Rachel Maddow

Infobox_Celebrity
name = Rachel Maddow


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birth_name = Rachel Anne Maddow
birth_date = birth date and age|mf=yes|1973|04|01
birth_place =
death_date =
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occupation = Radio host
TV host
partner = Susan Mikula

Rachel Anne Maddow (born April 1, 1973) is an American radio personality, television host, and progressive political commentator. Her syndicated radio program, "The Rachel Maddow Show", airs on Air America Radio. Maddow also hosts a nightly television show of the same name on MSNBC. [cite news |url=http://baywindows.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=008EC9FBCFF24AD18614290016BE1303&nm=Current+Issue&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&AudID=0813BC739F2044E5A03DCF2DE3FDF7C9&tier=4&id=127263CEC4614F02984E3D5D693FD27B |work=Bay Windows |last=Weisbert |first=Julie |title=Talking things up |date=2007-08-23 |accessdate=2007-09-08]

Education

A graduate of Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, Maddow later obtained a degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1994.cite news |work=Stanford Magazine |title=Making Ariwaves: Broadcaster Rachel Maddow is succeeding at her goal of 'lefty rabblerousing' |url=http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2008/mayjun/pc/maddow.html |date=May/June 2008 |first=Barrett |last=Sheridan] At graduation she was awarded the prestigious John Gardner Fellowship. She then received a Rhodes Scholarship in 1995 and used it to obtain a D.Phil. in political science from Lincoln College, Oxford University.cite news |work=Kansas City Star |title=MSNBC's Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow are young, geeky and hot |url=http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/columnists/aaron_barnhart/story/661526.html |first=Aaron |last=Barnhart |date=2008-06-14] Maddow was the first openly gay American to win a Rhodes scholarship.cite web |work=afterellen.com |title=Rachel Maddow Becomes First Out Lesbian to Host Prime-Time News Show|url=http://www.afterellen.com/TV/2008/8/rachelmaddow |first=Sarah |last=Warn |date=2008-08-20]

Radio career

Maddow got her first radio hosting job at WRNX (100.9 FM, Holyoke, Massachusetts) when the station held a contest for a new on-air personality. [cite news |work=The Advocate |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-13176024_ITM |title=Left and centered: Air America radio's Rachel Maddow is out, brilliant, and ready to defend the other L word: liberal |first=Etelka |last=Lehoczky |date=2004-08-31] 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. [cite news |work=Southern Voice Atlanta |title=Two ‘L-words’; Morning host adds 'lesbian' to 'liberal' radio's success |url=http://www.sovo.com/2005/1-28/arts/feature/lwords.cfm |date=2005-01-28 |first=Dyana |last=Bagby] Two weeks later (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 aired 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 is on TV assignment. On September 8, 2008, TRMS returned to a two-hour format as Maddow began her nightly MSNBC show.

Television career

Maddow was 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," which has since been discontinued. In January 2008, Maddow was given the position of MSNBC political analyst and was a regular panelist 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," but 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. [cite news |date=2008-05-16 |work=TV Newser |title=The Scoreboard: Friday, May 16 |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/the_scoreboard_friday_may_16_85159.asp#more] 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." [cite news |work=MSNBC |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24716290#24716290 |title=World's Best Persons May 20, 2008 |first=Keith |last=Olbermann |date=2008-05-20] 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).cite news |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/arts/television/17madd.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin |title=Now in Living Rooms, the Host Apparent |first=Jacques |last=Steinberg |date=2008-07-17 |accessdate=2008-07-17] Maddow has also filled in for David Gregory as host of "Race for the White House".

It was announced on August 19, 2008, that Maddow would take over the 9 pm ET time slot on MSNBC on September 8, 2008, replacing Dan Abrams. [cite news |date=2008-08-19 |url=http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/rachel-maddow-to-replace-dan-abrams-on-msnbc/ |work=The New York Times |title=Rachel Maddow to Replace Dan Abrams on MSNBC |first=Bill |last=Carter] The name of her show is "The Rachel Maddow Show". [cite news |date=2008-08-20 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26314670/ |work=AP |title=Political commentator Maddow gets own show |] Since its debut, the show has drawn strong ratings, even topping "Countdown" to be the highest rated show on MSNBC on several occasions. [cite web |work=Huffington Post |title=Rachel Maddow Ratings: Beats Olbermann's "Countdown" To Be MSNBC's Top Show |first=Danny |last=Shae |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/18/rachel-maddow-ratings-bea_n_127391.html |date=2008-09-18] [cite news |work=The New York Times |title=A Fresh Female Face Amid Cable Schoolboys |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/arts/television/25watc.html |first=Alessandra |last=Stanley |date=2008-09-25]

Personal life

Maddow lives in Manhattan and Western Massachusetts with her partner, artist and accountant Susan Mikula.cite news |work=Boston Globe |title=Weekday bantering is balanced by quiet New England weekends |url=http://www.eric-goldscheider.com/id15.html |date=2005-02-24 |first=Eric |last=Goldscheider |accessdate=2008-08-20] [cite web |url=http://www.airamerica.com/maddow/bio |title=Rachel Maddow Biography |work=AirAmerica.com |accessdate=2007-05-26] The couple met in 1999, when Mikula hired Maddow, who was then working on her doctoral dissertation, for yard work at her home. Maddow says that she does not own a television. [cite news |work=U.S. News & World Report |title=Rachel Maddow: MSNBC's Smart Hire |url=http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-inside-job/2008/9/24/rachel-maddow-msnbcs-smart-hire.html |date=2008-09-24 |first=Liz |last=Wolgemuth]

References

External links

* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ Rachel Maddow Show] on MSNBC
* [http://www.rachelmaddow.com Rachel Maddow official site]
* [http://www.maddowonline.com "The Rachel Maddow Show" website]
* [http://www.twitter.com/maddow Rachel Maddow on Twitter]