Mark Hyman (commentator)

American political commentator and TV executive

Mark E. Hyman is an American political commentator and former television executive. He was vice president for corporate relations for Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest chain of local television stations in the United States, until 2005.[1] Hyman became a visible presence during local news broadcasts over Sinclair's stations, many of which aired on The Point—a controversial daily televised commentary presented by Hyman. In 2010, Hyman's commentaries returned to select Sinclair-owned stations under the title Behind the Headlines with Mark Hyman.[2]

## Biography

[edit]

Hyman is a 1981 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was a captain in the United States Navy Reserve.[3][4] He was a vice president and spokesman of Sinclair Broadcast Group and until 2000 was its lobbyist in Washington, D.C.[5]

## The Point

[edit]

Beginning in 2001, he created conservative one-minute editorial segments called, The Point that were broadcast on many of the group's 62 stations, at the end of local news programs.[6]

The program became known for its political commentary.[7] Hyman gave his opinions on topics such as perceived liberal bias in media, rise of agnosticism in America, and terrorism.[8][9] During the 2004 US presidential election period he favored incumbent George W. Bush, and criticized Democratic opponent John Kerry.[10] Sinclair Broadcast supported the US-led war in Iraq, and Hyman went to Iraq with a Sinclair news crew to find positive stories to counteract negative media coverage.[9][10][4][11]

On November 2, 2006, after more than five years and 2,000 daily commentaries, Hyman announced he planned to drop his daily commentary at the end of the month, citing a desire to spend more time with his four children.[12][13] The final The Point commentary aired on November 30.

## After The Point

[edit]

Hyman continues to offer his conservative opinions in print and online for American Spectator magazine.[14] Hyman's editorials returned to select Sinclair-owned stations in a dozen TV markets under the title Behind the Headlines with Mark Hyman in December 2010.[2]

Hyman retired from Behind the Headlines in 2018, due to brain tumor that was later found to be non-cancerous.[15][16]

He authored a book about various scandals in American history, published in October 2019: Washington Babylon: From George Washington to Donald Trump, Scandals that Rocked the Nation.[17][18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "01/03/17 – Washington Post & Wikipedia". behind the headlines. January 3, 2017. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
2. ^ a b Behind the Headlines with Mark Hyman Archived February 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
3. ^ "About Mark Hyman". behind the headlines. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
4. ^ a b Folkenflik, David (January 30, 2004). "Sinclair crew to cover Iraq". The Baltimore Sun.
5. ^ Jensen, Elizabeth (May 8, 2004). "Sinclair Broadcast Group thrusts itself into the news". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
6. ^ Heffter, Emily (April 12, 2013). "Sinclair known for conservative political tilt". The Seattle Times.
7. ^ Romano, Allison (November 3, 2006). "Sinclair No Longer Gets "The Point"". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006.
8. ^ Hylton, Wil S. (November 6, 2005). "Not Necessarily the News". GQ. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
9. ^ a b Kolhatkar, Sheelah (October 15, 2018). "The Growth of Sinclair's Conservative Media Empire". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
10. ^ a b Kurtz, Howard; Ahrens, Frank (October 12, 2004). "Family's TV Clout in Bush's Corner". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
11. ^ Matthews, Dylan (April 3, 2018). "Sinclair Broadcast Group, the pro-Trump, conservative company taking over local news, explained". Vox.
12. ^ Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ Madigan, Nick (November 3, 2006). "Hyman to stop his The Point remarks, says 'I'm exhausted'". The Baltimore Sun.
14. ^ "Jeremiah Wright Foreign Policy" Archived June 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine by Mark Hyman, The American Spectator, June 26, 2009
15. ^ "'Behind the Headlines' commentator announces he has brain tumor, is stepping down". KBAK. January 11, 2018.
16. ^ Bonis, Liz (September 18, 2018). "'Behind the Headlines' commentator who had brain tumor has message to share". WKRC. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
17. ^ "Mark Hyman's new book highlights presidential scandals throughout the years". WZTV. October 28, 2019.
18. ^ Fannon, Riley (October 29, 2019). "Detailing scandals across American history". KTVO.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Appearances on C-SPAN