Armstrong Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Armstrong Williams
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| Born | February 5, 1962 Marion, South Carolina, U.S.
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| Education | South Carolina State University, (B.S.) |
| Occupation | TV host, nationally syndicated columnist, political activist, and entrepreneur |
| Political party | Republican |
Armstrong Williams was born on February 5, 1962. He is an American political expert, business owner, author, and talk show host. Williams writes a newspaper column that is shared across the country. He has also hosted a daily radio show. Today, he hosts a TV show called The Armstrong Williams Show. He owns a media company called Howard Stirk Holdings. This company works with Sinclair Broadcasting and has bought many TV stations. Williams has also worked closely with Ben Carson, who used to be the head of HUD (Housing and Urban Development). He is also a part-owner of The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Armstrong Williams was one of ten children. He was born on February 5, 1962, in Marion, South Carolina. His parents were Thelma Howard Williams and James Williams. He grew up on his family's 200-acre tobacco farm. In 1981, he graduated from South Carolina State University. He earned a degree in Political Science and English. He is a lifelong member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
Williams worked as a special assistant for Clarence Thomas. Thomas later became a Supreme Court Justice. Williams also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was an advisor to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.
Williams is also related to South Carolina State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney. Clementa Pinckney was a victim of the Charleston church shooting.
Media Career
Armstrong Williams has had a long career in media. He has worked in radio, television, and as a newspaper columnist.
Radio Shows
In 1998, Williams joined The Salem Radio Network. This network shared his national radio show with many radio stations. In 2002, he worked again with the Talk America Radio Network. In 2005, Williams became a co-host on Drive Time Dialogue at WWRL 1600 AM.
In 2008, Williams started hosting a nightly talk show. It was on XM Satellite Radio Power 128. The show was called The Armstrong Williams Show. Today, this channel is part of SiriusXM Urban View.
Television Programs
Williams worked as a political expert for Sinclair Broadcasting Group. He appeared on their program called News Central.
From 2002 to 2005, Williams hosted On Point with Armstrong Williams. This show was on the cable network TVOne.
Williams currently hosts a TV show that is shown across the country. It is called The Armstrong Williams Show. He has also hosted other shows in the past. These include The Right Side Forum and The Right Side with Armstrong Williams.
Newspaper Columns
Armstrong Williams writes a column that is shared with many newspapers. This means his articles appear in different newspapers across the country.
Howard Stirk Holdings Company
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| Private | |
| Industry | Broadcast media |
| Founded | April 11, 2013 |
| Founder | Armstrong Williams |
| Headquarters |
Washington D.C.
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| Owner | Armstrong Williams |
| Parent | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
Howard Stirk Holdings is a media company owned by Armstrong Williams. The company's name comes from his mother's middle name (Howard) and his father's middle name (Stirk).
In 2013, Williams's company bought two TV stations. This was part of a bigger deal by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Howard Stirk Holdings took ownership of WEYI-TV in Flint–Saginaw–Bay City, Michigan. They also bought WWMB in Myrtle Beach–Florence, South Carolina. Sinclair still helps operate these stations. Some people thought this was a way to get around rules about how many stations one company can own. Williams said he had full control over the stations' programs. He also said he received most of their money.
In 2014, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) approved more station transfers. Howard Stirk Holdings gained licenses for WMMP in Charleston, South Carolina. They also got WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and WJSU-TV in Anniston, Alabama. In 2015, Howard Stirk Holdings also bought KVMY in Las Vegas. They also bought WLYH-TV from Nexstar Broadcasting Group.
These purchases made Armstrong Williams the largest African-American owner of TV stations in the United States at that time. Later, in 2019, Byron Allen bought more stations and became the largest owner.
In 2018, Sinclair announced plans to sell more stations to Howard Stirk Holdings. This was part of a merger with Tribune Media. However, this deal was later canceled.
- TV Stations Owned by Howard Stirk Holdings
| City of license / market | Station |
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| Anniston–Tuscaloosa–Birmingham, Alabama | WGWW | 40 (9) | 2015 | H&I |
| WSES | 33 (33) | 2015 | H&I | |
| Saginaw–Flint, Michigan | WEYI-TV 1 | 25 (30) | 2013 | NBC |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | KHSV | 21 (2) | 2015 | MeTV |
| Lebanon–Lancaster–York–Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | WXBU | 15 (23) | 2015 | Univision |
| Charleston, South Carolina | WGWG | 4 (34) | 2015 | MeTV |
| Florence–Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | WWMB 1 | 21 (21) | 2013 | Dabl |
- 1 Operated under a LMA by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Controversy Over 'No Child Left Behind'
In 2005, it was reported that Armstrong Williams had been paid money to promote a law called the No Child Left Behind Act. This law was about improving schools. Williams was paid to talk about the law on his TV show. He was also asked to encourage other Black journalists to do the same. As part of the agreement, he was supposed to talk about the law often. He also interviewed the Education Secretary, Rod Paige, for TV and radio.
After this news came out, a company that shared Williams's newspaper column stopped working with him. They said that taking money from a group he wrote about could make people wonder if his opinions were truly his own. Williams later said that even though he was a commentator, he should follow media ethics. He admitted his judgment was not the best and that he learned from it.
A government report later said that the payments were not legal. This was because the government's role in promoting the law was not made clear to the public.
Other Activities
Armstrong Williams has been a close friend and supporter of Ben Carson. Carson was a candidate for president in 2016. Williams helped him during his campaign.
Williams is also on the national board of the Carson Scholars Fund. This is a non-profit group that helps students.
In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Williams to a special commission. This group chooses people for the White House Fellows program. This program gives talented young people a chance to work in the U.S. government.
In 2021, Williams received an honorary doctorate degree. This was from South Carolina State University, his old college.
Williams is also the founder and CEO of the Graham Williams Group. This company helps with marketing, advertising, and public relations around the world.
Books by Williams
In 2022, Armstrong Williams helped write a book called Crisis in the Classroom. He has also written other books:
- Armstrong Williams, What Black and White America Must Do Now: A Prescription to Move Beyond Race, Hot Books, August 2020. ISBN: 0-029-35365-3
- Armstrong Williams, Reawakening Virtues: Restoring What Makes America Great, New Chapter Publisher, July 2011, ISBN: 0-9827918-5-2
- Armstrong Williams, Letters to a young victim: Hope and Healing in America's Inner Cities, Scribner Paper Fiction, October 1996. ISBN: 0-684-82466-3
- Armstrong Williams, Beyond Blame: How We Can Succeed by Breaking the Dependency Barrier, Free Press, May 1995. ISBN: 0-02-935365-3
See also
- Bush administration payment of columnists
- Black conservatism in the United States
