THE HOSTING STYLE OF TV VARIETY SHOW HOSTS AND AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of hosting styles in TV variety shows on audience identification, focusing on programs such as "Great Detective Season 9" (China), "Sisters Riding the Winds and Waves" (China), "Youth With You" (China), "Running Man" (South Korea), "Saturday Night Live" (United States), and "Britain's Got Talent" (United Kingdom). Through a mixed-method approach combining content analysis, audience surveys, and expert interviews, the research examines how different hosting styles-ranging from traditional and humorous to fashionable and emotional-shape audience perceptions and emotional engagement across diverse cultural and programmatic contexts. The findings reveal that hosting styles significantly influence audience identification, with humorous and natural styles being the most preferred (69.3% and 57.9%, respectively). Additionally, the study highlights the importance of aligning hosting styles with program content and cultural context to enhance audience satisfaction and program effectiveness. These insights provide valuable guidance for TV variety show production teams in optimizing hosting styles to improve program quality and audience loyalty in a globalized media landscape.