Ed Schultz
A burly, plainspoken radio and TV host from the Midwest who gave a populist voice to progressive causes on America's airwaves.
1954–2018 (age 64)·American political commentator·Birthday: January 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ed Schultz was an unlikely media star. A former college football player and sportscaster in Fargo, North Dakota, he built a local radio show into a national platform defined by his booming voice and unabashedly liberal, populist perspective. 'The Ed Show,' which aired on MSNBC from 2009 to 2015, stood out for its focus on labor rights, economic inequality, and Middle American concerns, delivered with a tone more akin to a union hall than a coastal newsroom. His background gave him credibility when discussing blue-collar issues, and he frequently clashed with conservative hosts. Before his TV prominence, his syndicated radio program, 'The Ed Schultz Show,' was a major force in progressive talk. While his style could be brash and confrontational, his advocacy for policies like a higher minimum wage and single-payer healthcare carved out a distinct space in the media landscape. His sudden death in 2018 silenced a unique voice that championed progressive politics from deep inside so-called 'flyover country.'
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ed was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ed Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Ed's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2018Died at 64
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Hosted 'The Ed Show,' a primetime news and commentary program on MSNBC, from 2009 to 2015.
- Built and hosted a nationally syndicated progressive talk radio program, 'The Ed Schultz Show,' for over a decade.
- Began his broadcasting career as a sports director and anchor at WDAY-TV in Fargo, North Dakota.
- Won several regional Emmy Awards for his sports broadcasting work early in his career.
Did You Know?
He was a standout quarterback at Minnesota State University Moorhead and briefly considered a professional football career.
He was a registered Republican until the early 1990s, when he switched parties after being affected by the farm crisis.
His radio show was originally broadcast from a studio in his home on Lake Ida, near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
He authored a book titled 'Straight Talk from the Heartland: The Truth and Nothing But.'
“The working class is getting hammered by the corporate elite.”
