truly want to be informed about politics and world affairs. However, being young, they also want to be entertained. When those two things compete, entertainment wins out. But if you marry those two things, you have a recipe for success.”
That popularity was on display at the College of Charleston in 2012. During the South Carolina Republican Presidential primary, Colbert and former presidential candidate Herman Cain held a rally on the Cistern entitled “Rock Me Like a Herman Cain South Cain-olina Primary.” Thousands of College of Charleston students and over 100 media organizations jammed into the Cistern to watch the 45-minute political rally/ pep rally.
WATCH: Stephen Colbert’s rally at the College of Charleston.
The rally turned out to be the highest attended political rally in South Carolina during the presidential primary season.
Ragusa says a lot of younger voters rely on “The Colbert Report” for more than just entertainment.
“We know that young voters (under 30) receive a large volume of their political information from shows like ‘The Colbert Report’ and ‘The Daily Show.’ While adults might roll their eyes at this, studies have shown that these shows have just as much actual news content as real news programs on Fox and MSNBC. In fact, some studies have shown that viewers of the major cable news outlets know less factual information about politics than people who watch no news at all.”
PHOTOS: See photos from Stephen Colbert’s rally at the College of Charleston.
Young voters were not the only ones attracted to “The Colbert Report.” Over the years, congressmen, senators and even former and current U.S. presidents appeared on the program. They were all hoping to received the “Colbert Bump;” the term Stephen uses to describe his positive effect on a candidates’ campaign.
Ragusa says a study showed that for at least one political party, the “bump” was real.
“Democratic candidates lagging behind their colleagues in campaign donations before appearing on the show, receive considerably more after their appearance. Here’s the rub: The “Colbert Bump” seems to be a one party phenomenon, as the data in this study show no comparable increase in campaign donations for Republicans.”