Keys to conceptualizing the television morning show from a systematic literature review

Abstract

This paper analyzes the television morning show as a research object within media studies. Despite their relevance in news consumption and popular culture, the academic study of these shows has been limited. The objective of this work is to advance the construction of a conceptual definition of the morning show, based on a review of the specialized academic literature that, to date, has addressed it as an object of study. Following the Prisma protocol, a search was conducted in databases such as WOS, Scopus, Scielo, Latindex, Dialnet, Redalyc, and Google Scholar, considering the period from 2010 to 2024, to assemble a sample of 23 scientific articles that include the morning television show as a part of their research. The findings reveal that most of the studies originate primarily in Spain and, secondarily, in Latin America. The review confirms that, although morning shows have attracted research interest from perspectives such as political economy, journalism studies, political communication, media discourse, and audience reception, they are rarely treated as a primay object of study, despite the significant impact of this television format on the public sphere. As a part of the results, we propose a definition of a television morning show in conceptual terms, considering some of its specific characteristics, such as its schedulign and duration, its magazine format that blends different content and genres, its adaptation to contingencies, the role of its hosts, and the social function of this television space.