Colbert Report on Comedy Central vs. O'Reilly Factor on Fox Network

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Difference between Colbert Report on Comedy Central and O'Reilly Factor on Fox Network

The O'Reilly Factor is hosted by the famous commentator Bill O'Reilly, which is a regular American talk show on the Fox News Channel. The program invites guests and discusses about present contentious social and political issues. The birth of the Fox Network also gave way to the first airing of the show. Originally called the O'Reilly Report, the name was changed to The O'Reilly Factor after O'Reilly's friend John Tantillo suggested the name to be revised. The Colbert Report on the other hand is the counterpart of The Daily Show. It is a late night TV program which can be viewed on Comedy Central from Mondays through Thursdays. The show is hosted by the political humorist Stephen Colbert and the program mocks political programs, especially The O'Reilly Factor.


Photo by DonkeyHotey	Photo by DonkeyHotey

Format

The O'Reilly Factor is a pre-recorded program, wherein the producers and the host discuss their possible topics two times a week. Some of the guests in the program are pre-interviewed before they tape the show, and sometimes these interviews are included in the program as well. The show usually is shot every 5pm or 7pm EST, and is aired during weekdays three times (8pm, 11pm, and 5am EST). When the show features breaking news and special events, they go live. On the other hand, The Colbert Report is also a pre-recorded program and is shot at their studio in 54th Street, New York. They call their studio the eagle's nest.

Segments

The O'Reilly Factor has different segments which are divided in the show. Though not all of the segments appear in one show, some of the following segments compose the program: Talking Points Memo - this is O'Reilly's views on the current condition or happening of the country, Top Story - which highlights the most compelling stories of the day, and the Factor Mail - where he reads parts of emails that are sent to him. The Colbert Report on the other hand has the segment The Word which is a parody of the O'Reilly factor's Talking Points Memo. Also, the program has a similar segment that of O'Reilly Factor's Factor Mail, which is the Inbox.

Audience

For more than 9 years, The O'Reilly factor has been the number one cable news program. It is associated with the right wing thinking of the American political system. The Fox News Channel has the top 10 programs in cable news, along with The O'Reilly Factor. The show has an average of 3 million viewers, which became more popular following Fox News Channel's dispute with the White House.

Per episode, The Colbert Report has an average of over 1.2 million viewers. Aside from that, because of the show's popularity on TV, it has become a phenomenon over the web and has received a lot of awards. Politically, this Comedy Central show leans to the left aka liberal aka democratic side of the spectrum.

Similarities and Differences

Both The O'Reilly Factor and The Colbert Report are pre-recorded programs which tackle about the politics and social events in the US.
Both The O'Reilly Factor and The Colbert Report have numerous segments, the latter parodying the former's segments.
Both The O'Reilly Factor and The Colbert Report have more than a million viewers and are aired at the same times.
The Colbert Report would be the more interesting and enjoyable show to watch because of its lightness when it comes to topic discussions and the awards it received.

Which show gives more insightful commentary?

Colbert Report on Comedy Central
O'Reilly Factor on Fox Network

2 Comments

gerry . 3+ yrs. ago

Bill OReilly uses no facts, Colbert does. There is the difference, facts which are comical or lies made up by some rich guy telling OReilly what to say.

Some Guy . 3+ yrs. ago

I can't write too much about O'Reilly before seeing red - I don't deal very well with belligerent, sociopathic arrogance. I'll start with Colbert.

For starters, Colbert naturally has the better position, simply given his role as satirist. That being said, Colbert is able to harness his role and simultaneously demolish faulty and/or ignorant reasoning while also giving a subtle nod to the more reasonable approach - his execution of this role is phenomenal.

Bill O'Reilly...well Bill O'Reilly is an interesting man. With all the crazy things he says - often with such seeming impulsivity - he appeals to the most basic, undeveloped (fallacious) human tendencies. I must admit, he CAN be persuasive. However, a close up look at how he arrives at conclusions is a fantastic way to learn, study, and exemplify formal and informal logical fallacies. His passion is either that of a true (albeit misguided) "traditional" conservative patriot, or else it is that of a narcissistic sociopath masquerading as the former. I have lived much of my life with a figure who embodies Bill to an eerie degree of similarity (whether learned from Fox's own Bill or by mere coincidence) and I can attest that even if it is the latter, there's a chance they have simply duped themselves into believing their own fabricated, narrow-minded world view.

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