Monitor host Dave Garroway

NBC Monitor was a weekend radio program broadcast from June 12, 1955 to January 26, 1975. Aired in four-hour blocks beginning Saturday morning at 8am and continuing through the weekend until midnight on Sunday, it offered a magazine-of-the-air mix of news, sports, comedy, variety, live music, celebrity interviews and other short segments. Many consider it to have been the most ambitious and dextrous radio program to have challenged the continuing rise of television as America's major home entertainment. Image File history File linksMetadata Garroway. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Garroway. ... June 12 is the 163rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (164th in leap years), with 202 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Regular segments included "Celebrity Chef," "Ring Around the World" and "On the Line with Bob Considine." One memorable Saturday evening feature brought live jazz to NBC in the form of on-the-spot remote broadcasts from New York City jazz clubs.

The show was the brainchild of legendary NBC radio and television network president Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, whose career bridged classic radio and television's infancy and who sought to keep radio alive by advancing it from the single-sponsor/strict-block ethic of old-time radio. Believing that broadcasting could and should educate as well as entertain, Weaver fashioned a series that could and would do both for two decades, with some of the best-remembered and best-regarded names in broadcasting, entertainment, journalism, and literature taking part. It was probably Weaver's last great contribution to NBC; he left the network within a year of Monitor's premiere. Sylvester Pat Weaver (December 21, 1908 - March 17, 2002) was the father of actress Sigourney Weaver. ...

Monitor's executive producers included Jim Fleming, Frank Papp, Al Capstaff and Bob Maurer. The many rotating anchors and hosts included Cindy Adams, Mel Allen, Johnny Andrews, Jim Backus, Red Barber, Frank Blair, Bruce Bradley, David Brinkley, Ted Brown, Ed Bryce, Art Buchwald, Al "Jazzbo" Collins, Brad Crandall, Bill Cullen, James Daly, Dan Daniel, Hugh Downs, Clifton Fadiman, Art Fleming, Jim Fleming, Art Ford, Allen Funt, Frank Gallop, Joe Garagiola, Dave Garroway, Ben Grauer, Peter Hackes, Monty Hall, Bill Hayes, Bob Haymes, Wayne Howell, Don Imus, Murray the K, Walter Kiernan, Durward Kirby, Jim Lowe, Hal March, Frank McGee, Ed McMahon, Garry Moore, Henry Morgan, Robert W. Morgan, Barry Nelson, Bert Parks, Leon Pearson, Tony Randall, Gene Rayburn, Peter Roberts, Don Russell, Ted Steele, John Cameron Swayze, Tony Taylor, John Bartholomew Tucker, David Wayne, Big Wilson and Wolfman Jack. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Mel Allen (February 14, 1913 - June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster. ... James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 in Cleveland Ohio - July 3, 1989 In Los Angeles, California). ... Walter Lanier Red Barber (February 17, 1908 - October 22, 1992) was an American sportscaster. ... David Brinkley David McClure Brinkley (July 10, 1920 – June 11, 2003) was an American television newscaster for NBC and, later, ABC. From 1956 through 1970 he co-anchored NBCs nightly news program The Huntley–Brinkley Report with Chet Huntley. ... Ted Brown (b. ... Arthur Art Buchwald (born October 20, 1925) is an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post newspaper, which concentrates on political satire and commentary. ... Bill Cullen, full name William Lawrence Cullen (February 18, 1920–July 7, 1990), was an American radio and television personality. ... James Daly (born October 23, 1918; died July 3, 1978) was an American actor. ... Hugh Malcolm Downs, (born February 14, 1921) is a retired American television host, producer, and author. ... Clifton Fadiman (1902-1999) was a noted intellectual, author, and radio personality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Allen Funt (September 16, 1914 _ September 5, 1999) is an American celebrity best known as creator and host of Candid Camera from 1951-1954 and 1960_1966 on CBS. He began the show on radio as Candid Microphone on ABC radio. ... Joseph Henry Garagiola, Sr. ... Dave Garroway was the original host of NBCs Today Show from 1952 to 1961. ... Ben Grauer (born Staten Island, New York, June 2, 1908, died New York City, May 31, 1977) was an American radio and TV personality, following a career as a child actor in the 1920s, both in film and on Broadway. ... Monty Hall, born August 25, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as Maurice Halprin, is a Canadian-born actor, singer and sportscaster, but is best known for being the MC of popular American television game shows. ... Bill Hayes (born William Foster Hayes III, on 5 June 1925, in Harvey, Illinois) is an American actor, best known for his role as Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives. ... Don Imus John Donald Imus, Jr. ... Murray Kaufman (February 14, 1922 – February 21, 1982) professionally known as Murray the K, was a famous and influential rock and roll disc jockey. ... Versatile US TV funnyman Durward Kirby, who for years played second banana on The Garry Moore Show and for a time was co-host of Candid Camera, started out in radio in the Midwest. ... Hal March (born Harold Mendelson, April 22, 1920 - January 19, 1970) was an American comedian. ... Frank McGee (born September 12, 1915 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; died April 17, 1974) was a television journalist. ... Ed McMahon During One of Johnny Carsons Monologues on the Tonight Show Ed McMahon (born Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. ... Garry Moore (January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was born in Baltimore, Maryland as Thomas Garrison Morfit. ... Henry Morgan (March 31, 1915 - May 19, 1994), born in New York City, was a comedian best remembered for having been a regular panelist on the CBS game show Ive Got a Secret. ... Robert W. Morgan entertained the Los Angeles radio audience for over three decades. ... Barry Nelson (born April 16, 1920 in San Francisco, California), born Robert Haakon Nielson, is an American film, stage and television actor. ... Bert Parks (December 30, 1914 - February 2, 1992), an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer and host, is remembered best as the longtime, iconic host (1955-1980) of the annual Miss America Pageant telecast, live from Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. ... Randall in 2003 Tony Randall (February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was a Jewish-American comic actor. ... Gene Rayburn (December 22, 1917 – November 29, 1999) was an Emmy award-nominated American radio and television personality. ... John Cameron Swayze (April 4, 1906 – August 15, 1995) was a popular news commentator and game show panelist in the United States, during the 1950s. ... Antonio Nemesio (Tony) Taylor (born December 19, 1935 in Matanzas, Cuba) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. ... John Bartholomew Tucker (born April 9, 1930 in Pennsylvania) is an American radio and television personality, as well as an author. ... David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan on 30 January 1914 in Traverse City, Michigan; died 9 February 1995 in Santa Monica, California) was a Broadway, film, and television actor, with a career spanning nearly half a century. ... Robert Weston (Bob) Smith (January 21, 1939—July 1, 1995) became world famous in the 1960s and 1970s as a disc jockey using the stage name of Wolfman Jack. ...

Various broadcasting personalities heard delivering reports and segments included Jerry Baker (the Master Gardener), Morgan Beatty, Joyce Brothers, Al Capp, Paul Christman, Marlene Dietrich, Len Dillon, Chris Economaki, Arlene Francis, Betty Furness, Curt Gowdy, Skitch Henderson, Chet Huntley, Graham Kerr (the Galloping Gourmet), Joe Kirkwood, Jr., Fran Koltun, Sandy Koufax, Bill Mazer, Lindsey Nelson, Kyle Rote, Gene Shalit, Jean Shepherd, Jim Simpson, Barbara Walters and Ted Webbe. Doctor Joyce Brothers was born in 1928, and is one of the leading family psychologists and advice columnists, publishing a daily syndicated newspaper column since 1960. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... My name is Tory Christman, and my father was/is Paul Christman. ... Marlene Dietrich in the 1920s Marie Magdalene Marlene Dietrich (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) also known as Maria Magdalena Dietrich was a German actress, entertainer and singer. ... Arlene Francis Arlene Francis was born Arlene Francis Kazanjian on October 20, 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts, of Armenian descent. ... Elizabeth Mary Furness, better known as Betty Furness (January 3, 1916–April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate and current affairs commentator. ... Curt Gowdy (born July 31, 1919, in Green River, Wyoming) is a former American sportscaster. ... Skitch Henderson (born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson, January 27, 1918; died November 1, 2005, New Milford, Connecticut) was a British-born American pianist, conductor, and composer. ... Chester Robert Huntley (December 10, 1911 - March 20, 1974), more popularly known as Chet Huntley, was an American television newscaster. ... , 1969 Graham Kerr (born January 22, 1934 in London) is a famous cooking personality who gained fame through his cooking show The Galloping Gourmet. ... Joe Kirkwood, Jr. ... Sanford Sandy Koufax (IPA pronunciation: /kofæks/), born Sanford Braun on December 30, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. ... Bill Mazer is a TV/radio personality. ... Lindsey Nelson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Kyle Rote Born October 27, 1928 Died August 15, 2002 Kyle Rote, an All-American running back at Southern Methodist University, Class of 1951, played for 11 years for the New York Giants, 1951-1961. ... Gene Shalit Gene Shalit (born March 25, 1932 in New York City) is the film and book critic on NBCs The Today Show. ... Jean Parker Shepherd (July 26, 1921 - October 16, 1999) was a raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. ... Jim Simpson is a retired American sportscaster, known for his smooth delivery as a play-by-play man and his versatility in covering many different sports. ... Barbara Ann Walters (born September 25, 1929 (see)) is an American media personality known for her many years as the first woman network news anchor, on ABC News starting in 1976. ...

Many comedy talents appeared through the years, including Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Selma Diamond, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, Ernie Kovacs, Elaine May, Anne Meara, Bob Newhart, Mike Nichols, Jerry Stiller and Jonathan Winters. Bob and Ray, who won a 1957 Peabody Award for their Monitor comedy routines, often remained at NBC during the weekend to step in if technical problems developed with remote segments. Woody Allen. ... Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... Selma Diamond (August 5, 1920 - May 13, 1985) was a Canadian-born comedic actress and TV writer. ... Phyllis Diller (born Phyllis Ada Driver on July 17, 1917) is an American comedian who is considered one of the pioneers of female stand-up comedy. ... Bob Hope KBE, KCSG, (May 29, 1903–July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was a famous British-American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Army personnel. ... Ernie Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a creative and innovative entertainer from the early days of television. ... Elaine May (b. ... Anne Meara (born September 20, 1929) is an American comedian and actress. ... Bob Newhart is an American actor, comedian and writer famous for his timing and bemused demeanor. ... Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky) is an Academy Award winning movie director of films such as The Graduate and Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He was born on November 6, 1931 in Berlin, to a Jewish Russian family. ... Jerry Stiller (born June 8, 1927) is an American comedian and actor. ... Jonathan Winters (born November 11, 1925 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American comedic actor. ... Bob and Ray Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy duo that began in radio in 1946 with a daily 15-minute show titled Matinee With Bob and Ray. ...

In addition to Bob and Ray, several Monitor regulars in its early years helped the show bridge the classic and modern radio eras. Henry Morgan had been a controversial radio comedian in the 1940s. Clifton Fadiman was the legendary host of Information Please, the highbrow quiz show. Mel Allen and Red Barber were familiar baseball voices (respectively, the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers) since the 1940s. Garry Moore had made his bones as Jimmy Durante's radio sidekick. Bert Parks had found fame hosting the radio hits Stop the Music and Break the Bank. Jim and Marian Jordan, better known as old-time radio favorites Fibber McGee and Molly, held down a regular five-minute Monitor segment and were said to be negotiating a new, longterm commitment to the show when Marian Jordan died of cancer in 1961. Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce, vintage radio's Ethel and Albert, also performed five-minute Monitor vignettes from 1963-1965. Peg Lynch made several of the vignettes available on compact disc to old-time radio collectors. Henry Morgan (March 31, 1915 - May 19, 1994), born in New York City, was a comedian best remembered for having been a regular panelist on the CBS game show Ive Got a Secret. ... Clifton Fadiman (1902-1999) was a noted intellectual, author, and radio personality. ... Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball within a zone over home plate while a player on the other team (the batter) attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that can... Major league affiliations American League (1901-present) East Division (1969-present) Major league titles World Series titles (26) 2000 â€¢ 1999 â€¢ 1998 â€¢ 1996 1978 â€¢ 1977 â€¢ 1962 â€¢ 1961 1958 â€¢ 1956 â€¢ 1953 â€¢ 1952 1951 â€¢ 1950 â€¢ 1949 â€¢ 1947 1943 â€¢ 1941 â€¢ 1939 â€¢ 1938 1937 â€¢ 1936 â€¢ 1932 â€¢ 1928 1927 â€¢ 1923 AL Pennants (39) 2003 â€¢ 2001 â€¢ 2000... For the 1930s NFL team, see Brooklyn Dodgers (football). ... Jimmy Durante (b. ... Jim and Marian Jordan were featured in 1947 NBC promotional art by Sam Berman. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Monitor aired from a mammoth NBC studio called Radio Central on the fifth floor of the RCA Building in midtown Manhattan.

Listen to

• NPR: Liane Hansen talks with Dennis Hart on the 50th anniversary of Monitor (6/12/05)
• Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman)
• Monitor: Nichols and May (September, 1964)

See also

• Radio in the United States

The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media. ...

Reference

• Hart, Dennis. Monitor (Take 2): The Revised, Expanded Inside Story of Network Radio's Greatest Program. 297 pages. New York: iUniverse, 2003. ISBN 059528177X

External link

• Dennis Hart's Monitor Beacon