AGC Did You Know

Ruth Lyons

Known as "The First Lady of Television", Ruth Lyons was a pioneer radio and
television broadcaster in Cincinnati, Ohio.   One of the nation's premier
broadcasters in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the invention of the daytime TV talk
show is attributed to her. Born Ruth Evelyn Reeves on October 4, 1905 in Deer
Creek, Ohio, she died at age 83 on November 7, 1988.

The Oprah of her day, Lyons built a TV empire which started with her career
in radio in the 1930s at Cincinnati's WKRC. She is probably best known for
her show “50 Club”, named for the number of people in the studio audience
each day, which debuted on WLW. Expanded from a one hour to a 90-minute
weekday show, it became the "50-50 Club" when it began simulcasting on
WLW and WLWT television. By 1951, Ruth Lyons was a household name
outside of Cincinnati. NBC aired the "50-50 Club" nationwide for 11 months
that year, one of several programs produced in Cincinnati by WLWT and
broadcast by every station in the network. The show marked another milestone
in 1957 by becoming the first color TV broadcast in Cincinnati.

Her show was also a powerful outlet for advertisers. Potential sponsors had a
one year waiting period before there were openings for their commercials to be
able to be scheduled. The mention of a product name on the program meant
stores would quickly be sold out of the item. On the show, Lyons' trademarks
were concealing her microphone in a bouquet of flowers and the white gloves
she and her studio audience wore while singing "The Waving Song", as they
waved to the viewers at home.

A Cincinnati institution, she is also known for the Ruth Lyons Children's
Fund, a charity she started in 1939 to provide Cincinnati area hospitalized
children with toys, Christmas decorations, and needed hospital equipment.
The Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund lives on today with WLWT carrying on
Lyons’ legacy as well as keeping Christmas in the hearts of Cincinnati area
hospitalized children throughout the area all year long.

Source (data):       en.wikipedia.org      www.imdb.com      www.wlwt.com
Source (images):   en.wikipedia.org      findagrave.com

AGC Did You Know?

Posted December 2012