Show Notes

Armstrong, who has written previous books on "Seinfeld" and "Mary Tyler Moore Show," goes back to the early days of television in this one.
She focuses on four women who had a big impact on the TV medium. Irma Phillips defined the soap opera, establishing a format that would run for decades across all networks.
Gertrude Berg turned a hit radio show into one of TV's first hit comedies and later took the concept to Broadway.
Hazel Scott, an established jazz pianist, became the first African American (before Nat King Cole) to host an evening variety program.
Betty White started on daytime TV before television even knew what to do with programming during the daytime hours. 
This interview with Armstrong was conducted shortly before White's death earlier this year.