Phil Donahue

[CTListener]

The talk show host was 88 and died of an undisclosed "long illness."

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88

His cause of death wasn't disclosed. Loved ones said he'd been suffering from a “long illness.”

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Phil Donahue, pioneer of the daytime talk show, dies at age 88 - https://www.reuters.com/world/us/phil-donahue-pioneer-daytime-talk-show-dies-age-88-2024-08-19/

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died. He was 88.

apnews.com

His last episode from his daily TV show was nearly 30 years ago. Back when he was doing the daytime TV show he was viewed as the person that provided the framework that Oprah, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz would model their shows after him.

 

[Don CT]

Phil and Sally Jesse were the 2 powerhouses of their time.

 

[tbolt909]

Phil Donohue seemed like a pleasant fellow. He was very skilled and usually had interesting points of view. He certainly was one of the pioneers of the talk genre.
RIP...

 

[gr8oldies]

I remember the early years which originated at WLW-D, Dayton OH, and was broadcast on Avco's network (WLWT Cincy, WLW-C, Columbus and WLW-I, Indianapolis.

 

[tvnut]

I remember the early years which originated at WLW-D, Dayton OH, and was broadcast on Avco's network (WLWT Cincy, WLW-C, Columbus and WLW-I, Indianapolis.

Did Donahue replace Ruth Lyons?

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

Did Donahue replace Ruth Lyons?

The WLW TV network's schedule was like this:
9:00 AM - Paul Dixon (90 min.)
10:30 AM - Phil Donahue (60 min.)
11:30 AM - local programming
Noon - The 50-50 Club (90 min., Bob Braun had taken over the show by the time Phil launched)

 

[gr8oldies]

Did Donahue replace Ruth Lyons?

No, Bob Braun replaced Ruth Lyons on the 50-50 Club. He was her announcer and sub host. Donahue and Braun did very different shows.

 

[gr8oldies]

The WLW TV network's schedule was like this:
9:00 AM - Paul Dixon (90 min.)
10:30 AM - Phil Donahue (60 min.)
11:30 AM - local programming
Noon - The 50-50 Club (90 min., Bob Braun had taken over the show by the time Phil launched)

I seem to remember WLW-D carrying Hollywood Squares in the 11:30 slot.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

I seem to remember WLW-D carrying Hollywood Squares in the 11:30 slot.

Not only that, but WLW-T was the only station which ran all 90 minutes of Dixon from its launch. Dayton and Columbus started off with just the first 30 minutes or hour, but eventually WLW-C and WLW-D would air the full program. Not sure about Indianapolis, but I'd guess it was the same for WLW-I.

 

[gr8oldies]

Not only that, but WLW-T was the only station which ran all 90 minutes of Dixon from its launch. Dayton and Columbus started off with just the first 30 minutes or hour, but eventually WLW-C and WLW-D would air the full program. Not sure about Indianapolis, but I'd guess it was the same for WLW-I.

I'm not sure. I thought at one point WLW-T, WLW-C and WLW-D ran the same schedule including Hollywood Squares. I seem to remember after Dixon's passing, Donahue moved to 9am on WLW-D, maybe WLWT but Columbus ran him at 3:30pm?

Of course we know the hyphen thing in the call letters was nothing legal, just branding.

 

[Ma “Contrarian” Gee]

The WLW TV network's schedule was like this:
9:00 AM - Paul Dixon (90 min.)
10:30 AM - Phil Donahue (60 min.)
11:30 AM - local programming
Noon - The 50-50 Club (90 min., Bob Braun had taken over the show by the time Phil launched)

Sometimes inaccurate. Donahue began in the fall of 1967 at WLW-D. WLW-D was still only airing the first hour of the Dixon show. Match Game aired in Dayton between Paul Baby and Phil until the fall of 1968. Donahue was added at 10:30 am in Columbus in June 1969 and in Indianapolis in February 1970, but Cincinnati was a bit contrary. WLW-T first aired Donahue at 4pm starting September 1, 1969. It moved to 10:30am in September 1972 and back to 3:30pm by April 1973. It remained at 3:30 until September 1974 when it returned to 10:30am. Paul Dixon died in December 1974, ending the Dixon show. TV-5 cleared NBC game shows at 9am through 1975. By early 1976, TV-5 had moved Donahue to 9am. Of course, by the end of 1975, Avco had either sold or were in the process of selling their broadcast holdings.

 

[Rollo-Smokes]

Sometimes inaccurate. Donahue began in the fall of 1967 at WLW-D. WLW-D was still only airing the first hour of the Dixon show. Match Game aired in Dayton between Paul Baby and Phil until the fall of 1968. Donahue was added at 10:30 am in Columbus in June 1969 and in Indianapolis in February 1970, but Cincinnati was a bit contrary. WLW-T first aired Donahue at 4pm starting September 1, 1969. It moved to 10:30am in September 1972 and back to 3:30pm by April 1973. It remained at 3:30 until September 1974 when it returned to 10:30am. Paul Dixon died in December 1974, ending the Dixon show. TV-5 cleared NBC game shows at 9am through 1975. By early 1976, TV-5 had moved Donahue to 9am. Of course, by the end of 1975, Avco had either sold or were in the process of selling their broadcast holdings.

I was thinking more of when the shows were broadcast live, and not so much of their clearance schedule as I knew that varied in each market.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Here is the earliest known Phil Donahue Episode with Johnny Carson in the 1970's.

More from the archives from over the years. The old Donahue Episodes could only be found here on Youtube.

 

[radiofan2023]

Phil talks about his start at KYW radio on this Letterman clip:

 

[crainbebo]

Yes, I heard about Donahue's death some days back. I didn't have internet. Very sorry to hear about this and may he rest in peace. Donahue was the voice of daytime TV talk before Oprah came around. A legend that interviewed hundreds of celebrities and loved what he did. Thanks for the memories, Phil.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

‘Donahue’ on precipice in shock development

Phil Donahue, the one-time king of talk, enters the 1995-96 season without clearances in New York and San Francisco, which could well mean the end is near for the man who practically created the genre. With the start of the new season only weeks away, it appears unlikely that Donahue’s...

variety.com

I remember this one when Donahue was ending in San Francisco around the time KGO-TV ended Donahue's contract they had aired lots of promos featuring Oprah since at that time it was the lead in for ABC7 News at 5pm. This is one factor that lead to viewers to see Oprah as a successor of Donahue around this timeframe.

Phil Donahue, the one-time king of talk, enters the 1995-96 season without clearances in New York and San Francisco, which could well mean the end is near for the man who practically created the genre.

With the start of the new season only weeks away, it appears unlikely that Donahue’s syndicator, Multimedia Entertainment, will be able to find a new home to replace WNBC in New York. And while execs there are hopeful that they can get carriage in San Francisco, so far no deal has emerged since KGO dropped the show last January.
Without clearances in the No.1 and No. 5 markets, or almost 10% of the country, national advertisers no doubt will be wary of buying time on the show. On top of that, other stations that carry “Donahue” may start thinking about downgrading the show.