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Cenk Uygur

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Cenk Uygur
Born (1970-03-21) March 21, 1970 (age 54)
Istanbul, Turkey
Alma materColumbia Law School
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Radio Talk Show Host, Lawyer, MSNBC Contributor/Substitute Anchor
Years active2002–present
Known forThe Young Turks
SpouseWendy Lang
ChildrenPrometheus Maximus Uygur

Cenk Uygur (Template:Pron-en, JENK UI-gur) (born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-American journalist and political commentator. He is the main host and co-founder of the liberal talk radio show The Young Turks.[1] He also has a column in The Huffington Post and is a regular substitute-host and contributor on MSNBC. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Law School, he previously practiced law in New York and in Washington D.C.

Biography

Uygur was born in Istanbul; he and his family immigrated to the United States when he was eight years old.[2][3] He grew up in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey, where he graduated from East Brunswick High School.[4] Uygur was a registered Republican in his youth. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Columbia University School of Law,[5] and a former associate at the law firm of Drinker, Biddle & Reath in Washington, D.C., and Parcher, Hayes, & Liebman in New York City. He played rugby in college.[6] Uygur first became a talk show host at a Washington, D.C. radio station on the weekends while working at Drinker, Biddle, & Heath on the weekdays. In the early 1990s, he also hosted a show on an Arlington, VA public access channel, called 'The Young Turk', that was practically the same format and style as his current internet-based work. After a number of years, Uygur resigned from Parcher, Hayes, & Liebman to devote all of his efforts to radio and television broadcasting.

The Young Turks

Main article: The Young Turks (talk show)

Uygur created the talk show The Young Turks with the goal of starting a moderate liberal political and entertainment show.[7][8] It launched on the 14th February, 2002. It later became a great success online, and airs on the Sirius Satellite Radio network.[9] He is well known for his mastery in the online game 'Dave Koller's America'.[10]

The Young Turks claims to be the first Internet TV news show and is now the Largest Online News Show in the World. Video of the show is streamed daily on their website and available as a podcast.[11][12] The show offers exclusive, Internet-only video content via their YouTube channel, which averages 18 million views monthly

Media appearances

Uygur has appeared on television on numerous occasions on MSNBC, CNN Headline News, E! Entertainment Television, Aljazeera, ABC News, Voice of America, NPR and the Fox News Channel.[13]

He is a regular guest on The Dylan Ratigan Show for a segment opposite various conservative commentators. On several occasions, Uygur has guest hosted the show in Ratigan's absence,[14] and has also served as guest host for The Ed Show in the absence of Ed Schultz as well as the guest host for Keith Olbermann on Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

On August 17, 2010 a clip of Uygur speaking on Internet neutrality (on The Dylan Ratigan Show on August 10) was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.[15]

On September 13, 2010 a clip of Uygur speaking on Pastor Terry Jones was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

On October 21, 2010 MSNBC announced that Uygur had been officially hired as a contributor and substitute anchor for the network. Previously, Uygur had periodically guest hosted and appeared on numerous MSNBC programs.

On December 22, 2010 Uygur interviewed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show.[16]

Personal life

Uygur was born and raised in a Turkish-Muslim family. However, he now considers himself agnostic.[3]

His father was born in Kilis, Turkey.

Uygur is married to Wendy Lang Uygur, a social worker by education.[17] The Uygurs are the parents of one son named Prometheus Maximus Uygur.[18] He was introduced live on MSNBC by Dylan Ratigan.[19]

References

  1. ^ "How'd You Draw 250 Million Viewers to Your Web Show, The Young Turks?". Mediabistro.com. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  2. ^ "Coming to America!". The Young Turks. 2007-06-14. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  3. ^ a b Six Degrees of Barack Obama
  4. ^ "Column: Historical Fact or Falsehood?", The Daily Pennsylvanian, October 20, 1991. Accessed October 16, 2007. "Cenk Uygur is a senior Management major from East Brunswick, New Jersey."
  5. ^ "Cenk Uygur". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  6. ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-onthemedia-20100908,0,435910.column
  7. ^ Madlena, Chavala (2010-04-26). "Cenk Uygur on the success of The Young Turks". Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  8. ^ "'Professional Left' Saga Says More About Media Than Obama". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  9. ^ http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/141/young-turks-indeed.html
  10. ^ "Dave Koller's America". The Young Turks. 2007-07-16.
  11. ^ "The Young Turks: Rebel Headquarters : News : Politics : Commentary". Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  12. ^ "The Young Turks: Welcome to The Young Turks Podcasting : News : Politics : Commentary". Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  13. ^ Official Cenk Uygur Bio
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/idiot_box/cenk_uygurs_daily_show_cameo__171208.asp
  16. ^ [2]
  17. ^ "Review of the Movie 'Precious'". The Young Turks. 2009-11-17.
  18. ^ MSNBC (July 16, 2010). "Prometheus Maximus Uygur Introduced on MSNBC". The Young Turks. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  19. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSJk1tOztT0

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