Person to Person

*Person to Person* is a popular television program in the United States that originally aired from 1953 to 1961. Edward R. Murrow hosted the show until 1959, conducting interviews with celebrities in their homes from a chair in his New York studio. During the final two years of the original run, the host was Charles Collingwood. Murrow is best remembered for his work as a reporter on programs such as *Hear It Now* and *See It Now*, and for his public confrontation of Senator Joseph McCarthy. On *Person to Person*, however, he was a pioneer of the celebrity interview format. The program was well planned but not strictly scripted, featuring as many as six cameras and television lighting to capture the guest's movements through their home. A microwave link transmitted the signals back to the network, and guests wore wireless microphones to pick up their voices as they moved around the home or its grounds. The interviews were conducted live. Each program typically featured two 15-minute interviews with very different types of people, such as a movie star and a scientist. Guests often used the appearance to promote their latest project or book.