Progressive Talk Radio Pioneer Ed Schultz Dead At 64

Story by Inside Radio

Liberal talk radio pioneer and TV host Ed Schultz died Thursday morning at his home in Washington, DC. He was 64. Along with Stephanie Miller, Rachel Maddow and others, Schultz formed the backbone of radio’s progressive talk format in the early 2000s. In radio he was best known for the nationally syndicated “Ed Schultz Show.”

Schultz went on to host “The Ed Show” on MSNBC from Washington. Most recently he anchored “News with Ed” on Washington-based TV channel RT America and hosted a one-hour podcast, “Ed Schultz News and Commentary.”

“We at RT America are sad to announce the passing of Edward Andrew Schultz,” RT Amercia said in a statement. “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.”

A former college All American quarterback, Schultz began his broadcast career in Fargo, North Dakota, where he held sportscaster positions at local radio and TV stations. From sports Schultz moved to talk, hosting a conservative talk show on WDAY Fargo (970) and then KFGO. He eventually leaned left after visiting a Salvation Army kitchen and then taking the show on the road with a trip throughout rural North Dakota in a 38-foot RV, according to the Virginian Pilot. Schultz had strong ties to rural America and his Fargo-based left-of-center talk program, “The Ed Schultz Show,” was eventually syndicated nationally through Jones Radio Networks and later Dial Global, from 2004-2014. The radio show overlapped with his MSNBC program “The Ed Show,” which ran from 2009-2015. After his radio show ended, Schultz began the podcast, “Ed Schultz News and Commentary.” He joined RT America in January 2016, six months after his program on MSNBC was cancelled.