Share Your Story!

Do you have a Ruth Lyons, 50-50 Club, Paul Dixon, or Bob Braun story? Click on "comments" below, and post it for others to see. Or contact me at mike at ruthlyons dot com, or P.O. Box 175, Oxford, OH 45056.
--Michael A. Banks

The Ruth Lyons 50-50 Club Home Page

In addition to the 50-50 Club blog, there is also a Ruth Lyons 50-50 Club Web site. The URL is http://www.ruthlyons.com/ (naturally). There you'll find links to other sites of interest to fans of Ruth Lyons, Bob Braun, Willy Thall, Marion Spelman, Bonnie Lou, WLW, and all things Crosley. From time to time you'll find new photos and a special surprise or two.

You can return here from there by clicking the "Share Your Stories" link.
--Mike

Colors & Designs on this Page

What do you think of the page design and colors? Is it easy to read? Does anyone have suggestions for layout or colors?
Thank you,
--Mike http://michaelabanks.com/

Who Was Ruth Lyons? (Part 1)

When she spoke, whether in the Crosley Broadcasting boardroom or a hallway, everyone listened. She wielded tremendous power within her organization, and a passionate audience followed her every move. Always on the leading edge, she wasn’t afraid to take on “difficult” topics, anything from race and sex to war and cancer. Fans signed a waiting list to get on her show—as did sponsors. Anxious to tap into the tremendous exposure, celebrities, authors, and politicians vied for guest spots on her show. Anything she endorsed flew off the shelves.

She was not Oprah Winfrey.

She was Ruth Lyons, a pioneering broadcaster whose television daytime television show had the highest ratings in the nation. Her audience in 1960 equaled that of Oprah Winfrey today (7 million viewers). With a mix of sentimentality and caustic commentary she ad-libbed her way through commercials, interviews with Hollywood stars, and her version of national and world events—all the while maintaining that she was simply a normal housewife and mother who happened to have a radio show. National magazines labeled her “The most influential housewife in America.”

She gave away cars on her show, “The 50-50 Club,” and told advertisers what to do. Always working without a script, she did commercials when, how, and if she wanted to. She could make or break products or companies. And sponsors signed up on waiting lists to pay prime-time network advertising rates to get on her show. It was like Powel Crosley, Jr.’s half-million watt WLW radio in the 1930s, reborn on television ...