With his glasses, white mop of hair, slight lisp, and amiable personality, Phil Donahue revolutionized the American daytime talk show and rode his popularity and growing legendary status for more than 6,000 shows over 29 years.

Donahue was 22 when, just months after his graduation from Notre Dame, he became an announcer on KYW-Radio in Cleveland, OH. Moving to other points in the Midwest, Donahue rose from announcer to newscaster at WHIO in Dayton, OH, a town in which he also had a radio talk show called "Conversation Piece". In 1967, he left WHIO and joined rival WLWD hosting a daytime talk