Talk:Phil Donahue

0.1 is not the lowest possible rating one can get. John McEnroe got a 0.0 when he started his show. Mike H 15:17, Sep 3, 2004 (UTC) Please help me get some recording of Donahue when he was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa many years ago. cgcatloverqc@yahoo.com farmer talk on the show —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.255.1.116 (talk) 13:10, 9 September 2009 (UTC)Reply

This article makes the following statements:

• In late August 2002, it got one of the lowest possible Nielsen ratings (0.1)
• The show was so popular that it became MSNBC's top-rated show.

These two tidbits seem to subtly imply mutually contradictory conclusions without explicitly stating them. So what is the full story? Were the ratings in August 2002 representative of its ratings up until its cancellation? How were these ratings when compared with the typical hour on MSNBC, or other programs like Jesse Ventura's program or Joe Scarborough's program? -- Bletch 17:30, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)

The show was popular, but only due to the star power of Phil Donahue and not because of its ratings. The top-rated bit has to go. Mike H 18:33, Sep 28, 2004 (UTC)

Ummm forgive me for being ignorant, but to me, popularity implies ratings. Is that just a way of saying a lot of people liked the show but did not watch it? --Bletch 23:49, 28 Sep 2004 (UTC)

A show can have a massive fan following but a low viewership count. Love of Life would be a prime example. Mike H 23:15, Oct 23, 2004 (UTC)

Did Phil Donahue's mom write this article? Phil Donahue's ratings were horrendous. i found numerous links through google but here is just one: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/25/entertainment/main542005.shtml There is no debate, he got canceled because no one watched his show, not because of his anti-war views. GMAFB. RonMexico 16:34, 2 December 2005 (UTC)Reply

Why are his far-left leaning political leanings not mentioned in this article? And I agree, the intro is so puffball as to why his show was canceled. This article needs some work. 68.4.225.187 03:58, 7 February 2007 (UTC)Reply

Somebody should mention his NCSU commencement speech, Take a Liberal to Lunch which had wide press in, I think, 2003 - he was booed off the stage, and the speech created a controversy for the administration of the school at the time.--24.176.68.73 14:28, 1 August 2005 (UTC)Reply

It would be noteworthy if he were actually booed off of the stage, but that never happened. Only a handful of of the 4000 students walked out. 71.104.150.83 04:13, 8 January 2007 (UTC)DeeKennReply

Phil Donahue is still a Catholic, although he is critical of some of the Church's policies. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E1DF1E3FF93BA15757C0A9649C8B63

71.104.150.83 04:04, 8 January 2007 (UTC)DeeKennReply

Upon reading the New York Times article, mentioned above, in no way does this article make the assertion that Phil Donahue is still a Catholic. It only mentions his disdain for the annulment process. Mr.Donahue has admitted he is not a practicing Catholic, and during his television show's heydays, he routinely mocked Christianity in general, and showed complete contempt for the Catholic Church. He is currenlty listed on several lists as an atheist. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Factcorrect12 (talk • contribs) 20:35, 29 November 2008 (UTC)Reply

The most recent Donahue event this article mentions is his appearance on the O'Reilly Factor in 2005. In that interview Donahue seemed quite committed to the anti-war effort. Has he been completely silent ever since, or does this article need updating? M. Frederick 00:59, 6 June 2007 (UTC)Reply

I believe that Mr. Donahue is more aware of the situation than most people realize and is simply biding his time for an effective forum which the mainstream media cannot marginalize. We will see. DavoudMSA (talk) 09:04, 20 February 2008 (UTC)Reply

That wasn't the point and this isn't a political forum. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.238.92.21 (talk) 06:01, 27 February 2008 (UTC)Reply

why is this even in the article? Is it really noteworthy? It certainly isn't more noteworthy than the many interviews done that were substantial. It sounds like O'Reiley bashing to me, and very POV. Bytebear (talk) 23:08, 13 March 2008 (UTC)Reply

He was a mayor. Research it. Daimerej (talk) 02:03, 17 May 2008 (UTC)Reply

I think Phil Donahue's politial activism should be noted here. He has been active in the anti-war movement and in Nader's 2000 campaign. Matt2h (talk) 03:37, 30 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

Is that Phil Donahue throwing up in a tuba? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.17.119.213 (talk) 15:11, 12 March 2012 (UTC)Reply

The citation given for the line, "Oprah Winfrey said "if it weren't for Phil Donahue, there never would have been an Oprah show." is http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Phil-Donahue-First-Time-Video. If you actually listen to the video, Oprah says no such thing. Yes, that text appears on the page, underneath the video - but no matter where it appears, it's completely unsupported by the video. Mike Richardson (talk) 04:47, 24 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

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He seems to ask strange questions sometimes, is he all there 2600:1700:BA90:800:31F9:57B:ED8:1F4E (talk) 18:27, 7 December 2022 (UTC)Reply

Donahue’s broadcast career began at WNDU radio in South Bend, Ind. When he was a student at Notre Dame. 216.163.35.111 (talk) 21:34, 26 May 2023 (UTC)Reply

That could be interesting information. Is there a reliable source for it? _signed, Willondon (talk) 22:06, 26 May 2023 (UTC)Reply

Usually after the subject of an article dies, the lead image on the infobox is usually replaced with an image that depicts the subject in their prime, its in black/white or depicts them in the 'peak of their career. See Alain Delon, Bob Barker, Louis Gossett Jr., John Mayall, Roger Corman, Bob Newhart, Don Murray (actor), Richard Simmons, Silvio Santos, etc. as recent examples. Heck, look at old examples like Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Roundtree, Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin, Barbara Walters, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Tom Smothers, David McCallum, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Hal Holbrook, Christopher Plummer, Norman Lloyd, etc. Plus worth to mention, the previous infobox image, Donahue is so out of distance (bad quality IMO) whereas the 1981 image is more up close and we could see him better. TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 06:16, 22 August 2024 (UTC)Reply

• Option 2 Per my reasons above, plus it's better in quality. --TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 06:29, 22 August 2024 (UTC)Reply
• Option 1 Good composition. 2 is a snapshot, while 3 is undesirable per MOS:PORTRAIT. ‑‑Neveselbert (talk · contribs · email) 23:35, 22 August 2024 (UTC)Reply

Some parts of this article look like they were written by a generative AI bot.

In particular, the source referenced footnote 2 does not contain an account of the fact attributed to it. (i.e.  That Ralph Nader was Phil Donahue's most frequent guest on the talk show.)

(Also stylistically , the writer in the first part has a predilection to refer to Phil Donahue by his surname alone, newspaper-like, even though that wasn't his personal style.)

RoslinTollcross (talk) 02:49, 25 August 2024 (UTC)Reply