Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live first premiered on NBC in 1975.  Started by Lorne Michaels, it is a sketch comedy show that explores a wide variety of themes and topics, from politics to global issues to everyday problems.  The show originally did not have that great reception, but the network continued to hold onto it because executives believed that the spirit and the concept of the show were what people needed.  Although SNL had a lot of trouble with writing, casting, and finding the line between funny and offensive, the show grew to be one of the largest, most well-known late-night television shows today.

Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon impersonating Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively

While the main point of this show is comedy, the show has been known to shine a light on more serious topics and appeal to the audience by making jokes about them.  For example, during the recent presidential election, SNL did many skits making fun of the candidates and the debates.  Although their portrayal of the candidates was biased liberally, they still shared Trump's ideas and increased his coverage on television, which could have been a contribution to his election.  Seeing these kinds of effects, it really is eye opening to see how, even today, television has a big role in politics and society.  Even though SNL is primarily to make the audience laugh, it also brings attention to different important and imminent topics, showing the power of media today.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live#Development
http://variety.com/t/saturday-night-live/