A clap-o-meter, clapometer or applause meter is a
measurement instrument that purports to measure and display the volume of
clapping or
applause made by an
audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature (in which they are called "readers"), theatre, music (in which they are called "listeners"), video games (in which they are called "players"), or ...
. It can be used to indicate the
popularity of contestants and decide the result of
competitions based on audience popularity. Specific implementations may or may not be based on an actual
sound level meter
A sound level meter (also called sound pressure level meter (SPL)) is used for acoustic measurements. It is commonly a hand-held instrument with a microphone. The best type of microphone for sound level meters is the condenser microphone, whic ...
s. Clap-o-meters were a popular element in
talent shows and
television game shows in the 1950s and 1960s, most notably ''
Opportunity Knocks'',
[ BBC]
Press Your Buttons Now!
/ref> but have been since been supplanted by other, more sophisticated, methods of measuring audience response.
History
One of the first appearances of a clap-o-meter was in 1956, on the British TV game show ''Opportunity Knocks'', developed and presented by Hughie Green. The clap-o-meter itself was a wooden box labelled "Audience Reaction Indicator". The prop is now part of the collection of the National Media Museum, in Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. Clap-o-meters were used in many other TV shows and at live events.
In 1989, Green unsuccessfully attempted to sue the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation for copyright infringement over a similar programme. The clap-o-meter was one of the distinctive features of the format by which Green sought to define it as copyrightable. The courts found that a loose format defined by catchphrases and accessories, such as the clap-o-meter, was not copyrightable.
Clap-o-meters continue to be used. They are often regarded as a novelty or item of amusement rather than an accurate method to measure popularity. Even so, they are sometimes used to judge winners in fairly serious competitions such as battle of the bands competitions.[Core77 Live 1 Hour Design Challenge at 'A Better World by Design'](_blank)
/ref> In politics, a politician's popularity is sometimes gauged by the applause they achieve when giving speeches. News organisations sometimes use the concept of a clap-o-meter to gauge popularity of a politician or of components of a politician's overall message.
Clap-o-meter software is also available for computers and mobile devices. The software uses the device's microphone or audio input to determine the level of applause.
Authenticity
Quite often a clap-o-meter is a complete sham, having no real sound measuring equipment at all. It is, instead, manipulated by a person, based on their estimation of the audience reaction. This is normally done semi-openly, with the audience under little or no illusion that the clap-o-meter is genuine. This was apparently the case on ''Opportunity Knocks'', where the clap-o-meter was not used to actually determine the winners and was disclaimed with the phrase "Remember, folks! The clap-o-meter is just for fun!".
Alternatives
A number of alternatives to the clap-o-meter exist. A studio audience can be polled by a simple show of hands, or for more visual impact by having them hold up different coloured cards indicating their vote. They can also be polled by electronic means using individual voting devices with buttons for each option. These options are more accurate than a clap-o-meter but lack the element of excitement generated by frenzied applause.
In recent years, phone voting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.
Broadcast contest televoting
Televoting i ...
has become the main method of deciding popularity in talent shows. This has the advantage of expanding participation to include the full TV audience. It can also be used in programmes which do not have a studio audience. Phone voting can provide a significant source of additional revenue for the broadcasters from the use of premium rate phone numbers.[ The Guardian]
Bring back the clapometer!
/ref>
See also
* Audience response
Audience response is a type of interaction associated with the use of audience response systems, to create interactivity between a presenter and its audience.
Systems for co-located audiences combine wireless hardware with presentation software, a ...
* List of measuring devices
List of TV shows using a clap-o-meter
* '' Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' (US) (1948–1958)
* '' Queen for a Day'' (US) (1956–1964)
* ''Opportunity Knocks'' (UK) (1956–1990)
* '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (US) (1962–1992)
* ''Late Night with David Letterman
''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...
'' (US) (1982–1993)
* ''Kids' Court
''Kids' Court'' is a children's television/ nontraditional court show aired by Nickelodeon. First airing on September 10, 1988 and ending in 1989, it was hosted by actor Paul Provenza. It was created and executive produced by Alan Goodman, Albie ...
'' (US) (1988–1989)
* ''Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' (US) (1993–2015)
* ''The Slammer
''The Slammer'' (also known as ''The Slammer Returns'' for its final two series) is a children's talent show sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One and CBBC from 22 September 2006 until 26 July 2014.
Set in a fictional prison called HM Slamme ...
'' (UK) (2006–2015)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clap-O-Meter
Measuring instruments
Body percussion
Audience measurement