Dark humor. Vernaci and humor as host in radio broadcasting

Abstract

Tarde Negra is a radiophonic show with the particular humor of its presenter Elizabeth Vernaci. This article describes and analizes her humoritic interventions, in order to identify semiotic operations used to generate the humoristic efect and explain the listeing contract proposed by Tarde Negra. From the methodological point of view, humor has been divided in two big categories: the constructed humor and the spontaneous humor. As part of the constructed humor, we describe the segments designed and produced before being on air, for example sketches or the opening song. In contrast, spontaneous humor includes humoristic situations that happen during the show.