Phil Donahue
b.1935
Television,
Radio
Television today is filled with talk shows.
When The Phil Donahue Show aired in 1967
there were only a few shows on TV, but at the time  his
show was considered quite radical, especially for daytime
TV. He started in radio as an announcer and then as a host
of Conversation Piece (1963-1967), a radio talk-show
where some of his interviews were picked up nationally. During
his first week on The Phil Donahue Show he showed
a woman giving birth. The show combined the talk radio format
with a television interview and was issue oriented. In the
1980s he was joined by a proliferation of other talk shows.
As competition increased the shows became racier with less
emphasis on issues and more on scandal. He maintained his
focus on personal and political issues but eventually many
markets dropped him for the racier shows. The show ran from
1967-1996 and won 19 Emmys. Phil has always been proud of
his Irish American heritage. Besides his paternal side, the
Donahue's, his mother's maiden name was McClory.
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