November 6, 1947: "Meet the Press," TV's Longest-Running Show, Debuts

November 6, 1947: Meet the Press debuts on NBC. It is still on the air after 75 years, making it the longest-running program in television history, anywhere in the world.

Oddly for its era, the 1st moderator was a woman, Martha Rountree. She was succeeded in 1953 by Ned Brooks, who held the post until 1965, Lawrence Spivak until 1975, Bill Monroe (not the country singer) until 1984, Marvin Kalb until 1987, Chris Wallace until 1989, Garrick Utley until 1991, and then its longest-running host, Tim Russert, until his death in 2008. He was succeeded by David Gregory, and then Chuck Todd was named host in 2014, and still is.

(Brooks died in 1969, Spivak in 1994, Rountree in 1999, Monroe in 2011, and Utley in 2014. As of November 6, 2022, Kalb, Wallace and Gregory are still alive.)

Incumbent Presidents who have appeared: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Herbert Hoover appeared on the show as an old man in 1955. Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower never appeared on the show. John F. Kennedy appeared as a member of the House of Representatives, as a Senator, and as a Presidential nominee. Lyndon Johnson appeared as Senate Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, as Presidential candidate, and as Vice Presidential nominee.

Richard Nixon appeared as a member of each house of Congress, as Vice President, as candidate for President, and while out of office, but never as the incumbent President. Gerald Ford appeared as House Minority Leader and Vice President. Ronald Reagan appeared as Governor of California and candidate for President. George H.W. Bush appeared as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, as candidate for President, and as Vice President.

Athletes do not usually appear on the show, often mocked as Meet the Depressed and Press the Meat.

But Russert, a Buffalo native, loved to interview them. During Autumn, he would conclude the show's usual tagline with a reference to his hometown team: "If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. Go Bills."

Russert liked to challenge Democrats and Republicans alike, and, with a graphic or a clip ready to go, made, "Senator, let me show you... " the 5 scariest words in Washington. Today, Todd shows an obvious favoritism toward conservatives, which has earned him the nickname "Chuck Toad."

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November 6, 1947 was, oddly given the program in question, not a Sunday. It was a Thursday. So no football games were played. Baseball was out of season. Basketball season was a week away from starting. 

There were 2 games in the NHL that day. The New York Rangers lost to the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. And the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0 at the Montreal Forum. The Boston Bruins and the Chicago Black Hawks were not scheduled.