By Bob Price

Another entertainment legend has passed on. Joe Franklin, broadcasting legend of both radio and television in New York City, had died of cancer at the age of 88.

Franklin was considered to be one of the founders of the TV talk show format, predating hosts like Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett, and gave many up-and-coming stars their first real media exposure on his show.

Franklin started ‘The Joe Franklin Show’ in 1950, and remained on the air constantly until illness forced him off only in recent weeks. He worked primarily for New York stations WOR and WJZ, was said to have never missed a scheduled broadcast, and interviewed more than 300,000 guests during his career.

Among those who would go on to become superstars who were interviewed on Franklin’s show were Bette Midler, Bruce Springsteen, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Marilyn Monroe.

Chris Regan, a comedy writer, wrote on Twitter after hearing the news, “Before YouTube, Twitter, etc., the ambitious-but-not-necessarily-talented had few options. Places like The Joe Franklin Show gave them voice.”