Woman is an American weekly half-hour television series which aired on WNED-TV. Each episode featured a discussion with one or more guest speakers on issues relevant to women and their lives. The series was produced by Sandra Elkin and hosted by Samantha Dean. The series was syndicated for nationwide airing on PBS, a first for one of WNED-TV's programs. Following syndication, Elkin became the series' host. The show premiered in September 1972 and ended in 1977, having produced around 200 episodes.
As a host, Elkin was praised for her "candid and honest approach," and the program was praised for its informational nature. In Elkin's words, "we don't play the usual talk show games on Woman...There's no baiting guests or embarrassing them. Our purpose is to provide information".
Elkin approached WNED-TV with the idea for the series in 1972, after hearing from local women that they wanted access to more information on women's issues, and women's health in particular. The station's program director liked Elkin's proposal, and after two weeks of negotiation the station agreed to fund production of the show's first season. Elkin had no experience working in television at the time.
The show was well-received upon its debut. Six months after the series premiered on WNED-TV, the Eastern Educational Network began airing the show as well. PBS picked up the show after its first season finished airing; by 1974, the show was broadcast on 185 member stations across the country.
All episodes of the show were filmed in Buffalo, with the exception of two episodes focusing on women in prison, which were filmed at KECT-TV in St Louis, Missouri.
In the mid-1980s, feminist Andrea Dworkin and the president of WNED-TV exchanged communications on preserving and archiving the tapes of Woman still being stored by the station.
All information comes from the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.