Armstrong Williams (born February 5, 1962) is an American political commentator, entrepreneur, author, and talk show host. Williams writes a nationally syndicated conservative newspaper column, has hosted a daily radio show, and hosts a nationally syndicated television program called The Armstrong Williams Show. He is the owner of Howard Stirk Holdings, a media company affiliated with Sinclair Broadcasting that has purchased numerous television stations.
Armstrong Williams was born on February 5, 1962, in Marion, South Carolina,[1] to Thelma Howard Williams and James Williams. Williams, one of their ten children, was reared on the family's 200 acres (81ha)tobacco farm. Williams is the cousin of South Carolina State Senator Clementa Pinckney, who was a victim of the Charleston church shooting.[2]
He was known during high school to have a talent for public speaking.[3] He earned a BA in Political Science and English at South Carolina State University, graduating in 1981. He is a life member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.[4]
Later, he worked as vice-president for governmental and international affairs at B&C Associates, followed by being part of the formation of the international marketing, advertising, and media public relations consulting firm Graham Williams Group in 1991.[1][7] He is its CEO.[7]
Radio
Williams' first radio show began in 1991.[1] In 1998, he united with The Salem Radio Network, which syndicated his national radio show to 26 of the top radio markets in the country. In 2002, he reunited with the Newark, New Jersey-based Talk America Radio Network. Williams joined the lineup at WWRL 1600 AM in March 2005 as co-host with Sam Greenfield on Drive Time Dialogue.[8]
Williams was a political analyst for Sinclair Broadcasting Group's TV program News Central.[10]
Williams has hosted numerous TV shows. His show The Right Side with Armstrong Williams began in 1995.[1][11][3]From 2002 to 2005, he hosted On Point with Armstrong Williams on cable network TV One.[citation needed] He hosts a syndicated television show, The Armstrong Williams Show.[12] He hosted The Right Side Forum.[13] A
Newspaper column
Williams has written a syndicated newspaper column.[14]
On December 4, 2014, the FCC approved the transfer of station licenses for WMMP, Charleston, South Carolina, WCFT-TV, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and WJSU-TV, Anniston, Alabama, from Sinclair to Howard Stirk Holdings. Under the arrangement, HSH would operate their future acquisitions as an independent broadcaster, forgoing agreements with third parties.[15][16][17] On January 28, 2015, Intermountain West Communications Company filed to sell KVMY to Howard Stirk Holdings.[18] The transaction was finalized on October 30.[19] Howard Stirk Holdings revealed in its January 2015 application to purchase Las Vegas station KVMY that it again planned to acquire the WLYH-TV license from Nexstar Broadcasting Group; that sale was completed on November 12, 2015.[20] These transactions made Williams the largest African-American owner of television stations in the US at the time.[15] In 2019, Byron Allen surpassed Williams with his purchase of most of the assets of Heartland Media.[21]
In January 2005, USA Today reported that documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (NCLB) revealed that Williams had been paid $240,000 to promote the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. USA Today reported that Williams was hired "to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same."[23] As part of the agreement, Williams was required "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts", and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.[23] The contract with Williams was part of a $950,000 contract between the US Department of Education and the public relations company Ketchum Inc.[24]
After the USA Today revelations, Tribune Media Services (TMS) terminated its syndication agreement with Williams. In a statement to Editor & Publisher (E&P), TMS stated: "[A]ccepting compensation in any form from an entity that serves as a subject of his weekly newspaper columns creates, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict of interest. Under these circumstances, readers may well ask themselves if the views expressed in his columns are his own, or whether they have been purchased by a third party."[25] In response, Williams initially told E&P that he intended self-syndicate his column.[26]E&P contacted 10 newspapers listed as clients on Williams's website to ask if they would continue to carry the column; the majority stated that they would not.[26] Williams later told the Associated Press, "Even though I'm not a journalist—I'm a commentator—I feel I should be held to the media ethics standard. My judgment was not the best. I wouldn't do it again, and I learned from it."[27]
On September 30, 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a report concluding that the Department of Education had acted illegally in making the payments because the government's role in the public relations effort was not disclosed.[28]
Other civic, supervisory and charitable activities
Williams was a longtime associate of US Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson[31] and was an influential surrogate during Carson's 2016 presidential campaign.[32] He was a member-at-large of the board of the Carson Scholars Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.[33][34]
Other boards on which he has served include: Childhelp USA, the newspaper Washington Afro-American, Independence Federal Savings Bank, and Newsmax.[1] Williams was listed as a director of Independence Federal Savings Bank. However it is no longer operational. It faced financial difficulties and was placed under regulatory oversight, and in 2009, the Office of Thrift Supervision issued a cease and desist order to the bank, citing various operational issues; Williams was among the signatures listed as a director at that time.[35]
Honors and awards
In 2004, Williams was appointed by US President George W. Bush to the President's Commission on White House Fellows,[36] which chooses White House Fellows.[37]
** Owned by third parties and operated by Sinclair through various operating agreements. *** Owned by Sinclair and operated by Marquee Broadcasting. JV Joint venture.
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