Ruth Lyons

Ruth Lyons (born Ruth Evelyn Reeves October 4, 1905, died November 7, 1988) was a pioneer radio and television broadcaster in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It is said Ruth Lyons accidentally invented the daytime TV talk show.

Like Arthur Godfrey and others of the era, Lyons built a TV empire.

Ruth Evelyn Reeves was born in Cincinnati, the older daughter of Margaret Keturah Henry and Samuel Spencer Reeves.

Her father was a travel agent who taught music at the University of Cincinnati in the evenings; her mother was also a musician.

It was a close-knit family with other family members living in the immediate neighborhood.

The Reeves family was a religious one; many of their activities were based at the local Presbyterian church.

The women of the family had both strong faith and strong determination to provide help wherever it was needed.

Grandmother Reeves was a great influence on her granddaughter; she began her household duties early and when they were completed, she went into the neighborhood to do good deeds.

She was a well-read woman with strong opinions and was unafraid to voice them.

Lyons's mother always reminded her daughter to do her best at everything she did.

The family considered books and reading, as well as music, to be as necessary to living as food, clothing and shelter.

Lyons's first public performance was in a grammar school play.

Her mother was embarrassed when her daughter misspoke her lines and there was laughter, but Lyons was glad she had made everyone laugh.

By age twelve, she was interested enough in performing to write and produce her own musical.

As a young girl during World War I, Lyons was involved in fund-raising activities for the Red Cross and worked with her minister to help entertain patients at local hospitals.

When she entered East High School, Lyons's years there were a flurry of activities.

She edited the school yearbook, wrote and composed a school musical, accompanied the Dance Club on piano and was president of the Kalidasa Club.

During her freshman year at the University of Cincinnati, she wrote the school musical, joined Delta Delta Delta sorority and was in charge of the humor section of the college yearbook.

Though her parents wanted her to complete college and become a teacher, Lyons was aware of the financial toll her college tuition was taking on the family.

She left her college studies and devoted more time to her music, studying piano at the Cincinnati College of Music and had a job selling sheet music.

Lyons had been interested in radio as a high school student.

Her radio career began with a one-shot appearance as an accompanist for a singer on WMH in 1925, and a regular post as pianist on WSAI beginning in 1925.

She went to work full-time at WKRC in 1928; working as a radio show pianist/organist and as the station's music librarian.

Lyons's first broadcast was accidental; she was pressed into service one morning when the station's only female show host called in sick.

She needed only a couple of minutes to become comfortable and familiar with how things were handled behind the microphone, and took over as host.

The sponsor decided that it preferred the way Lyons handled the program; she was hired to replace the host who was ill.

When she began her broadcasting career, Lyons said she believed her audience was intelligent and had more interests than the subjects covered by traditional women's programs, so she focused on topics other than cooking and household hints.

Lyons's prestige grew during the Great Flood of 1937, calming listeners and asking for donations for the victims.

Lyons asked her listeners to help the flood victims with food, clothing and money.

Lyons remained at the radio station, where she slept on her desk when she was not on the air with news reports or other emergency information.

The Red Cross received $56,000 as a result of Lyons's radio appeals.

At the time it was the largest amount raised for victims of a disaster.

Largely because of her efforts during this time of crisis, Lyons was appointed WKRC's program director.

While at WKRC, Lyons hosted a weekly radio show called Your Sunday Matinee; an amateur songwriter, she wrote a new song for each Sunday broadcast of the show.

Bandleader Paul Whiteman was a guest on the show in 1938 and was impressed by Lyons's songwriting abilities.

He offered to buy some of Lyons's original compositions with one stipulation: the music would need to be published under his name.

Lyons politely declined.

In 1942, WKRC lost Lyons to Crosley Broadcasting over a ten dollar raise.

When Lyons was approached by Crosley Broadcasting, the salary she was offered was ten dollars more than she was making at WKRC.