Thom Hartmann
Thom Hartmann | |
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Born | Thomas Carl Hartmann May 7, 1951 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
Alma mater | Michigan State University |
Occupations |
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Notable credits |
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Website | thomhartmann |
Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, businessman, and progressive political commentator.[1][2] Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, since 2003 and hosted a nightly television show, The Big Picture, between 2010 and 2017.
Early life
Hartmann was born in
Hartmann enrolled at
Business career
Hartmann began his business career in the early 1970s while in his 20s, co-founding The Woodley Herber Company. Woodley Herber sold herbal products, potpourris and teas, and operated until 1978.[16] During this time, Hartmann obtained degrees in herbology and homeopathic medicine. Hartmann moved to New Hampshire to start The New England Salem Children's Village,[17] which currently operates in Rumney, New Hampshire. He was its Executive Director for five years and served on the board of directors for more than 25 years. The childcare's model was based on the German Salem International organization, and through his affiliation with that group, he helped start international relief programs internationally.[citation needed]
Hartmann founded International Wholesale Travel and its retail subsidiary Sprayberry Travel in Atlanta in 1983, a business which in the intervening years generated over a quarter of a billion dollars in revenue.[18][19] According to their website, Sprayberry Travel was lauded by the Wall Street Journal in 1984 as one of the early adopters of frequent travel programs analogous to the recent frequent flyer programs of the airline industry.[20] He sold his share in the business in 1986, and retired with his family to Germany to work with the international relief organization Salem International.[21] In the late 1970s, he was a trainer in advertising and marketing for The American Marketing Centers (now defunct), and in 1987, after returning from Germany, founded the Atlanta advertising agency Chandler, MacDonald, Stout, Schneiderman & Poe, Inc., doing business as The Newsletter Factory.[22] He sold his interest in that company in 1996, and re-retired to Vermont.
Talk radio career
Having worked as a DJ and news director at Lansing radio stations from 1968 to 1978,
Hartmann's national program, on the air since 2003 and now in the noon to 3 pm. ET daypart, was chosen by Air America to replace Al Franken on most Air America affiliates in 2007.[23] From 2008 to 2011, Talkers Magazine rated Hartmann the most popular liberal talk show host in America, rising from number 10 among all talk show hosts in 2008 to number 8 in 2011 and 2015.[24] According to his then-syndicator Dial Global, more people listened to Hartmann's show on more stations than any other progressive talk show in America. The Thom Hartmann Program is estimated by industry magazine Talkers to have 7 million unique listeners per week.[25]
As of March 2016, the show was carried on 80 terrestrial radio stations in 37 states, as well as on
Many guests appear on the show expressing a variety of points of view on diverse social and political topics. Some guests proffer progressive views similar to Hartmann's, but more than half are conservatives, libertarians, or Ayn Rand Institute members[27][failed verification] who espouse opposing views. Due to his eagerness to invite people who disagree with him, vigorous discussion and debate between the host and guests usually ensues; "My goal in my conversations with conservatives is not to create a spectacle, and not to win the argument, not to prove that I'm the smartest guy in the room or that I'm a tough warrior and I can smack down people." For many years, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) appeared every Friday for the "Brunch with Bernie" segment.[28] Other regular phone-in guests include Congressmen Mark Pocan (Mid-day with Mark)[29] and Ro Khanna,[30] both members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Ellen Ratner of the Talk Radio News Service provides Washington commentary daily. Victoria Jones who is the White House correspondent for Talk Radio News Service appears occasionally, as does Ravi Batra, an economics professor at SMU.[31]
Like most talk radio shows, The Thom Hartmann Program takes calls from listeners. When callers asked Hartmann how he was, he used to reply, "I'm great, but I'll get better." But after a time, callers would regularly try to elicit this response, so he's stopped replying this way routinely. Hartmann ends each show with the phrase, "Activism begins with you, democracy begins with you. Get out there, get active! Tag, you're it!"
Michael Harrison, publisher of radio industry trade magazine Talkers, offered this appraisal of Hartmann:
He's entertaining, he's informative, he's an original thinker, he's an author, he's an original source. In other words, he's not a B-level talking points host that so many on both the left and the right are...He's the kind of a host that other people can get their talking points from.[32]
TV program
Hartmann hosted a one-hour daily TV show at 7 pm. ET Monday to Friday, The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann, which was editorially directed by his wife and was broadcast from the Washington, D.C., studios of the RT America news network. The show featured many conservative guests who routinely sparred with Hartmann. Hartmann co-produced the program with RT, who provided studio and carriage, while Hartmann retained full editorial control of his programming. The RT network aired the program via Dish Network, DirecTV, and on selected local-origination and public-access television cable TV channels globally.[31] After hosting the program for seven years, Hartmann announced his departure as host on September 29, 2017.[citation needed]
Other areas of notability
Hartmann has published more than twenty books on diverse topics. The title with the most critical acclaim is The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. In 1999, he was invited by the
Hartmann is a practitioner of the pseudo-scientific
Hartmann was one of several contributors to Air America, the Playbook, a collection of essays, transcripts, and interviews by liberal radio personalities. It was published in 2006 and was on The New York Times Best Seller List for October 8, 2006.[34]
Leonardo DiCaprio made a web movie titled Before The Flood, inspired by The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. Hartmann appears in DiCaprio's 2007 documentary The 11th Hour, as well as the feature documentary film Dalai Lama Renaissance (with Harrison Ford), and Crude Impact. In 2010, Warner Brothers and Leonardo DiCaprio[35] announced they are making a motion picture based on the book Legacy of Secrecy, authored by Lamar Waldron and Hartmann. Hartmann also narrated the 2011 documentary film Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?[36]
In September 2013, Hartmann was granted an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Goddard College in Port Townsend, Washington.[37] According to President Barbara Vacarr, "Thom's work as a journalist, author, and community activist is a living example of the very mission of Goddard College, and what our students are committed to—advancing cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and lifelong-learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action."
Hartmann served on the board of Voqal, a collaboration of EBS licensees working to advance social equity.[38]
Political views
Hartmann is considered to have
Hartmann is a vocal critic of the effects of
In a 2013 interview with Politico, Hartmann described his political philosophy as democratic socialism:
I've lived in Europe. I think that the countries that call themselves democratic socialist—Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland—have the most functional political and economic system. So, somebody says, what's your political philosophy? I'd say Democratic socialism. But boy, the crap you take when you say socialist. Because people don't understand it. They think I'm talking about Soviet-style socialism, which I'm not.[41]
Personal life
Hartmann has three children with his wife Louise.[42] Hartmann has been a vegetarian since he was a teenager.[43]
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Hartmann has written about
He also operated the "ADD Forum" and "DeskTop Publishing Forum", along with several others, on CompuServe.[46]
Bibliography
- 1992 (first edition): ADD: A Different Perception. Underwood Books. 1997. ISBN 1-887424-14-8.
- 1993: The Best of the Desktop Publishing Forum on CompuServe. Peachpit Press. 1993. ISBN 1-56609-064-4.
- 1994: ADHD Secrets of Success: Coaching Yourself to Fulfillment in the Business World. Select Books. 2002. ISBN 1-59079-017-0.
- 1994: Focus Your Energy: Hunting for Success in Business. Pocket Books. 1994. ISBN 0-671-51689-2.
- 1995: ADD Success Stories. Underwood Books. 1995. ISBN 1-887424-03-2.
- 1996: Beyond ADD. Underwood Books. 1996. ISBN 1-887424-12-1.
- 1996: Think Fast!. Underwood Books. 1996. ISBN 1-887424-08-3. by Thom Hartmann and Jane Bowman, with Susan Burgess
- 1997 (2004 revised ed.): Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. Three Rivers Press. 2004. ISBN 1-4000-5157-6.
- 1998 (2004 revised ed.): The Prophet's Way: A Guide to Living in the Now. Park Street Press. June 17, 2004. ISBN 0-89281-198-6.
- 1998: Healing ADD. Underwood Books. 1998. ISBN 1-887424-37-7.
- 2000: Thom Hartmann's Complete Guide to ADHD: Help for Your Family at Home, School and Work. Underwood Books. 2000. ISBN 1-887424-52-0.
- 2000: The Greatest Spiritual Secret of the Century. Hampton Roads. 2000. ISBN 1-57174-166-6.
- 2003: The Edison Gene. Park Street Press. 2003. ISBN 0-89281-128-5.
- 2004: What Would Jefferson Do?. Harmony Books. 2004. ISBN 1-4000-5208-4.
- 2004: We the People: A Call to Take Back America. Coreway Media, Inc. 2004. ISBN 1-882109-38-4.
- 2004 (revised ed.): Unequal Protection. Rodale Books. April 24, 2004. ISBN 1-57954-955-1.
- 2005: Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK. Carroll & Graf. 2005. ISBN 0-7867-1441-7. by Lamar Waldron, with Thom Hartmann
- 2006: Screwed: The Undeclared War Against The Middle Class and What We Can Do About It. Berrett-Koehler. 2006. ISBN 1-57675-414-6.
- 2006: Walking Your Blues Away: Practical Bilateral Therapies for Healing the Mind and Optimizing Emotional Well-Being. Park Street Press. October 19, 2006. ISBN 1-59477-144-8.
- 2007: Cracking The Code: How to Win Hearts, Change Minds, and Restore America's Original Vision. Berrett-Koehler. 2007. ISBN 978-1-57675-458-0.
- 2008: Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination (by Lamar Waldron with Thom Hartmann). Counterpoint. 2009. ISBN 978-1-58243-535-0.
- 2009: Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture. Viking. 2009. ISBN 978-0-670-02091-1.
- 2010 (second edition): Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became "People" – And How You Can Fight Back. Berrett-Koehler. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60509-559-2.
- 2011: Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country. Berrett-Koehler. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60509-706-0.
- 2013: The Crash of 2016: The Plot to Destroy America—and What We Can Do to Stop It.
- 2013: The Last Hours of Humanity: Warming the World to Extinction. Waterfront Digital Press. ISBN 978-1-939116-47-5.
- 2019: The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment Penguin Random House ISBN 9781523085996
- 2019: Hartmann, Thom (2019). The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America. National Geographic Books. ISBN 9781523085941.
- 2020: The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote and How to Get It Back Berrett-Koehler Publishers ISBN 9781523087785
- 2020: Hartmann, Thom (2020). The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523087730.
- 2021: Hartmann, Thom (2021). Hidden History of American Oligarchy: Reclaiming Our Democracy from the ruling class. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523091584.
- 2021: Hartmann, Thom (2021). Hidden History of American Healthcare : Why Sickness Bankrupts You and Makes Others Insanely Rich. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523091638.
- 2022: Hartmann, Thom (2022). The Hidden History of Big Brother in America : How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523001026.
- 2022: Hartmann, Thom (2022). The Hidden History of Neoliberalism : How Reaganism Gutted America and How to Restore Its Greatness. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523002320.
- 2023: Hartmann, Thom (2023). The Hidden History of American Democracy : Rediscovering Humanity's Ancient Way of Living. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523004386.
- 2024: Hartmann, Thom (2024). The Hidden History of the American Dream : The Demise of the Middle Class—and How to Rescue Our Future. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1523007288.
References
- ISBN 9781101133194
- ^ "Thom Hartmann Biography". athenwood.com.
- ^ a b "Thom Hartmann". Who's Who in America, 63rd Edition.
- ^ Jones, Judy (May–June 2009). "Jean Hartmann dies at 82" (PDF). Newsboy. Horatio Alger Society. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2013.
- ^ "July 13, 2009 show notes". Thomhartmann.com. July 13, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
- ^ Hartmann, Thom (September 10, 2003). "The Genetically Modified Bomb". Common Dreams. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ YouTubeThe Thom Hartmann Program: July 25, 2013.
- ^ "Thom Hartmann's April Exclusive "Independent Thinker" Review for BuzzFlash: The "Birth of a Nation"". Buzzflash.com. April 10, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
- ^ Picard, Ken (March 3, 2004). "Radio Activist". Seven Days.
- ^ Hartmann, Thom (September 27, 2012). "The American Dream – Thom's personal story". The Thom Hartmann Program. Retrieved October 6, 2012 – via YouTube. (Hartmann describes being expelled from high school for publishing a news paper that protested the Vietnam War according to Thom Heartman himself on the Thom Heartman Program aired on August 31, 2021, at the 0:15 mark and describes being in his school's gifted student program at the 1:35 mark.)
- ^ Stan, Adele (January 14, 2011). "Progressive Profiles: With New TV Show, Radio Talker Thom Hartmann Brings Substance to Style". Alternet. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- ^ Thom Hartmann, Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture.
- ^ Hartmann, Rebooting the American Dream, p. 97.
- ^ Man's Got Heart; Insider Radio – Personality Interviews; September 11, 2006
- ^ Hartmann, Thom (January 1997). "The Prophet's Way: Meeting Master Stanley". ThomHartmann.com. Retrieved November 14, 2013. An excerpt from The Prophet's Way.
- ^ Hartmann, Rebooting the American Dream, p. 98.
- ^ "New England Salem Children's Village". Archived from the original on October 12, 2002.
- ^ Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Directory, Volume 2; Dun and Bradstreet, Inc.;Dun & Bradstreet, Incorporated, 1999; Pg. 2542
- ^ Rebooting the American Dream: 15 Ways to Rebuild Our Country; Thom Hartmann; ReadHowYouWant, 2011; Pgs 106–107
- ^ "About Our Company, Overview", Sprayberry Travel (website). Retrieved February 17, 2010
- ^ "SALEM International – Startseite". saleminternational.org.
- ^ "Newsletter Factory". Archived from the original on May 20, 2009.
- ^ "Air America sold; Al Franken quitting". January 29, 2007.
- ^ Talkers Magazine Heavy Hundred, Talkers Magazine, 2008–2010 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) [1] - ^ "Top Talk Audiences". Talkers Magazine. June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "SiriusXM Progress Shows". Sirius XM Radio. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "The Ayn Rand Institute: Thom Hartmann Interviews". September 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Guest : Brunch with Bernie Sanders – YouTube". Retrieved March 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Guest : Con. Mark Pocan – YouTube". Retrieved March 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Guest: Ro Khanna – YouTube". Retrieved March 11, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Broadcasting from the Belly of the Beast; The American Prospect; Paul Waldman; February 16, 2012
- ^ Weinger, Mackenzie (July 6, 2013). "Thom Hartmann: View from the left". Politico. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ "Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK". Publishers Weekly. November 21, 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ^ "Best Sellers", The New York Times, October 8, 2006
- ^ McNary, Dave (November 19, 2010). "DiCaprio to star in JFK tale". Variety. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (March 1, 2012). "Tracing the Great Recession to a Memo 40 Years Ago". The New York Times.
- ^ "Talk Radio Pioneer Thom Hartmann to Receive Honorary Doctorate from Goddard College – Goddard College". September 9, 2013.
- ^ "Leadership". Voqal.
- ^ "Thom Hartmann & info from the No. 1 progressive radio show – News. Opinion. Debate". Thom Hartmann & info from the No. 1 progressive radio show.
- ^ "ThomHartmann.com "Unequal Protection by Thom Hartmann"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2008.
- ^ Mackenzie Weinger (6 July 2013). Thom Hartmann: View from the left. Politico. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Thom Hartmann biography; thomhartmann.com
- ^ Thom Hartmann. April 6, 2015 Put down that cheeseburger
- ^ listing of book at Amazon.com, Amazon.com. Retrieved March 26, 2010
- ^ "Our History". hunterschool.org. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Thom Hartmann – Biography ADD-Holistic Mailing List
External links
- Official website . Includes information on and streaming of the radio and TV shows, essays, chatroom, and a discussion board.
- Episodes of The Big Picture on YouTube
- Thom Hartmann with the Dalai Lama Videos made during the filming of the documentary Dalai Lama Renaissance.
- "When Democracy Fails" Podcast on Google Video.
- Appearances on C-SPAN