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Rachel Maddow
Maddow hosting KPTK "Changing the Media, Changing America" event in Seattle (June 2006)
Born	Rachel Anne Maddow (1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 51) Castro Valley, California
Education	B.A., Stanford University DPhil, Oxford University
Occupation(s)	News anchor and political commentator
Notable credit(s)	The Rachel Maddow Show (TV) The Rachel Maddow Show (radio)
Website	http://www.rachelmaddow.com/ www.RachelMaddow.com

Rachel Anne Maddow (born April 1, 1973) is an American radio personality, television host, and political commentator. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, airs on Air America Radio. Maddow also hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC; she is a former guest host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and other MSNBC shows.

Maddow is the first openly gay anchor to be hired to host a prime-time news program in the United States.

Education

A graduate of Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, Maddow earned a degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1994. At graduation she was awarded the John Gardner Fellowship. She was also the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship and began her postgraduate study in 1995 at Lincoln College, Oxford. In 2001, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree (styled a DPhil) in political science from the University of Oxford. Her doctoral thesis is titled HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons. She was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes scholarship.

Radio career

Maddow's first radio hosting job was at WRNX (100.9 FM, Holyoke, Massachusetts). The station held a contest for a new on-air personality and Maddow won the contest. She was hired to co-host WRNX's then premier morning show, The Dave in the Morning Show. She later went on to host Big Breakfast on WRSI, in Northampton, Massachusetts, for two years. She left the show to join the newly-created Air America in March 2004. There she hosted Unfiltered along with Chuck D and Lizz Winstead until its cancellation on March 31, 2005. Two weeks later, on April 14, her own two-hour-long program, The Rachel Maddow Show, began airing; it was expanded to three hours on March 10, 2008. It was broadcast live from New York from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on weekdays, with David Bender filling in the third hour for the call-in section when Maddow was on TV assignment. On September 8, 2008, The Rachel Maddow Show returned to a two-hour format as Maddow began her nightly MSNBC television program. On February 2, 2009, after renewing her contract with Air America, Maddow returned to a one hour, 5 a.m. morning slot.

Television career

In June 2005 Maddow became a regular panelist on MSNBC's Tucker. During and after the November 2006 election, she was a frequent guest on CNN's Paula Zahn Now. In January 2008, Maddow was given the position of MSNBC political analyst and was a regular panelist on MSNBC's Race for the White House with David Gregory and MSNBC's election coverage, as well as a frequent contributor on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

On April 4, 2008, Maddow was the substitute host for Countdown with Keith Olbermann, her first time hosting a program on MSNBC. Maddow described herself on air as "nervous." Keith Olbermann complimented her work and she was brought back to host "Countdown" on May 16, 2008. That day, Countdown was the highest rated news program in the key 25–54 year old demographic. For her success, Olbermann awarded Maddow the 3rd ranking in his regular segment, "World's Best Persons" on the following Monday, calling her "World's Best Pinch-Hitter." Maddow filled in again on Countdown for eight-and-a-half broadcasts while Olbermann was on vacation in July 2008 (including the latter half of the July 21 show). Maddow has also filled in for David Gregory as host of Race for the White House.

MSNBC announced on August 19, 2008, that The Rachel Maddow Show would replace Verdict with Dan Abrams in the channel's 9PM ET time slot beginning September 8, 2008. Since its debut, the show has topped Countdown as the highest rated show on MSNBC on several occasions. After being on air for a little over a month, Maddow's program doubled the audience for MSNBC's 9PM hour. Maddow's ratings peaked during the 2008 presidential election and since have fallen from an average 1.9 million viewers to 1.1 million viewers in March 2009, part of a general decline in cable news ratings since that point. However, for the first time in the more than ten years MSNBC has been on the air the network has moved ahead of CNN in primetime and in the key 25-54 year old demographic, in large part due to Maddow taking over the 9pm Monday through Friday spot where she now regularly beats Larry King in the key demo and often in overall ratings.

Honors and awards

Maddow was named in Out magazine's "Out 100" list of the "gay men and women who moved culture" in 2008.

Maddow was voted "Lesbian/Bi Woman of the Year (American)" in AfterEllen's 2008 Visibility Awards.

Maddow won a Gracie Award in 2009, presented by the American Women in Radio and Television.

Also in 2009, Maddow was nominated for GLAAD's 20th Annual Media Awards for a segment of her MSNBC show, "Rick Warren, Change To Believe In?", in the Outstanding TV Journalism Segment category.

On March 28, 2009, Maddow received a Proclamation of Honor from the California State Senate, presented in San Francisco by California State Senator Mark Leno.

In April 2009 she was named in Out magazine's Annual Power 50 List, landing at number 4.

Maddow placed no.6 in the "2009 AfterEllen.com Hot 100" list (May 11, 2009) and no.3 in their "2009 Hot 100: Out Women" version.

Maddow is included on a list of openly gay media professionals in The Advocate's "Forty under 40" issue of June/July 2009.

In June of 2009, Maddow's MSNBC show was the only cable news show nominated for a Television Critics Association award in the Outstanding Achievement in News and Information category.

Political views

An editorial in The Nation describes Maddow as "a liberal in the purest, almost mineral sense of the word." Associated Press columnist David Bauder calls her " Olbermann's political soul mate" and refers to the Olbermann/Maddow shows as a "liberal two-hour block". However, Maddow describes herself as more nuanced, saying in one interview that she is a "national security liberal" and in another that she is "not a partisan" and objects to being typecast. The New York Times describes another facet of her politics, calling her a "defense policy wonk" who is currently writing a book on the role of the military in postwar American politics.

During the 2008 presidential election, Maddow did not formally support any candidate. Concerning Barack Obama's candidacy, Maddow said, "I have never and still don't think of myself as an Obama supporter, either professionally or actually."

Personal life

Maddow was born in Castro Valley, California to Robert B. "Bob" Maddow, a former Air Force captain and an attorney for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Elaine Maddow (née Gosse), a school program administrator from Newfoundland, Canada. She has one older brother, David. Maddow was raised a strict Catholic in a community that her mother has described as "very conservative." Maddow always excelled in academics and athletics. Referencing John Hughes films, she describes herself in high school as "a cross between the jock and the antisocial girl."

Maddow lives in Manhattan and rural Western Massachusetts with her partner, artist Susan Mikula. The couple met in 1999, when Mikula hired Maddow, who was then working on her doctoral dissertation, to do yard work at her home. She does not own a television set, but reportedly is committed to getting one so that Mikula can watch her show. As of 2009, Maddow and Mikula do not plan to be married, though living in Massachusetts gives them the option.

References

1. Margot Adler, Rachel Maddow: Sassy, Acerbic And — Yes — Liberal, npr.org, All Things Considered, October 23, 2008
2. Weisbert, Julie (2007-08-23). "Talking things up". Bay Windows. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
3. Maddow the first out News Anchor of a prime-time news program
4. Johnson, Ted (March 6, 2009). "Maddow's unique style spikes ratings". Variety.
5. "Olbermann welcomes Rachel Maddow to MSNBC". lgbtQnews. August 19, 2008.
6. Whitehill, Simcha (December 18, 2008). "The Greatest & Gayest Headlines Of 2008". The Frisky.
7. Sheridan, Barrett (May/June 2008). "Making Ariwaves: Broadcaster Rachel Maddow is succeeding at her goal of 'lefty rabblerousing'". Stanford Magazine. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. ^ Barnhart, Aaron (2008-06-14). "MSNBC's Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow are young, geeky and hot". Kansas City Star.
9. Warn, Sarah (August 20, 2008). "Rachel Maddow Becomes First Out Lesbian to Host Prime-Time News Show". afterellen.com.
10. Goodwin, Christopher (September 28, 2008). "Gay TV host is liberal queen of US news". The Guardian.
11. Lehoczky, Etelka (2004-08-31). "Left and centered: Air America radio's Rachel Maddow is out, brilliant, and ready to defend the other L word: liberal". The Advocate.
12. Bagby, Dyana (2005-01-28). "Two 'L-words'; Morning host adds 'lesbian' to 'liberal' radio's success". Southern Voice Atlanta.
13. "Rachel Maddow Renews With Air America Media". Air America.com. February 2, 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
14. Parnass, Larry (June 15, 2005). "Maddow joins new program on MSNBC". Daily Hampshire Gazette.
15. "The Scoreboard: Friday, May 16". TV Newser. 2008-05-16.
16. Olbermann, Keith (2008-05-20). "World's Best Persons May 20, 2008". MSNBC.
17. Steinberg, Jacques (2008-07-17). "Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
18. "Political commentator Maddow gets own show". Associated Press. 2008-08-20.
19. Carter, Bill (2008-08-19). "Rachel Maddow to Replace Dan Abrams on MSNBC". The New York Times.
20. Shae, Danny (2008-09-18). "Rachel Maddow Ratings: Beats Olbermann's "Countdown" To Be MSNBC's Top Show". Huffington Post.
21. Stanley, Alessandra (2008-09-25). "A Fresh Female Face Amid Cable Schoolboys". The New York Times.
22. ^ Stelter, Brian (October 21, 2008). "Fresh Face on Cable, Sharp Rise in Ratings". The New York Times. p. C1.
23. Villarreal, Yvonne (April 22, 2009). "Obama won, now what does Maddow's future hold?". Los Angeles Times.
24. Calderone, Michael. "For First Time, MSNBC Tops CNN In Primetime". Politico.com.
25. "April Ratings: MSNBC Tops CNN in Primetime Demo Again". Media Bistro. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
26. "The Out 100: The men and women who made 2008 a year to remember". Out Magazine. November 4, 2008.
27. "The AfterEllen.com 2008 Visibility Awards". AfterEllen.com. December 17, 2008.
28. Tanklefsky, David (February 24, 2009). "Rachel Maddow, Suze Orman Among the Winners of AWRT's Gracie Awards". Broadcasting & Cable.
29. "Twentieth Annual GLAAD Media Award Nominees". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. January 27, 2009.
30. "Mother Jones flikr photo stream". Mother Jones. March 28, 2009.
31. http://www.out.com/power50/covers.asp?category=4.%20Rachel%20Maddow
32. In http://www.afterellen.com/people/2009/hot100?page=0%2C1
33. http://www.afterellen.com/people/2009/outwomen
34. http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid82422.asp?page=5 Forty Under 40: Media
35. "Television Critics Association Announces 2009 Award Nominees". tvcritics.org. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
36. Traister, Rebecca (July 30, 2008). "Rachel Maddow's Life and Career". The Nation.
37. Bauder, David (October 26, 2008). "O'Reilly, Olbermann: polar opposites of campaign". Associated Press.
38. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (July 17, 2008). "Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent". New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
39. Kurtz, Howard (August 27, 2008). "Rachel Maddow, MSNBC's Newest Left Hand". Washington Post. p. A20. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
40. Gold, Matea (September 29, 2008). "MSNBC's new liberal spark plug". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
41. "Rachel Maddow's Life and Career". The Nation. August 18, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
42. "November 6, 2008: Rachel Maddow". The Colbert Report. Comedy Central. November 6, 2008.
43. France, Louise (February 8, 2009). "Interview: 'I'm not a TV anchor babe. I'm a big lesbian who looks like a man'". The Observer.
44. LaBerge, Germaine (1997-02-03). "INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT MADDOW". University of California Berkeley. Retrieved 2009-08-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
45. Baird, Julia (2008-11-22). "When Left is Right". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009-08-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
46. ^ Cricket, Xander (2009). Rachel Maddow: A Neowonk Guide to the Leftist, Lesbian Pundit. ISBN 978-1442122673.
47. ^ Goldscheider, Eric (2005-02-24). "Weekday bantering is balanced by quiet New England weekends". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
48. "Rachel Maddow Biography". AirAmerica.com. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
49. Wolgemuth, Liz (2008-09-24). "Rachel Maddow: MSNBC's Smart Hire". U.S. News & World Report.

External links

• Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC
• Rachel Maddow official site
• The Rachel Maddow Show website
• Rachel Maddow on Twitter

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