Ruth Lyons (broadcaster)

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.