Dick Carlson

Richard Warner "Dick" Carlson (born 1941), an American journalist, was director of the Voice of America during the last six years of the Cold War. At the same time, he led Radio Marti broadcasting to Cuba, and was director of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), WORLDNET and the USIA Documentary Film Service.

In 1991-92, he was U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles He returned to the U.S., to become president and ceo of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the parent company to PBS and National Public Radio, a position he held for six years.^[1]

In 1997, he became president and ceo of King World Public Television, a subsidiary of King World Productions, the syndicator of Oprah, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, among other successful TV shows. Two years later, King World was purchased by CBS for $2.5 billion.

Carlson was the full-time Vice-Chairman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, the counter terrorism institute in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, for eight years.^[2]

Carlson also writes a weekly newspaper column, often about terrorism and national security, for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review^[3] and the Charleston Mercury.^[4] He is a former political columnist for the Hill newspaper in Washington, D.C. (The Shadow Knows –by Dick Carlson & Bill Regardie.)

Carlson has been a newspaper and wire service reporter, a magazine writer, a TV and radio correspondent, and a documentary filmmaker. He has written hundreds of by-lined newspaper and magazine stories and has won more than a dozen prestigious media awards.

Other activities

Carlson ran for Mayor of San Diego in 1983 he lost the primary to the incumbent, Roger Hedgecock, in November, 1983.

He co-wrote Snatching Hillary, A Satirical Novel (Tulip Hill Publishing, 2014, ISBN 0692337008) with Bill Cowan.

He is the author of the books, Women in San Diego's History (1977) Free and Fair: The Last Two Weeks of Apartheid (1995) and Why Dogs Talk on Christmas Eve. (2014)

Carlson has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.

References