Editing Thom Hartmann (section)

== Talk radio career ==
[[Image:Thom Hartmann at Santa Fe, 2004.jpg|right|thumb|Hartmann doing his radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Program'', in 2004 at [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]]]]
Having worked as a DJ and news director at Lansing radio stations from 1968 to 1978,<ref name="Who's Who"/> Hartmann started a radio show in February 2003 on a local station in Vermont; a month later{{citation needed |date=November 2013}} it was picked up on the [[I.E. America Radio Network]] and on [[Sirius Satellite Radio]]. In 2005, he moved from Vermont to Oregon and, in addition to continuing his national show, also co-hosted a local talk show in [[Portland, Oregon]] (with Carl Wolfson, the late Heidi Tauber, and later Christine Alexander) on [[KPOJ]]. The station, initially an affiliate of [[Air America Radio]], carried the program until 2007 when the station took on a sports talk format.

Hartmann's national program, on the air since 2003 and now in the noon to 3&nbsp;pm. ET daypart, was chosen by Air America to replace [[Al Franken]] on most Air America affiliates in 2007.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/01/29/daily2.html?from_rss=1 | title=Air America sold; Al Franken quitting | date=January 29, 2007}}</ref> From 2008 to 2011, ''[[Talkers Magazine]]'' rated Hartmann the most popular liberal talk show host in America, rising from number 10 among all talk show hosts in 2008 to number 8 in 2011 and 2015.<ref>Talkers Magazine Heavy Hundred, ''Talkers Magazine'', 2008–2010 {{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://talkers.com/online/?p=267 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903062331/http://talkers.com/online/?p=267 |archive-date=September 3, 2010 |access-date=August 13, 2010}} [http://talkers.com/online/?p=3774]</ref> According to his then-syndicator Dial Global, more people listened to Hartmann's show on more stations than any other progressive talk show in America. ''The Thom Hartmann Program'' is estimated by industry magazine ''Talkers'' to have 7&nbsp;million unique listeners per week.<ref name="Talkers Magazine">{{cite web|title=Top Talk Audiences |url=https://www.talkers.com/top-talk-audiences/ |access-date=June 24, 2021|work=Talkers Magazine|date=June 24, 2021}}</ref>

As of March 2016, the show was carried on 80 terrestrial radio stations in 37 states, as well as on [[SiriusXM Progress]] channel 127.<ref>{{cite web |title=SiriusXM Progress Shows |url=https://www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmprogress |publisher=Sirius XM Radio |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref> A community radio station in Africa, Radio Builsa in [[Ghana]], also broadcasts the show. Various local cable TV stations simulcast the program. In addition to [[Westwood One (current)|Westwood One]], the show is now also offered via [[Pacifica Radio|Pacifica Audioport]] to non-profit stations in a non-profit compliant format and is simulcast on [[Dish Network]] channel 9415 and [[DirecTV]] channel 348 via Free Speech TV. The program also airs in London, England.

Many guests appear on the show expressing a variety of points of view on diverse social and political topics. Some guests proffer progressive views similar to Hartmann's, but more than half are [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatives]], [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarians]], or [[Ayn Rand Institute]] members<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=interviews_hartmann|title=The Ayn Rand Institute: Thom Hartmann Interviews|date=September 27, 2007|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195458/http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=interviews_hartmann|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2017}} who espouse opposing views. Due to his eagerness to invite people who disagree with him, vigorous discussion and debate between the host and guests usually ensues; "My goal in my conversations with conservatives is not to create a spectacle, and not to win the argument, not to prove that I'm the smartest guy in the room or that I'm a tough warrior and I can smack down people." For many years, Sen. [[Bernie Sanders]] (I-VT) appeared every Friday for the "Brunch with Bernie" segment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5gNz_FycX97cSYDarmDgaWlyF-eqvCBk|title=Guest : Brunch with Bernie Sanders – YouTube|via=YouTube|access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> Other regular phone-in guests include Congressmen [[Mark Pocan]] (Mid-day with Mark)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5gNz_FycX97I0-HdbowqV_V3tkptXX4N|title=Guest : Con. Mark Pocan – YouTube|via=YouTube|access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> and [[Ro Khanna]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5gNz_FycX94Oqb0d92kIaTKqWe9LDT2r|title=Guest: Ro Khanna – YouTube|via=YouTube|access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> both members of the [[Congressional Progressive Caucus]]. [[Ellen Ratner]] of the Talk Radio News Service provides Washington commentary daily. Victoria Jones who is the [[White House]] correspondent for Talk Radio News Service appears occasionally, as does [[Ravi Batra]], an economics professor at [[Southern Methodist University|SMU]].<ref name="TAP">[http://prospect.org/article/broadcasting-belly-beast Broadcasting from the Belly of the Beast]; ''The American Prospect''; Paul Waldman; February 16, 2012</ref>

Like most talk radio shows, ''The Thom Hartmann Program'' takes calls from listeners. When callers asked Hartmann how he was, he used to reply, "I'm great, but I'll get better." But after a time, callers would regularly try to elicit this response, so he's stopped replying this way routinely. Hartmann ends each show with the phrase, "Activism begins with you, democracy begins with you. Get out there, get active! [[Tag (game)|Tag, you're it!]]"

Michael Harrison, publisher of radio industry trade magazine ''Talkers'', offered this appraisal of Hartmann:
{{quote|He's entertaining, he's informative, he's an original thinker, he's an author, he's an original source. In other words, he's not a B-level talking points host that so many on both the left and the right are...He's the kind of a host that other people can get their talking points from.<ref name=politico>{{cite web|last=Weinger|first=Mackenzie|title=Thom Hartmann: View from the left|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/thom-hartmann-view-from-the-left-93753.html|work=Politico|date=July 6, 2013 |access-date=28 October 2013}}</ref>}}
[[File:Thom Hartmann by Ian Sbalcio.jpg|thumb|Hartmann on the set of his television program ''The Big Picture'']]
===TV program===
Hartmann hosted a one-hour daily TV show at 7&nbsp;pm. ET Monday to Friday, ''The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann,'' which was editorially directed by his wife and was broadcast from the Washington, D.C., studios of the [[RT America]] news network. The show featured many conservative guests who routinely sparred with Hartmann. Hartmann co-produced the program with RT, who provided studio and carriage, while Hartmann retained full editorial control of his programming. The RT network aired the program via Dish Network, DirecTV, and on selected local-origination and [[public-access television]] cable TV channels globally.<ref name="TAP"/> After hosting the program for seven years, Hartmann announced his departure as host on September 29, 2017.{{cn|date=June 2021}}