Scope and Content Note
The papers of Ruth Westheimer span the years 1977-1990, with the bulk of the material dating from 1982 to 1986. The papers document the early career of Westheimer as a radio and television talk show host under the moniker "Dr. Ruth." The collection is organized into three series: Listener Letters, Sexually Speaking Production Files, and Closed.
Westheimer began her public career as a media personality and talk show sex therapist with the New York City NBC-affiliate WYNY-FM in 1980. Her radio talk show, Sexually Speaking, was nationally syndicated by NBC Radio in 1984. Westheimer's television show, Good Sex! with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, premiered on the Lifetime Television Network in 1984. The collection documents this early media career largely through the lens of letters sent from listeners and viewers of her various programs and talk show appearances, as well as via select production files from NBC Radio and WYNY.
The collection's series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Listener Letters series contains letters sent to Dr. Ruth Westheimer in the 1980s, largely from listeners of her syndicated WYNY-FM (NBC) radio show Sexually Speaking and viewers of her Lifetime Television talk show Good Sex! with Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
The Sexually Speaking Production Files document several behind-the-scenes aspects of Westheimer’s WYNY-FM (NBC) radio show and media career, largely focused on the period 1982-1985.
The remaining series contains Closed material.