Broadcaster Ed Schultz Dead
• Veteran radio and television broadcaster Ed Schultz, probably best known for his six-year run as a host on MSNBC, died on July 4 at the age of 64. Since January 2016 Schultz was the host of News with Ed Schultz on RT America (formerly Russia Today). In an official statement, RT America said, “We at RT America are sad to announce the passing of Edward Andrew Schultz. Ed Schultz passed quietly early morning on July 5 at his home in Washington, D.C. This announcement comes as a shock to all of us here at RT America.” RT Editor-In-Chief Margarita Simonyan said, “We are devastated by the news of the sudden death of our brilliant anchor, one of the best TV journalists in America, Ed Schultz.”
Schultz, a former quarterback at Minnesota State University Moorhead got his start as a sports broadcaster for Fargo-Moorhead television stations in the early ’80s, including a stint as Sports Director at WDAY-TV. He eventually moved to talk radio, including WDAY, where he made a name for himself in the ’90s as a conservative firebrand. However, Schultz later said his views changed and he became a Democrat. In 2004, Schultz took his radio show nationwide, and in 2009, he moved to television, becoming a prime-time progressive voice on MSNBC until 2015.
RT America News Director Mikhail Solodovnikov said, “Ed was more than a colleague, he was a close and true friend. He was a big-time professional and a tough fighter. Between us I always called him a ‘gladiator.’ He would never give up; he was always a winner. He was tough on a lot of young journalists in RT America’s newsroom; he was a mentor to a few. My sincere condolences go out to his wife, family and all fans who watched his amazing show every night. We lost one of the best and most honest journalistic voices in America. We lost a legend.” [Photo credit: John Lamparski/ AFP]
