Monitor: The Last Great Radio Show [Paperback]

Dennis Hart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2002

This is the inside story of network radio's greatest program -- Monitor. Born in 1955 out of inspiration and desperation, "Monitor" became a smash hit with audiences and advertisers. The NBC weekend extravaganza -- which started as a 40-hour long program -- featured big-name hosts such as Dave Garroway, Hugh Downs, Frank Blair, Frank McGee, Gene Rayburn, David Wayne, Ed McMahon, Henry Morgan, Mel Allen, Monty Hall, David Brinkley, Hal March, Barry Nelson, Jim Lowe, Joe Garagiola, Murray the K, Bill Cullen and many others. Broadcasting from mammoth NBC studios called "Radio Central," Monitor featured a continuous flow of news, sports, comedy, variety and live remotes from around the country and around the world. It also featured "Miss Monitor," who gave weather forecasts in a way no one had ever heard before. Monitor was the first network radio show designed for a mobile audience -- listeners could tune in wherever they were, at any time during the weekend, and hear something "new and different" every few minutes. For nearly 20 years, Monitor kept listeners in instantaneous touch with anything of interest or importance happening in the world. This is the fascinating Monitor story -- from its creation by legendary NBC programmer Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver Jr., to never-before told anecdotes about Monitor's hosts and featured players. New interviews with Monitor hosts and staff members provide an engrossing and entertaining look at The Last Great Radio Show.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dennis Hart teaches Mass Communication 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc (February 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595213952
• ISBN-13: 978-0595213955
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,880,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Tribute to a Great Radio Show, April 9, 2002

By 

Thomas J. Frieling (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monitor: The Last Great Radio Show (Paperback)

Dennis Hart has done a great public service with his history of "the last great radio show".

That show was Monitor on NBC radio, a program that not only ran every weekend for nearly twenty years, but in doing so, saved the NBC radio network from early extinction at a time when television was robbing network radio of its audience.

So what was Monitor? The brainchild of the late, great Pat Weaver, Monitor was a true magazine of the air--an intelligent, lively, exciting mixture of news, comedy, music, sports, interviews, and live remotes from around the world, all packaged into an ever changing format hosted by radio greats like Gene Rayburn, Dave Garroway, Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen, and many others. There was simply nothing else like it when it began in 1955. And really nothing else like it when it fell victim to the changing times and was finally cancelled in January 1975.

Hart deftly chronicles Monitor's creation, and breathes life into the story of its long run--longer than any other radio program. From the famous hosts, to the intense work it took for the show's producers and writers to actually create on a weekly basis, hours of live programming at a time when broadcasting technology was primitive by today's standards, to the Monitor Beacon itself, Hart reminds Monitor's fans why they spent so many of their weekend hours listening to the program.

I was a fan for years in the '60s and early '70s, but you don't have to remember the show to appreciate this affectionate history. And given the state of commercial radio today, you may come away wondering why Monitor is still not running every weekend "going places and doing things" and once again delighting millions of listeners.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 30 million listeners can't be wrong, March 24, 2002

By 

Louis Castaing "Louis Castaing" (Baton Rouge, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monitor: The Last Great Radio Show (Paperback)

When former NBC president, Sylvester "Pat" Weaver died on March 15, 2002, his old network broadcast an obituary highlighting his programming innovations. Weaver brought us both "Today" and "Tonight," television shows that have lasted 50 years. Pat Weaver was a programming genius. Unfortunately, NBC Television failed to mention his major NBC Radio achievement: "Monitor." It revolutionized the network radio business 50 years ago; but, unfortunately, it died from neglect and the bottom line 30 years ago.
Monitor aired every weekend for 20 years. The first few years, it was broadcast 40 hours a weekend; later it was cut back to 16 and then to 12. But, in the beginning, if you were on the Monitor Beacon, you were one of 30 million listeners going places and doing things each weekend. You were hearing Dave Garroway, Henry Morgan, David Brinkley, Mel Allen, Joe Garagiola, Hugh Downs, Ted Brown, Gene Rayburn, Brad Crandall and many more. Bob and Ray were at Radio Central most of the weekend. Nichols and May were there too, as was Jonathan Winters. Weekends were different and so was Monitor.
So, why am I writing about Monitor 30 years later? Well, I was quite a devotee of Monitor. I listened every weekend. A year ago, it was a weekend, I was looking up a site on a search engine and, on a whim, I typed in "Monitor" to see what I'd find. To my surprise, I found an elaborate Web Site devoted entirely to Monitor with history, audio, pictures, reminiscences: ... Until then, I thought I was the biggest Monitor aficionado in the country. No, Dennis Hart is truly Mr. Monitor. This site was his brainchild. But he has more material than could ever fit on a Web site. Hence, the book.
This is a great book, easy to read and well-documented. Dennis actually interviewed Mr. Weaver. Mr. Weaver's comments demonstrate how much he thought of Monitor and how disappointed he was to see it end and why it did. Dennis also has interviewed other Monitor personnel, both on-the-air and behind the scenes. The book's packed with inside information.
When you go to the Web site, read the comments in the guestbook. See how many messages express hope that Monitor will return. I hope it will too. But until then, we have Monitor, the Book, and Monitor, the Web site, thanks to Dennis.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monitor 1, February 21, 2007

By 

Henry J. Marcotte (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Monitor: The Last Great Radio Show (Paperback)

Dennis Hart did a thorough job of researching the program. He provides an overview of radio broadcasting in general as well as the nitty gritty of Monitor over almost two decades.