Being the audience for talk shows...

[minsbang]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has an experience of attending a talk show. I am interested in becomming the audience member of Conan O'Brian late night show. I figure I can take my girlfriend and have some laugh. I'm in NY so I won't be able to goto CA for Leno's show.
How much are the tickets? ANy perks?

 

[SoCalDude]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has an experience of attending a talk show. I am interested in becomming the audience member of Conan O'Brian late night show. I figure I can take my girlfriend and have some laugh. I'm in NY so I won't be able to goto CA for Leno's show.
How much are the tickets? ANy perks?

Tickets for Television shows are free. You need to contact either the production company or the network for them.

 

[CDX_NSX]

I went to a late night show once (Arsenio Hall) about 14 years ago. Back then, we had to stand in line at the studio to get tickets. A bunch of us camped out overnight because we had to get there early in the morning and we lived 100 miles away.

Not sure how it is now.

 

[ccns23]

Went to the Daily Show last October in New York. Called for tickets in May, didn't have an opening till then. You had to call the producer, leave them your info, and they get back to you with the ticket information (what show dates are open, how many tickets you need). It was a great experience. I asked for 4 tickets and got them with no issues. And they were free.

Basically, we waited in line for about an hour before the show. Then they bring you all in, have a warm up act, and then Jon Stewart came out and talked to the audience a little. After he answered some questions (he seemed like a really cool guy, incredible comic delivery) the show started. On our show, it was Marissa Tomei (who is hot, but a horrible interview) and the man Lewis Black.

I would suggest getting tickets for whatever show you can.

 

[CDX_NSX]

From the NBC website:

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Tickets to Late Night with Conan O'Brien are available only by calling our ticket office at (212)664-3056. You can request up to 4 tickets and all audience members must be at least 16 years old. You may only book tickets every 6 months and you may not book tickets with any other groups of people.

For standby tickets, arrive no later than 9:00am on the morning of the taping under the "NBC Studios" marquee on the 49th street side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Only one ticket will be issued per person. Please note that a standby ticket does not guarantee admission.

http://www.nbc.com/nbc/footer/Tickets.shtml

 

[SolidSnake3035]

Ooh, I wanna go to the Daily show, cool.

 

[MoreRPMs]

I am interested in becomming the audience member of Conan O'Brian late night show.

Dude, one doesn't just "become" an audience member. Especially for a show like Conan O'Brien. There's a stringent set of show business measures that approximately only 1 in 300,000 people will ever meet to be able to sit in the company of talk show hosts such as Mr. O'Brien. Look back at the Bozo show- you couldn't just "become" an audience member. You had to wait 11 freaking long years! Best of luck to you sir, on your endeavor into the glamorous world of behind the scenes show business.

 

[RSO 34]

Dude, one doesn't just "become" an audience member. Especially for a show like Conan O'Brien. There's a stringent set of show business measures that approximately only 1 in 300,000 people will ever meet to be able to sit in the company of talk show hosts such as Mr. O'Brien. Look back at the Bozo show- you couldn't just "become" an audience member. You had to wait 11 freaking long years! Best of luck to you sir, on your endeavor into the glamorous world of behind the scenes show business.

I'm assuming this post was meant to be in jest.

Getting tickets is merely being on a list, waiting your turn and showing up. There is no "criteria" other than you have to ask for tickets. I have been to the Letterman and Saturday Night Live shows several times because of having a friend at the shows but otherwise everyone else merely sent in a request and were put on the list.

Many times there are last minute "needs" of the show to fill the audience because of bad weather. They generally "overbook" the audience to ensure a full house with a certain amount of no shows being expected. They then scramble to find bodies at the last minute and there is a chance to get in as a "walk up" but it is better to have a ticket and get on line early in case everyone shows up.

Just be aware that depending upon where you sit you might not be able to "see" all the action. For example, with Letterman the people in the front row have a great view of the opening monologue but when Dave goes behind the desk the cameras all move in front of the desk and essentially block the view of those down front. The balcony seats provide the best vantage point but most people hustle down to the front without realizing they will spend a lot of time watching the monitors.