Phil Donahue (born December 21, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio) is the creator and star of The Phil Donahue Show (a k a Donahue) (1967—1996), the first of the syndicated talk shows where the host walks through the audience to let audience members make comments and ask questions. The show lasted for 29 years on TV, debuting as a Dayton, OH local program in 1967 and moving to national syndication two years later. It briefly emerged as an MSNBC offering in 2002-2003.
His shows have generally focused on liberal issues, like women's reproductive rights, consumer protection (his most frequent guest was Ralph Nader, for whom he campaigned in 2000), civil rights, and war protests.
