An American pioneer of daytime chat shows on television is Ruth Lyons. Ruth Lyons is particularly well-known for her work on radio and television shows including The 50/50 Club and Your Sunday Matinee. Similar to Arthur Godfrey and others of the period, Ruth Lyons created the daytime TV talk show by accident and went on to create a TV empire.

How much is the net worth of Ruth Reeves?

Ruth Reeves also had a net worth of $1 million to $5 million, per trendcelebsnow.

How was the childhood of Ruth Reeves?

On October 4, 1905, Ruth Lyons was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States. Ruth Evelyn Reeves is her full name, and she was born under the sign of Libra. She was an American citizen.Margaret Keturah Henry and Samuel Spencer Reeves’ elder daughter is Ruth. Her father worked in travel. He spent the evenings instructing music at the University of Cincinnati.Her mother was a musician as well. Ruth’s family was a close-knit group, and there were additional family members that lived in the area. Similar to the Reeves family, which was devout, much of their activities were centered in the neighborhood Presbyterian church.

The women in their family were steadfast in their beliefs and steadfast in their resolve to lend a hand wherever it was required. Ruth was greatly influenced by her grandmother Reeves.When the task was finished, her grandma went around the neighborhood to perform kind deeds. Her grandmother started her household duties early. She was a well-read woman who didn’t hesitate to express her strong thoughts.She was also constantly admonished by her mother to give whatever she did her best effort. As essential to a person’s well-being as food, clothing, and shelter were books, reading, and music, according to their family.Ruth Lyons made her stage debut in a play for her grammar school. She started writing and producing her songs when she was twelve years old since she was passionate about performing.Ruth Lyons also participated in Red Cross fundraising efforts as a young child during World War I. She even collaborated with her minister to provide entertainment for hospital patients nearby.

Education

She also attended East High School, where there was a flurry of activity when she first enrolled. Also, she was the yearbook editor. She composed a school musical, penned the lyrics, and played the piano for the Dancing Club.additionally as the Kalidasa Club’s president. She also created the school musical during her first year at the University of Cincinnati. Then she joined the Delta Delta Delta sorority and oversaw the collegiate yearbook’s humor section.

Ruth’s parents preferred that she finish college and pursue a career as a teacher, though. She was aware, though, of the financial burden her college expenses were placing on the family. She also gave up her studies at the university.and invested more time in her playing by enrolling in the Cincinnati College of Music’s piano program. Ruth worked as a sheet music salesperson as well.

What are the state of relationships of Ruth Reeves?

Ruth Lyons’ family relocated five times while she was in school. They moved to Cincinnati’s Tusculum Avenue shortly after she graduated from high school, where the Lyons family also resided.Similarly, Johnny Lyons was “the heart-throb of Tusculum Avenue” and was personable and attractive. Soon after the Reeves family settled in the area, Ruth and Johnny started dating. And in 1932, following an eight-year romance, they got married.The insurance company Johnny worked for eventually closed its Cincinnati branch after the couple had been married for two years. After that, he was given the chance to move to the Cleveland office of the business and was promoted to the position of insurance underwriter.

He also anticipated that his wife would leave WKRC and move to Cleveland to be with him. Ruth did not want to quit her radio job, though. She also thought that her responsibilities to her parents would keep her in Cincinnati.She thus relocated back to her parent’s house while Johnny moved to Cleveland for his new work.Also, the couple maintained their marriage for a number of years through weekend visits, but gradually they grew apart. When Johnny later moved to New York and Chicago, Ruth rose to fame as a radio host in Cincinnati.She also submitted a divorce petition in April 1939. She claimed that her mother did not “think divorced ladies respectable,” thus she did not act until after her mother’s passing in 1938. Her husband did not object to the divorce and was now employed in Milwaukee.

Divorce

She first met Herman Newman, a Unitarian preacher, in 1942, a year after her divorce. They met at a concert for charity. Later, Herman was hired as an English professor at the University of Cincinnati.He continued to be himself, independent of the show and the fame of his wife.Then, soon after their encounter, Ruth was approached by Crosley with an offer of a ten-dollar pay raise; Newman counseled her to take it. The union took place on October 3, 1942.

Similar to this, Ruth Lyons gave birth to a stillborn daughter in 1944. Later, as Ruth’s doctor advised, they adopted a daughter who had been born at the hospital two days before.In addition, the adoption was kept a secret for a long time. When Candace Laird Newman was six weeks old, she made her first trip to WLW. She then proceeded to make occasional appearances on radio and television as she grew older.

What are the career highlights of Ruth Reeves?

• Since she was a high school student, Ruth Lyons had an interest in radio. In 1925, she made her first appearance on the radio on WMH as a singer’s accompanist.
• And starting in 1925, a regular position as a pianist on WSAI. In 1928, she started working at WKRC full-time as well. by performing as the station’s music library and piano/organist for radio shows.
• When Lyons was forced into service one morning, she made her first broadcast inadvertently. It happened when the lone female show host on the channel canceled.

• She also took over as host after only a few minutes of becoming accustomed to and familiar with how things worked behind the microphone.
• The sponsor also liked Lyons’ management of the initiative. So they employed her to take the place of the unwell host.
• Ruth claimed her audience is intelligent when she first started her broadcasting career. Also, they had a wider range of interests than the topics covered by conventional women’s programs. She thus concentrated on subjects other than culinary tips and domestic advice.
• Her fame increased as she calmed listeners and solicited funds for the victims of the 1937 Great Flood. She even pleaded with her listeners to donate money, food, and clothing to flood victims.
• Lyons’ radio efforts also resulted in $56,000 being donated to the Red Cross. And the program director of WKRC appointed Ruth in large part as a result of her efforts during this crisis.

How is the career of Ruth Reeves?

• Ruth Lyons also aired a weekly radio program called Your Sunday Matinee while she worked at WKRC. She was a novice songwriter who created a brand-new tune for each Sunday airing of the program. Paul Whiteman, the band’s leader, also appeared as a guest on the program in 1938.
• And he was pleased with Ruth’s songwriting skills. He therefore made an offer to buy some of her original songs with the condition that they be released under his name. Ruth Lyons gently declined, nevertheless.
• In 1942, Ruth Lyons left WKRC for Crosley Broadcasting due to a ten-dollar pay boost. Similarly, when Ruth was contacted by Crosley Broadcasting, she was given a salary that was ten dollars higher than what she was receiving from WKRC.
• She next met with Hulbert “Hub” Taft, the station’s owner. Taft informed Lyons that he could not match Crosley’s offer, thus Lyons initially signed with Crosley before moving to work at WSAI and bringing 14 sponsors with her.

• Taft, the president of Taft Broadcasting, also claimed subsequently that his company had lost millions of dollars in advertising as a result of the ten-dollar rise. Moreover, Crosley made over $1 million in advertising revenue each year from the Lyons radio and television shows.
• In order for Ruth to continue broadcasting until the quarantine was over, Crosley decided that it was crucial to set up lines and equipment at their house.
• Frazier Thomas and Ruth Lyons at the 1948 “Morning Matinee” on WLW Radio, as seen in a promotional calender provided by the station. At WKRC, Ruth Lyons hosted Woman’s Hour, and she later took over as host of Petticoat Partyline.

Additional information on WLW and WSAI

She had never followed a script for her broadcasts during her time at WKRC. Writing and following a script for radio shows was strictly prohibited by WSAI.Ruth, though, composed her own show scripts and read from them for a week before switching back to her technique of impromptu discussion.Similarly, days and weeks passed without any complaints. Ruth Lyons anticipated losing her job when she was asked to bring a copy of her program script to the manager’s office.

She acknowledged, however, that she had not created or read from a program script in some time, when she first joined the office.The station manager, however, declared that he was happy with her work and that the meeting was to present her with a job chance at WLW. Lyons preferred to present ads in her own words and did not enjoy reading commercial material.Ruth was the host of Consumer’s Foundation at WLW, a program where guests evaluated things that were marketed on the radio and shared their experiences. Also, she and Frazier Thomas collaborated on the radio program Collect Calls From Lowenthal.

Thomas joined Ruth as the program’s co-host when Consumer’s Foundation changed into Your Morning Matinee, a morning radio show with music and entertainment geared for female listeners.The program was then broadcast over New York City radio station WINS for two years after WLW parent firm Crosley Broadcasting acquired the station in 1946.Thomas co-hosted the program with Ruth Lyons until he departed to start his own media production company. She continued to host the show until 1951, when her doctor urged her to cut back on her workload.

Television

As “The 50 Club,” the 50/50 Club debuted on WLW Radio. Also, fifty ladies were invited to a live-streamed, daily lunch that lasted an hour. Ruth Lyons came up with the concept for the show, which premiered on February 5th, 1946.She was apprehensive to work on television, but the show debuted on WLWT in May 1949 despite her reservations. She did not, however, appreciate the bright lights and cameras that appeared to be everywhere.

Ruth, however, understood she had to lose weight in order to seem appealing on television after seeing herself on camera. She therefore created her own set of guidelines for her television program in addition to losing weight.Because of the unplanned nature of her programs, individuals who worked with her learned to prepare for nearly anything and make any required adjustments.

Ruth also became the program director of the television station in September 1949, and the program was afterwards simulcast on WLW AM. She was also the sole female director on the Crosley board of directors.Ruth was also successful in resolving issues between the WLWT management and the local musicians’ union prior to a walkout.She went so far as to say that she saw herself as one of the musicians and that she meant to join them on the picket line if the conflict was not resolved.

 “The 50 Club”

• The radio station’s management complied with the musician’s requests to keep Ruth Lyons on the air. She was given the moniker “Mother” by her coworkers and supporters due to her desire to offer guidance and become engaged in issues.
• Similar to how Ruth was able to sell her sponsor’s goods, NBC was hoping that Lyons would do the same for their network.
• After that, on October 1, 1951, NBC signed a deal with Crosley to air a half-hour of The 50 Club on the NBC television network for three years.
• Ruth Lyons reacted angrily to the network time cues, organized advertising, and loss of show control. At the end of the first year, the contract was canceled and the program was no longer broadcast on national television since she also did not want to move to New York.
• Also, the Ruth Lyons broadcasts on NBC received harsh criticism from New York-based media critic John Crosby.
• In 1953, when the audience size was increased to 100, the program’s name was changed to “The 50/50 Club.”
• The Crosley Broadcasting network’s additional stations in Dayton, Columbus, and Indianapolis broadcast it, and the program’s original hour-long runtime was increased to 90 minutes.
• Ruth and the program were later featured in a number of national publications, including McCall’s, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Cosmopolitan.

More about the club 50/50

Moreover, NBC tried once more to sign Ruth Lyons to their network. She was also asked to fill in for Helen O’Connell, a cast member of The Today Show, for a week in April 1958.The Cincinnati media and viewers were then ready to interpret any slight, whether deliberate or not, as an affront to Ruth Lyons and their community in light of the scathing condemnation from the Crosby column.

Ruth made only two brief appearances on one Today broadcast and read a commercial on a later show while being hidden on the set by vegetation, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. After that, she received a lot of correspondence from her supporters complaining about how unfairly they had treated her in New York.Ruth’s response was to clarify that the format of “The 50/50 Club” was different from that of “Today,” and she never anticipated that she would be conversing with individuals as she did on her television program.Also present were pianist Peter Nero, Bob Hope, and Arthur Godfrey.

After retirement

Ruth Lyons and her family experienced illness and loss in the middle of the 1960s. She had remained close to her younger sister Rose, who passed away in 1964 following a ten-year cancer fight.But, in December 1964, Ruth experienced a mild stroke and was forced to take time off from her television show. Later, in January 1965, there was a second family medical emergency when Candy, then 20 years old, found a breast tumor that turned out to be cancerous.By September, after undergoing surgery and radiotherapy, she was in good enough health to permanently join the cast of The 50-50 Club.

The same thing happened with Candy in early 1966 when it became clear that her disease was now terminal and she wanted to visit Europe one final time. So, in early June, the Newman family left New York.Candy was also seriously unwell and in the hospital when they got to Italy. They then started preparing for their June 14 return to the States. Candy, however, passed away on board the ship on June 19, 1966.

Beginning in February 1966, Ruth Lyons took a lengthy hiatus from her television program owing to the illness and eventual passing of her daughter. It wasn’t until October that she went back to her show.Ruth made the decision to take things day by day in order to gather money for the Christmas fund in memory of her daughter.

When did death of Ruth Reeves happened?

Similarly, many close to Ruth Lyons claim that her life was also taken from her by Candy’s passing. Ruth’s program was occasionally interrupted by her inability to complete it, and even when she did, it was occasionally challenging to comprehend what she was saying.Then, on January 26, 1967, Ruth Lyons informed Bob Braun, her co-host, that she had completed her final television program as “The 50-50 Club” was about to go off the air.Hence, Braun was collaborating with Lyons until a replacement was found while hosting his own later afternoon show, “The Bob Braun Show,” which he had started a few days earlier.

The following day, a public announcement was made on the broadcast along with a statement from Ruth to her fans informing them that she was unable to continue hosting the program.Furthermore, Braun took over as the show’s host after that, and Lyons disappeared from television forever. Ruth also released her autobiography, “Remember With Me,” in 1969.Also, the book sold 90K copies despite her being off the air for more than two years prior to its release. Likewise, her health gradually deteriorated over time.She began having strokes in the 1970s, and then again in the 1980s. Ruth was then bedridden for the next three and a half years of her life before she passed away on November 7, 1988.

What are the honor and legacy for Ruth Reeves?

• In the year 1939, the Ruth Lyons Christmas Fund was established. Children at the Cincinnati area hospitals are still given toys, holiday decorations, and even essential medical equipment.
• She later discovered the young patients in the children’s ward at a nearby hospital had nothing to make their stay more bearable. She discussed this on her radio show as well.
• They started accumulating money so that during the holiday season, toys and some holiday happiness could be given to hospitalized kids.
• On her birthday every year, Ruth Lyons started a fundraiser to support the funding of her activities. She even composed Christmas songs that were recorded and played on the shows to raise money for the cause.
• But when Lyons retired in 1967, Bob Braun, who had been her co-host, took over as host of “The 50-50 Club” and took over the fundraising responsibilities.
• Also, the fund has raised tens of millions of dollars since its inception. During his lunch hour at school, David Letterman and his mother watched “The 50/50 Club,” and Ruth Lyons is credited with teaching him everything he knows about live talk television.
• In addition, the City of Cincinnati recognized Ruth Lyons’ years of community work by renaming a roadway in the heart of the city “Ruth Lyons Lane” in her honor in 1983.
• In addition, a 2009 book titled “Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons, the Woman Who Created Talk TV” and a 2012 documentary titled “Ruth Lyons: First Lady of Television” both focus on Ruth Lyons’ life and career.
• The documentary also received numerous regional Emmy Awards. The home on Tusculum Avenue where Lyons and her parents lived was then marked with an Ohio Historical Monument in the year 2011.

How tall is Ruth Reeves?

There is currently no information available on Ruth Lyons’ height, weight, chest, waist, or hip measurements. She was, nonetheless, a stunning woman, both inside and out. She also has green eyes and blonde hair.

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Social media

Ruth Lyns had no social media profiles. No social media accounts were popular or were being used correctly at the time. She also chose not to use it.