The program offered a magazine-of-the-air mix of news, sports, comedy, variety, music, celebrity interviews and other short segments (along with records, usually of popular middle-of-the-road songs, especially in its later years).

Monitor aired from a mammoth NBC studio called Radio Central, created especially for the program, on the fifth floor of the RCA Building in midtown Manhattan (the same space which is now home to MSNBC).

Cindy Adams, Johnny Andrews, Jim Backus, Red Barber, Frank Blair, Bruce Bradley, David Brinkley, Ed Bryce, Art Buchwald, Al "Jazzbo" Collins, Brad Crandall, Bill Cullen, James Daly, Jerry Damon, Dan Daniel, Hugh Downs, Frank Gallop, Dave Garroway, Peter Hackes, Bill Hanrahan, Bill Hayes,[4] Bob Haymes, Candy Jones, Durward Kirby, Jim Lowe, Frank McGee, Barry Nelson, Leon Pearson, Tony Randall, Peter Roberts, Ted Steele, John Cameron Swayze, Tony Taylor and David Wayne were all communicators during the 20-year run.

Many hosts and announcers of game shows were also communicators, including Mel Allen, Ted Brown, Bill Cullen, Hugh Downs, Clifton Fadiman, Art Fleming, Art Ford, Allen Funt, Joe Garagiola, Ben Grauer, Monty Hall, Wayne Howell, Walter Kiernan, Hal March, Ed McMahon, Garry Moore, Henry Morgan, Bert Parks, Gene Rayburn, Don Russell and John Bartholomew Tucker.

Remote segments originating from locations around the country were a regular part of Monitor, setting it apart from studio-bound broadcasts and taking advantage of network radio's reach.

A weekend might include reports from a festival in Tucson, a golf championship in North Carolina, NBC's correspondent in Moscow, or on preparations for the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

In the show's early years, weather reports were delivered in a breathy, sexy voice by actress Tedi Thurman in the role of Miss Monitor.

Various broadcasting personalities were heard delivering reports and segments included Jerry Baker (the Master Gardener), Morgan Beatty, Joyce Brothers, Al Capp, Paul Christman, Marlene Dietrich, Len Dillon, Chris Economaki, Arlene Francis, Betty Furness, Curt Gowdy, Skitch Henderson, Chet Huntley, Graham Kerr (the Galloping Gourmet), Joe Kirkwood, Jr., Fran Koltun; Sandy Koufax, Bill Mazer, Lindsey Nelson, Kyle Rote, Gene Shalit, Jim Simpson, Barbara Walters, Tony Zappone and many NBC News correspondents.

Bob and Ray, who won a 1957 Peabody Award for their Monitor comedy routines, often remained at NBC during the weekend to step in if technical problems developed with remote segments.

In addition to Bob and Ray, several Monitor regulars in its early years helped the show bridge the classic and modern radio eras.

[5] In the mid-1950s, Monitor began broadcasting reruns of the British the Goon Show with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, and Michael Bentine.

Its strong start and high popularity led the show to air on Friday nights from 8pm to 10pm in 1957, followed by an expansion to weeknights in 1959, all in addition to its 32 weekend hours (reduced from 40 in late 1955).

Radio stations, especially in large markets, had increasingly adopted personality-driven formats featuring local disc jockeys and sought to establish a clear-cut musical or talk identity for themselves.

Many clips were played, including Dave Garroway's interview with Marilyn Monroe on the show's first day, Frank McGee's talk with Martin Luther King Jr. in the early 1960s, Bob and Ray spoofing "Miss Monitor," and reporter Helen Hall riding on a roller-coaster.