Donahue, Phil

with television interview show. However, The Show would start with two major disadvan- tages: a small budget and geographic isolation from the entertainment industries, preventing it from garner- ing star guests. In order to attract an audience, Don- ahue and his producers had to innovate-they focused on issues rather than fame. The first guest on The Phil Donahue Show was Madalyn Murray O'Hair, an atheist who contended that religion "breeds dependence" and who was ready to mount a campaign to ban prayer in public schools. During that same week in , the show featured footage of a woman giving birth, a phone-in vote on the morality of an anatomically correct male doll, and a funeral director extolling the workings of Phil Donahue. Courtesy of the Everett Collection his craft. The bold nature of these topics was tempered by Donahue's appealing personality. He was one of the first male television personalities to exude characteris- By the 1980s, however, the increasing popularity of tics of "the sensitive man" (traits and behaviors further Donahue had led to a proliferation of local and nation- popularized in the 1970s by actors such as Alan Alda), ally syndicated talk shows. As competition increased, acquired through his interest in both humanism and the genre became racier, with less emphasis on issues feminism. and more on personal scandal. Donahue retained his Donahue's affinity with the women's movement, his niche in the market by dividing the show's focus, dab- sincere style, and his focus on controversial topics at- bling in both the political and the personal. He was tracted a large and predominantly female audience. In able to provide interviews with political candidates, 1992, he told a Los Angeles Times reporter that his explorations of the AIDS epidemic, and revelations of show the savings -and -loan crisis, alongside shows on safe - got lucky because we discovered early on that the usual sex orgies, cross -dressing, and aging strippers. idea of women's programming was a narrow, sexist In 1992, with 19 Enuny Awards under his belt, Don- view. We found that women were interested in a lot ahue was celebrated by his fellow hosts on more than covered dishes and needlepoint. The deter- his 25th anniversary special as a mentor and kindly pa- mining factor [was], "Will the woman in the fifth row be triarch of the genre. Fellow talk show host moved to stand up and say something?" And there's a lot Povich was quoted in Broadcasting and Cable as say- that will get her to stand up. ing at the event, "He's the granddaddy of us all and he Donahue attempted to "move" his audience in a birthed us all." Phil Donahue broadcast out of New number of ways, but the most controversial approach York, where he lives with his wife, actress Marlo involved educating women on matters of reproduction. Thomas, until 1996. Early in that year, he announced Shows on abortion, birthing techniques, and a dis- that television season would be his last. Ratings for cussion with Masters and Johnson were all banned by Donahue were declining, and a number of major sta- certain local affiliates. According to Donahue's autobi- tions, including his New York affiliate, had chosen to ography, WGN in refused to air a show on re- drop the show from their schedules. In the spring of verse vasectomy and tubal ligation because it was "too 1996, Donahue taped his final show, an event covered educational for women...and too bloody." Neverthe- on major network newscasts, complete with warm sen- less, Donahue's proven success with such a lucrative timent, spraying champagne, and expected yet un- target audience led to the accumulation of other major doubted sincerity. Midwest markets as well as the show's eventual move After the ending of this hugely successful run for a to Chicago in 1974 and then to New York in 1985 (the syndicated program, Donahue retired from television show's name was shortened to just Donahue when pro- work, dedicating himself to political causes and public duction moved to Chicago). By then, the range of top- service while remaining inthe public eye asa ics had broadened considerably, even to include live spokesman for organizations such as the American "space bridge" programs. Cohosted with Soviet news- Civil Liberties Union and a supporter of third -party caster Vladimir Pozner, these events linked U.S. and presidential hopeful Ralph Nader. Then, in April 2002, Soviet citizens for live exchanges on issues common to Donahue surprised many by agreeing to return to the both groups. television arena, signing a contract with the struggling

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