Tom Shales
Tom Shales | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas William Shales |
| Occupation | Critic |
Thomas William "Tom" Shales[1] (born November 3, 1944) is an American critic of television programming and operations. He is best-known as TV critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize. He also writes a column for the television news trade publication NewsPro, published by Crain Communications.
Background and education
Shales was born in Elgin, Illinois, the son of Hulda Louise (née Reko) and Clyde LeRoy Shales.[1] Shales graduated from Washington D.C.'s American University. He was Editor-In-Chief of the student newspaper, The Eagle, for the 1966-1967 academic year,[2] and appointed himself movie critic.[3]
Career
Early years
Shales's first job was with radio station WRMN, in Elgin, at the age of 18. He served on the station's AM and FM bands as disc jockey, local news reporter, writer and announcer. He later worked with Voice of America as a producer of broadcasts to the Far East.[3]
Shales worked as Entertainment Editor at the Washington Examiner from 1968-1971.[4] He joined the Washington Post as a writer in the Style section in 1972, was named chief television critic in July 1977, and was appointed TV Editor in June 1979. The Washington Post Writers Group has syndicated his column since 1979.[3]
The Washington Post
Shales has written for the Washington Post newspaper for several decades. He is planning to leave the paper effective December 31, 2010.[5]
Broadcasting
During 1998-1999, Shales was a frequent film critic for Morning Edition on National Public Radio.[6] He was twice a guest co-host on the television show Roger Ebert & the Movies after the death of Gene Siskel.[7]
Books
(Selected List)
- On the Air!. New York: Summit Books. 1982.
- Legends: Remembering America's Greatest Stars. New York: Random House. 1989.
- Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. New York: Little, Brown and Co. 2002.
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Honors
Shales received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1988, for his work at The Washington Post.[8]
References
- ^ a b Filmreference.com
- ^ American University Library - History of The Eagle
- ^ a b c The Washington Post Writers Group
- ^ Biography for Tom Shales at IMDb
- ^ Bryan Alexander. "Tom Shales Confirms He Will Leave Washington Post after 39 Years". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Tom Shales - Rotten Tomatoes, Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Tom Shales
- ^ Postwritersgroup.com
External links
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