Rachel Maddow

Rachel Anne Maddow (pronounced /ˈmædoʊ/; born April 1, 1973) is an American radio personality, television host, and political commentator. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. She was also a guest host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Race for the White House. Maddow is the first openly gay anchor to be hired to host a prime-time news program in the United States

Early life and education

Maddow, who was born in Castro Valley, California, is the daughter of 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 Roman Catholic in a community that her mother has described as "very conservative." Maddow 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."

A graduate of Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, 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 (DPhil) in politics from Oxford University.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) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, after she entered and won a contest the station held to find a new on-air personality. 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 in March 2004 to join the newly-created Air America.There she hosted Unfiltered along with Chuck D (of the hip hop group Public Enemy) and Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, until its cancellation in March 2005. Two weeks after the cancellation of Unfiltered, in April 2005, Maddow's own two-hour-long program, The Rachel Maddow Show, began airing; it was expanded to three hours in March 2008. It was broadcast live from New York from 6 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. In September 2008 the show returned to a two-hour format as Maddow began her nightly MSNBC television program. In February 2009, after renewing her contract with Air America, Maddow returned to a one hour, 5 a.m. morning slot.On January 21, 2010, Air America ceased live programming thus taking this show and several others off the air. On February 4, 2010 Air America filed for bankruptcy.

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.

In April 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" in May 2008. The day she hosted 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.

The Rachel Maddow Show

MSNBC announced in August 2008 that The Rachel Maddow Show would replace Verdict with Dan Abrams in the channel's 9PM ET time slot beginning September 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.

Early reviews for her show were mostly positive. Los Angeles Times writer, Matea Gold stated that Maddow, "finds the right formula on MSNBC",[30] while The Guardian writes Maddow has become the "star of America's cable news". Associated Press columnist, David Bauder called her "[Keith] Olbermann's political soul mate" and referred to the Olbermann/Maddow shows as a "liberal two-hour block".

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 called 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 during the primaries, "I have never and still don't think of myself as an Obama supporter, either professionally or actually."

Personal life

Maddow lives in Manhattan and 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 does sometimes watch streaming broadcast content on her computer (which she refers to on her MSNBC show as "the TV machine"). However, she is reportedly committed to getting one so that Mikula can watch her show.[29] As of 2009, Maddow and Mikula do not plan to marry, though living in Massachusetts gives them the option.

[edit]2012 Massachusetts Senate race

In March 2010, Republican Scott Brown, the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts, speculated that Maddow was going to run against him for his seat in 2012. He used this premise for a fundraising email that read "...The Massachusetts political machine is looking for someone to run against me. And you're not going to believe who they are supposedly trying to recruit — liberal MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow." Maddow said Brown's speculation was false. On her March 23, 2010, TV program, Maddow said, "I have the best job in the world. I am not running for office. Scott Brown didn't ask me if I was running or planning to run for office, before he wrote a fundraising letter with my name. No, it's completely made up by him." Despite her comments, the next day Brown continued along the same line, telling a Boston radio station, "Bring her on." To help put an end to the matter, Maddow ran a full-page advertisement in the Boston Globe confirming she was not running, and separately demanded Brown's apology. She added that despite repeated invitations over the months, Brown has refused to appear on her TV program.

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.

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 listed at number four in Out magazine's Annual Power 50 List.

Maddow placed number six in the "2009 AfterEllen.com Hot 100" list (May 11, 2009) and number three in its "2009 Hot 100: Out Women" version.

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

In June 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.

In March 2010, Maddow won at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in the category, Outstanding TV Journalism- Newsmagazine for her segment, "Uganda Be Kidding Me".

(source:wikipedia)