Sick--and Tired--of the Same TV, Americans Want WebMD Equivalent on Daytime Television

>According to the New York Times, Americans are turning to daytime television, in addition to the Internet, to get health information they can use--from none other than the former ABC drama star of Bachelor fame, Travis Stark. At least he actually IS a doctor, and doesn't just play one on TV.

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But it would appear to be what's in high demand. WebMD, according to Alexa.com, the authoritative source for web traffic on the Internet, says that the health information website is ranked 728 of ALL websites on the Internet and accounts for 1% of all web traffic in the world. That's a lot of health information seeking. A lot.

By comparison, The Doctors' two million visitors per day doesn't really seem to compare, even to Oprah's three times as many daily viewers (according to at least one source).

Even so, a show dedicated completely to health information on daytime TV does demonstrate that the demand for health information is growing--and shows no signs of going away. The show's audience has only grown since September. I've yet to see the show myself (or the Bachelor, from which the show's star hales)...but perhaps it's worth a watch.

Summer Johnson, PhD

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