Martha Rountree facts for kids

Martha Jane Rountree (born October 23, 1911 – died August 23, 1999) was an amazing American journalist and businesswoman. She was a true pioneer in broadcast journalism, which means she worked in news for radio and TV. Martha Jane created and was the very first host of a famous TV show called Meet the Press. It started on radio in 1945 and then moved to NBC television in 1947. She is the only woman who has ever hosted this show in its long history!

Martha Jane's Early Life

Martha Jane Rountree was born in Gainesville, Florida, and grew up in Columbia, S.C.. Her father worked in sales, but her family faced financial difficulties. When she was 16, her father passed away. To help pay for her studies at the University of South Carolina, she worked for a newspaper called the Columbia Record. She couldn't finish college because of money, but she loved journalism. So, she found a job as a reporter at The Tampa Tribune in Tampa, Florida.

Starting Her Career in New York

In 1938, Martha Jane moved from Tampa to New York City. There, she worked as a freelance writer, which means she wrote articles for different companies or publications without being a full-time employee.

In 1944, she and her sister Ann started a company called Radio House. They made commercials and radio programs. One of their ideas became a show called Leave It to the Girls in 1945. This show had a panel of women celebrities answering questions from viewers.

Creating Meet the Press

Martha Jane Rountree had a big idea for a new radio show. She called it The American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press. It first aired on June 24, 1945. Later, on November 6, 1947, the show also started on the NBC television network and was simply renamed Meet the Press.

Martha Jane came up with the whole idea for the show herself. It was a very new and exciting concept. The show's main idea was to have important public figures answer tough questions without knowing them beforehand. This made them truly explain their views on important topics of the day.

After Meet the Press

While she was still hosting Meet the Press, Martha Jane also hosted another discussion show called Keep Posted from 1951 to 1954. In 1953, she decided to sell her share of Meet the Press to her business partner for $125,000. She then left the show.

In 1955, Martha Jane started a magazine called Know the Facts. In the same year, she also opened a radio station, WKTF, in Northern Virginia.

She returned to TV in 1956 as the host of Press Conference, which was similar to Meet the Press. In the 1960s, she worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., for WOR radio and other stations.

In 1965, Martha Jane Rountree founded the Leadership Foundation. This was a non-profit group that focused on public affairs and conservative ideas. She was also a member of important journalism clubs like the National Press Club.

Martha Jane was married twice. Her first marriage was in 1941 and ended in 1948. In 1952, she married Oliver M. Presbrey, who worked in advertising. He passed away in 1988.

She covered major political events in the 1950s and 1960s. She also appeared on the Phil Donahue TV show and supported a national campaign for school prayer. Martha Jane was known for hosting many parties in Washington, D.C., where she befriended many important politicians and their families.

In her later years, Martha Jane's eyesight became very weak. Her friends knew that years of working under bright TV lights had affected her vision. Even though she was almost blind by the mid-1980s, her love for her country and her vision for a better America remained strong. Her work with the Leadership Foundation was a big part of her final years.

Martha Jane Rountree won a special award called a Peabody Award for creating and producing Meet the Press.

She passed away in Washington, D.C., at the age of 87, due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.

What People Thought of Martha Jane

Many people admired Martha Jane Rountree. Liz Carpenter, who worked for Lady Bird Johnson (the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson), said, "I think of Martha as one of the most creative women I’ve ever known." She added that Martha Jane "won a wide audience by initiating a thoughtful debate of issues on the air before it became commonplace."

Mrs. William Randolph Hearst described Martha Jane as "a diesel engine under a lace handkerchief," which means she was very powerful and strong, but also graceful and polite.