ABSTRACT
As a public discourse, an interview in a talk show cannot be simply perceived as an interaction between the host and the guest. Both parties contribute towards the conversation; however, the audience also has a role in it. The televised interview is purposefully designed to appeal to the target audience. Thus, all utterances produced by both the interviewer and the interviewee are designed not only for each other, but also for the audience. It means that the audience is also considered as one of the participants making a certain contribution to the conversation. This article aims at highlighting roles and contributions of participants in an American talk show, Late Show with David Letterman. The researchers focus on the conversation between David Letterman as the host of the show and John Oliver as the guest. This study employs Conversation Analysis (CA) approach, applying Clark’s (1994/1996) theory on participation roles. The conversation is transcribed using a certain transcription convention. The findings of this study show the designs of participants in a broadcast talk that can lead to further development of research on conversation in talk shows.
