Ed Schultz, Blunt-Spoken Political Talk-Show Host, Dies at 64

Mr. Schultz was suspended by MSNBC for a week without pay in 2011 after calling the conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, on his radio show, a “right-wing slut.” (He was responding to her criticism of President Barack Obama for drinking a pint of beer in Dublin instead of flying to the scene of a tornado disaster in Joplin, Mo.)

Mr. Schultz apologized, and Ms. Ingraham accepted the apology.

The ratings of “The Ed Show,” which was broadcast on weeknights, never soared, and he moved to weekend duty before being given a weekday slot. His and other underperforming shows were canceled in 2015. In April, he told a National Review podcast that he had been fired for supporting Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primaries.

At MSNBC, Mr. Schultz was known for his embrace of the labor movement at a time when the mainstream media was all but ignoring it, said David Shuster, a former MSNBC host, in a Twitter post on Thursday.

“Ed,” he said, “focused on American blue collar workers most of the MSM had long forgotten.”

Edward Andrew Schultz was born on Jan. 27, 1954, in Norfolk, Va. His father, George, was an aeronautical engineer; his mother, Mary, was a schoolteacher. He played quarterback at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, where he led the N.C.A.A. Division II in passing in 1977. After graduating he tried out for teams in the National Football League, including the Jets, and the Canadian Football League without success. He then began his career in radio, originally as a sportscaster.

In addition to his stepdaughter Ms. Espelien, his survivors include his wife, Wendy (Noack) Schultz; his son, David; two other stepdaughters, Greta Guscette and Ingrid Murray; two stepsons, Christian and Joseph Kiedrowski; and 15 grandchildren. His marriage to Maureen Zimmerman ended in divorce.

Several months after losing his job at MSNBC, Mr. Schultz re-emerged as the anchor of an 8 p.m. program, “The News With Ed Schultz,” on RT America.

“I could have retired,” he told The West Fargo Pioneer, a North Dakota newspaper. “That’s not Ed Schultz; I’m not ready to do that. I got a lot of tire left. I have a lot of desire. This gives me a chance to do something that I haven’t had an opportunity to do in my career.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/obituaries/ed-schultz-blunt-spoken-political-talk-show-host-dies-at-64.html?partner=rss&emc=rss