Tom Athans

Tom Athans is a media entrepreneur who is widely considered one of the creators of the Progressive Talk Radio format in the United States. He was the Co-Founder and CEO of Democracy Radio, a Washington DC based company that launched the national careers of Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller among others.

In January 2004, Athans developed and launched The Ed Schultz Show, a daily afternoon program currently heard on more than 110 stations around the country – including 8 of the top 10 markets. It is now considered the number one progressive talk show in the nation. Schultz’ radio success lead to the creation of The Ed Show, airing weekdays on MSNBC. In July 2005, The Ed Schultz Show was acquired by former Clear Channel CEO Randy Michaels. It is now ranked one of the most important talk shows in the nation by Talkers Magazine.

In September 2004, Athans developed and launched the very popular Stephanie Miller Show, in partnership with WYD Media. The Stephanie Miller Show boasts a large national following on-air and online and is ranked among the top 24 most popular radio programs nationally by Talkers Magazine. In December 2005, the program was fully acquired by WYD Media.

Other programs developed by Athans include:

The Leslie Marshall Show, a popular talk program based out of Los Angeles that is heard 7 to 10pm eastern across the nation.

Washington Monthly Magazine on the Radio, a San Francisco based program that is heard on weekends.

Athans, of Greek descent, is a native of Detroit, Michigan. Formerly a Congressional Aide in the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate, he is currently Executive Vice President of Helicon Holdings LLC in Detroit, Michigan.