John Carlson
Encyclopedia
John Carlson is an American
talk radio
host on KOMO 1000 Newsradio
Fisher Broadcasting
He also co-hosted a show from 12:00PM to 2:00PM pacific time called The Commentators, with John Carlson and Ken Schram
. The Commentators was discontinued in September, 2010, and starting September 20, 2010, Carlson and Schram each began hosting separate, new shows on the same station, with Carlson on from 9:00AM to Noon and Schram from Noon to 3:00PM.
leaning" or "conservative" and often at odds with what he terms Seattle's "liberal elite
." He believes that the left
leaning political trends that permeate much of urban
Seattle are too tolerant of high taxation and criminal behavior.
in Political Science
Honors Program at the University of Washington
. In late 1999 he was listed as one of the university’s one hundred “Alumni of the Century”.
In 2008 the UW’s alumni magazine listed him as one of its “Wondrous 100” living alumni.
After a brief stint in the Reagan Administration
in ’81-’82, Carlson served as Communications Director for Republican
Washington State Chairman Jennifer Dunn
.
Carlson also became a KIRO-TV
commentator on a the evening news, doing a debate segment with local liberal historian Walt Crowley
. His newspaper column began in 1990 and continues today.
In 1993 Carlson shifted from TV to radio, taking the afternoon drive-time
slot on KVI. Several times he was listed in Talkers Magazine
as one of America’s 100 leading talk radio hosts. He currently co-hosts a daily program with television commentator Ken Schram
from KOMO-TV
.
On June 2, 2011, on the 9 am to noon broadcast of his singular news/talk effort on KOMO 1000 AM radio, among various topics Carlson stood steadfastly by his claim of an emerging scandal involving Anthony Weiner Anthony Weiner, D-NY, as involves allegations raised by Andrew Breitbart Andrew Beitbart
.
", which began putting three-time violent criminals in prison for life. The initiative soon spread to California and several other states. Two years later, Carlson and his partner on “Three Strikes”, David Lacourse, passed another initiative called “Hard Time for Armed Crime”, which increased sentences for felons caught using or possessing weapons.
In 1998, State Representative Scott Smith and conservative activist Tim Eyman
launched Initiative 200, which attempted to prohibit affirmative action
preferences. The campaign was soon handed over to Carlson. Within three months, the initiative received enough signatures to qualify for the ballot
, and in November 1998, voters approved it overwhelmingly, 58%-42%.
In 2000, Carlson ran for Governor against popular incumbent Gary Locke. He won the Republican primary against State Senator Harold Hochstedder, but lost the general election to Locke. Washington has not elected a Republican Governor since 1980.
In 2005, Carlson and KVI morning host Kirby Wilbur encouraged listeners to support initiative 912 to roll back a nine-cent a gallon increase in the state fuel tax. The initiative gathered 420,000 signatures in 33 days but failed to pass at the polls in November.
Chris Wickham (a Thurston County, Washington, Superior Court Judge) ruled that the comments and activities by Carlson and Wilbur on behalf of the initiative were in-kind contributions that must be reported to the Public Disclosure Commission.
The ruling was later overturned unanimously by the Washington State Supreme Court.
s. He has climbed Mt. Rainier three times to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's
Climb to Fight Breast Cancer
.http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/events/climb/ He has served on several charity and civic boards. He is married with two sons and lives in Bellevue, Washington
, a Seattle suburb.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host on KOMO 1000 Newsradio
KOMO (AM)
KOMO is a radio station based in Seattle, Washington. Its format is primarily news. From 2003 to 2008, it was also the flagship station of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network...
Fisher Broadcasting
Fisher Communications
Fisher Communications is a media company in the United States. Based in Seattle, Washington, the company owns a number of radio and television stations in the Western United States.- Radio Stations :- Television Stations :...
He also co-hosted a show from 12:00PM to 2:00PM pacific time called The Commentators, with John Carlson and Ken Schram
Ken Schram
Ken Schram is a Seattle, Washington news and radio broadcaster. Best known as the host for local-affairs show Town Meeting, Schram can now be seen giving tidbits on KOMO 4’s evening news in segments called “Schram on the Street.” For several years he hosted a radio show, The Commentators, on...
. The Commentators was discontinued in September, 2010, and starting September 20, 2010, Carlson and Schram each began hosting separate, new shows on the same station, with Carlson on from 9:00AM to Noon and Schram from Noon to 3:00PM.
Politics
Carlson is "rightRight-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
leaning" or "conservative" and often at odds with what he terms Seattle's "liberal elite
Liberal elite
Liberal elite is a political stigma used to describe affluent, politically left-leaning people. It is commonly used with the pejorative implication that the people who claim to support the rights of the working class are themselves members of the upper class, or upper middle class, and are...
." He believes that the left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
leaning political trends that permeate much of urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
Seattle are too tolerant of high taxation and criminal behavior.
Biographical
Carlson graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
Honors Program at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. In late 1999 he was listed as one of the university’s one hundred “Alumni of the Century”.
In 2008 the UW’s alumni magazine listed him as one of its “Wondrous 100” living alumni.
After a brief stint in the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
in ’81-’82, Carlson served as Communications Director for Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Washington State Chairman Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Dunn
Jennifer Blackburn Dunn was a prominent Republican member of the United States House of Representatives 1993–2005, representing .-Early life:...
.
Carlson also became a KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS affiliate television station in Seattle, Washington. It broadcasts on digital channel 39. The station's offices and broadcasting center are located near Seattle Center in Belltown, and its transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill...
commentator on a the evening news, doing a debate segment with local liberal historian Walt Crowley
Walt Crowley
Walter Charles Crowley was a Washington political celebrity. He first became a public figure in Seattle through his involvement with the social and political movements of the 1960s, especially the underground press...
. His newspaper column began in 1990 and continues today.
In 1993 Carlson shifted from TV to radio, taking the afternoon drive-time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
slot on KVI. Several times he was listed in Talkers Magazine
Talkers magazine
Talkers Magazine is a trade industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media"...
as one of America’s 100 leading talk radio hosts. He currently co-hosts a daily program with television commentator Ken Schram
Ken Schram
Ken Schram is a Seattle, Washington news and radio broadcaster. Best known as the host for local-affairs show Town Meeting, Schram can now be seen giving tidbits on KOMO 4’s evening news in segments called “Schram on the Street.” For several years he hosted a radio show, The Commentators, on...
from KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...
.
On June 2, 2011, on the 9 am to noon broadcast of his singular news/talk effort on KOMO 1000 AM radio, among various topics Carlson stood steadfastly by his claim of an emerging scandal involving Anthony Weiner Anthony Weiner, D-NY, as involves allegations raised by Andrew Breitbart Andrew Beitbart
Andrew Breitbart
Andrew Breitbart is an American publisher, commentator for the Washington Times, author, an occasional guest commentator on various news programs who has served as an editor for the Drudge Report website...
.
Political activism
In 1993, Carlson co-authored and led the drive for a new anti-crime initiative he called "Three Strikes You're OutThree strikes law
Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
", which began putting three-time violent criminals in prison for life. The initiative soon spread to California and several other states. Two years later, Carlson and his partner on “Three Strikes”, David Lacourse, passed another initiative called “Hard Time for Armed Crime”, which increased sentences for felons caught using or possessing weapons.
In 1998, State Representative Scott Smith and conservative activist Tim Eyman
Tim Eyman
Tim Eyman is a conservative political activist in the U.S. state of Washington. He advocates for a smaller state government, through lowering state taxes and fees...
launched Initiative 200, which attempted to prohibit affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
preferences. The campaign was soon handed over to Carlson. Within three months, the initiative received enough signatures to qualify for the ballot
Ballot
A ballot is a device used to record choices made by voters. Each voter uses one ballot, and ballots are not shared. In the simplest elections, a ballot may be a simple scrap of paper on which each voter writes in the name of a candidate, but governmental elections use pre-printed to protect the...
, and in November 1998, voters approved it overwhelmingly, 58%-42%.
In 2000, Carlson ran for Governor against popular incumbent Gary Locke. He won the Republican primary against State Senator Harold Hochstedder, but lost the general election to Locke. Washington has not elected a Republican Governor since 1980.
In 2005, Carlson and KVI morning host Kirby Wilbur encouraged listeners to support initiative 912 to roll back a nine-cent a gallon increase in the state fuel tax. The initiative gathered 420,000 signatures in 33 days but failed to pass at the polls in November.
Chris Wickham (a Thurston County, Washington, Superior Court Judge) ruled that the comments and activities by Carlson and Wilbur on behalf of the initiative were in-kind contributions that must be reported to the Public Disclosure Commission.
The ruling was later overturned unanimously by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Personal
Carlson rides Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
s. He has climbed Mt. Rainier three times to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is one of the world’s leading cancer research institutes...
Climb to Fight Breast Cancer
Climb to Fight Breast Cancer
Climb to Fight Breast Cancer is an annual series of mountain climbs to raise funds to support breast cancer research at the world-renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centerin Seattle, Washington...
.http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/events/climb/ He has served on several charity and civic boards. He is married with two sons and lives in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, a Seattle suburb.
External links
- King County Journal
- KVI-AM History (2002)
- talkcheck.com
- TVW, Inside Olympia interview with John Carlson, November 10, 1999
- Seattle Voices, interview with John Carlson, March 3, 2009