Martha Rountree

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Martha Rountree was born in Gainesville, Florida, and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. Her father worked in sales, including real estate and automobiles, but was not successful; he died when she was sixteen, leaving the family with no financial resources. To fund her education at the University of South Carolina, she worked for the *Columbia Record* newspaper. She left university without graduating and became a reporter for *The Tampa Tribune* in Florida. In 1938, she moved to New York City, working as a freelance writer. In 1944, she and her sister founded Radio House, a production company that created singing commercials and transcribed programs. One of their ideas, *Leave It to the Girls*, aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1945, featuring a male panelist asking questions from viewers to a panel of women celebrities. After Lawrence E. Spivak purchased *The American Mercury* magazine, Rountree submitted an unsolicited article that was published in 1946, and she later worked as a roving editor for the periodical from 1947 to 1954. Based on her critique of Spivak’s radio program, she created a new radio show, *The American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press*, which debuted on June 24, 1945. It moved to NBC television on November 6, 1947, as *Meet the Press*. Rountree developed the concept independently; Spivak joined as co-producer after the show had already launched. She was the program’s first moderator and, until 2023, remained the only female moderator in its seven-decade history. She also hosted *Keep Posted* (later *The Big Issue*) on the DuMont network from 1951 to 1954. In 1953, she sold her shares in *Meet the Press* and *The Big Issue* to Spivak for $125,000, reportedly after a coin toss. She later founded the magazine *Know the Facts* in 1955 and established radio station WKTF in Northern Virginia. She returned to television in 1956 as moderator of *Press Conference* (later *Martha Rountree’s Press Conference*). In the 1960s, she served as Washington correspondent for WOR radio. She founded the Leadership Foundation, a conservative non-profit public-affairs organization, in 1965, and later Leadership Action, a lobbying entity. She was a member of the National Press Club and the Women’s National Press Club. She married Albert N. Williams Jr. in 1941 (divorced 1948) and Oliver M. Presbrey in 1952 (died 1988). She covered national convention

Reader's Guide

Martha Rountree's significance lies in her pioneering role as a female creator and moderator of a major public-affairs program at a time when women were rarely seen in such positions. *Meet the Press*, which she conceived and launched, became a landmark in broadcast journalism, setting the template for the Sunday morning political interview show. Her work helped establish the format of direct, unscripted questioning of public figures, a standard that persists today. Beyond *Meet the Press*, Rountree demonstrated entrepreneurial versatility, founding production companies, magazines, a radio station, and a conservative public-affairs foundation. Her ability to navigate both journalism and business, and to maintain influence in Washington political circles, underscores her impact. The fact that she remained the only female moderator of *Meet the Press* for over seven decades highlights both her singular achievement and the broader gender barriers in the industry. Rountree's legacy is that of a trailblazer who shaped political discourse on American television.

Did You Know?

• Martha Rountree's father Earl worked in sales but was not successful; he died when she was 16, leaving the family with nothing.
• Spivak asked for her critique of a radio show he used to promote the magazine; Rountree developed the idea for Meet the Press on her own.
• Spivak joined as co-producer and business partner only after the show had already debuted.
• In the 1960s, she served as Washington correspondent for WOR radio.
• She died in Washington, D.C., from complications of Alzheimer's disease at age 87.