What Phil Donahue Meant to Me

Phil Donahue, the game-changing daytime television host, died last week at 88. Mr. Donahue turned “The Phil Donahue Show” into a participation event, soliciting questions and comments on topics as varied as human rights and orgies.Michael Barbaro explains what Phil Donahue meant to him.Background reading: An obituary for Mr. Donahue, who died last week at 88.Here are 3 episodes that explain Mr. Donahue’s daytime dominance.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.