Monitor (Take 2)

About the Book

For two decades starting in 1955, millions of Americans spent their weekends listening to an extraordinary radio program-NBC's Monitor.

Running continuously from Saturday morning through Sunday night, Monitor featured big-name hosts like Dave Garroway, Hugh Downs, Gene Rayburn, Ed McMahon, Henry Morgan, Barry Nelson, Joe Garagiola, Bill Cullen, Jim Lowe and Murray the K-all broadcasting from mammoth studios called "Radio Central."

Monitor spotlighted a galaxy of feature reporters such as Arlene Francis, Gene Shalit, Bob Considine and Mel Allen. Comedy came from Bob and Ray, Nichols and May and Ernie Kovacs-and "Miss Monitor" gave her unforgettable weather forecasts.

This is the vastly expanded, revised edition of Dennis Hart's inside look at Monitor. Included are dozens of new, never-before-told stories about the men and women of Monitor. Readers will discover-or remember-what made Monitor such a "must-listen" experience in the mid-20th century-and learn, for the first time, the real story about the death of America's last great radio show.

Monitor (Take 2) is the "last word" about a true broadcasting institution.

About the Author

Dennis Hart teaches Mass Communication and Journalism at California State University, Fresno. He spent 20 years in broadcasting in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Atlanta, Phoenix and Fresno. He won numerous awards, including an Emmy, plus awards from the Associated Press, United Press International and the San Francisco Bay Area Press Club.