Turkey’s matchmaking reality shows, which have long kept viewers glued to television screens and made celebrities out of their hosts, have led to 10,691 complaints in a year's time, spurring the Higher Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) into action. In June alone, the media watchdog slapped fines on the Star, Fox, Kanal D, ATV and Flash TV channels. It had earlier held a meeting with TV producers and managers and given them verbal warnings. The producers argued that the high number of complaints was because of the big audiences the shows attract.

The complaints have reached all the way to the offices of the presidency and the prime minister. Citizens began to lodge them not only through the RTUK’s hotline, but also with parliament’s Petition Commission. In response to an information request by the commission, the RTUK said it had issued 28 warnings and 40 fines involving seven programs.

The marriage shows, which viewers remain addicted to despite the avalanche of complaints, feature neither skimpily dressed, passionate young people like shows in Argentina nor foreign women hoping to tie the knot on 90-day visas as on TLC TV in the United States. They are still a further cry from TLC’s Undressed in Britain, in which couples jump into bed soon after being introduced. Dating shows have been creating a stir around the world. Most recently, a show on Channel 4 in Britain demonstrated how far producers’ zeal for ratings can go. Naked Attraction, which made its debut last month, has contestants pick a date from a nude lineup.

In Turkey, the shows proceed in three stages: The couples are introduced to each other, then they get to know each other and then they meet privately. This may seem like ordinary dating, but the slang words and indecent language the contestants often use on air and the controversies that unfold behind the scenes attract both viewers and reactions. The bigger the sensation, the higher the rating. The examples are numerous.