Clark Howard
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| Clark Howard | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1955 |
| Occupation | Syndicated Talk radio host, Consumer Advocate, & Author |
| Spouse | Lane Howard |
Clark Howard (born June 20, 1955), is a popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program "The Clark Howard Show". The show, mainly dealing in consumer matters, airs from radio station WSB in Atlanta, Georgia.
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[edit] Life
Clark Howard is a self-made millionaire who made his fortune in the travel agency business. Howard graduated from the Westminster Schools in Atlanta and then received a bachelor's in urban government from American University in 1976. He received his master's of business management from Central Michigan University in 1977. In 1987, he retired from a travel agency business he had founded back in 1981 and began giving travel advice in guest appearances on Atlanta radio. His segments were so popular that he was soon given his own radio show. On Fridays, Clark devotes an hour of his show to Atlanta listeners in need of travel advice. This segment, called the Friday Flier, usually airs from 3-4 p.m. in Atlanta. He often suggests to Atlanta residents looking for deals to the West Coast, to drive to Birmingham to get cheaper deals.
Clark explained on air that he was joining the Georgia State Defense Force (a non-federal branch of the Georgia Department of Defense, similar to the Georgia National Guard) shortly after the terrorist attacks of 2001. He explained to his listeners that joining the Guard was a way for him to give back and serve the country he loves.
Clark has also hinted that he will be running for political office sometime in the future, stating on the The Neal Boortz Show that he is "not yet" ready to announce his candidacy for office.
[edit] Media Personality
Clark also regularly appears on WSB-TV in Atlanta, which are occasionally also broadcast by other Cox television stations nationwide. His TV appearances offers consumer warnings scams, consumer warnings and consumer tips. Howard has a column in the Cox-owned newspaper AJC as well. He is syndicated by Cox Radio and Jones Radio Networks. Clark was featured in a Discovery Health Channel special on the where he and his wife Lane discuss money matters with couples struggling with their finances.
Although his radio show is supported in part by national sponsors, Clark has stated on air he does not accept money for personal endorsements. This is of note as he often states strongly-worded opinions and research, both pro and con, on various consumer issues, companies, and products.
He started several civic programs in the community, such as Atlanta Volunteer Action, Volunteer Action, Inc., The Big Buddy Program, and Career Action. With help from his listeners, Clark has built 23 homes around the Atlanta area for Habitat for Humanity. In 1993, Howard opened the Consumer Action Center, an advice service for consumer questions which is staffed by 140 volunteers.
In 2006, Howard appeared at the meeting of the mouths with Sean Hannity and Neal Boortz in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton is the original home of Cox Enterprises, which employs both Howard and Boortz.
Also in 2006, Clark Howard began hosting the series "Get Clark Smart with Clark Howard" on Rainbow Media's free VOD Channel Mag Rack. This 20 episode series has shows featuring information on "Buying a New Home", "Kids & Money", "Saving for College", "Buying a Used Car", "Home Renovations" and more.
[edit] Author
Howard is author of several books on consumer tips and bargains. His books include Clark Smart Parents, Clark Smart Kids, Clark's Big Book of Bargains, (2003) and Get Clark Smart: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rich From America's Money-Saving Expert, (2002) and is currently working on a new book about Realestate Investing. Clark's "Get Clark Smart", made it to No. 6 on The New York Times "Best Seller" list for "How-To Books." And his Big Book of Bargains made it to No. 7 and No. 11 on The New York Times "Best Seller" list for "Business Books."
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Clark Howard takes on Bank of America
A San Francisco man, Matthew Shinnick, was arrested and jailed when he tried to cash a check at a Bank of America branch after receiving it from someone who had seen his ad for bicycles on Craig's List. Matthew listed the bicycles for $600. Someone, reportedly from Canada, emailed Matthew agreeing to purchase the bikes sight unseen. Shortly thereafter, Matthew received a check in the mail for $2000. He took the check to a local Bank of America branch and asked the teller if sufficient funds were in the account listed on the check as Clark suggests to his listeners. The teller replied in the affirmative, and Matthew decided to cash the check. While the transaction was processing, a red flag caught the attention of the teller who called the owner of the checking account to verify the check. The account owner informed the teller that no check had been written to Matthew at which point the teller reported it to her manager. The manager alerted the police and once they arrived Matthew was promptly handcuffed and taken to a room with no communication from the officers or the bank. BofA then decided to press charges, and Matthew was then arrested for check fraud.[1]
Consumer advocate Clark Howard found out about this story and spoke with the man, Matthew Shinnick, who has spent about $14,000 in legal fees to clear his name. Matthew sat in the bank branch for hours while police figured out what to do and then spent the night in jail. Once he was released and not charged, he wanted to clear his name legally so the arrest would not come back to haunt him. Matthew asked BofA to pay his legal fees, but having felt they did nothing wrong, BofA declined. After speaking with BofA, Clark Howard then decided to do something he has never done on air, and asked his listeners to close their Bank of America accounts because of what he feels is unfair treatment of Matthew. [2] Clark feels that banks have lobbied congress to pass unfair laws for consumers and that BofA could have been more humane.[3] A "BofA Money Loss Meter" on his site reports that listeners have allegedly withdrawn several million dollars and closed their accounts.[4] After a second on air conversation with two officers from BofA (Alexandra and John), Clark then had an off air discussion and
| “ | he was standing his ground with the challenge. He also told them they had not provided people with a way to verify possibly fraudulent checks without being arrested. Bank of America officials still had no answer and admitted no wrongdoing. At that point, Clark gave them an out and said he'd be willing to pay for half of Matthew's legal fees if they paid the other half. They refused. And, so the story continues. [5] | ” |
Clark Howard spoke live on the Neal Boortz radio show at 11:45 a.m. on October 4, 2006 that "BofA is considering taking legal action against me." He also stated his listeners claimed to have taken "$27 million out of their accounts" on air (as of October 4, 2006). As a result of this story, a CNN business reporter is following Clark Howard around (per Clark's statement on the Neal Boortz show).
The current BOA meter as of November 7, 2006 shows his listeners claiming to have moved over $50 million out of their accounts.[4]
[edit] Criticism
Clark has sparred on-air with people who sell annuities. Financial advisors have called or written, challenging Clark that his anti-annuity stance is wrong and that it affects their welfare.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Check from a scammer bounces victim into jail. David Lazarus (San Francisco Chronicle) (2006-08-30). Retrieved on October 3, 2006.
- ^ Clark's statement. Clark Howard. Retrieved on October 3, 2006.
- ^ http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/2006/09/25/#next>
- ^ a b http://clarkhoward.com/topics/boa_meter.html
- ^ Notes for Sept. 09, 2006 show. Clark Howard (2006-09-25). Retrieved on October 3, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Clark Howard's website
- 750 WSB Radio - Clark Howard's "home" station
- Cox Radio Syndication
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution blog site on Atlanta's radio stations.
[edit] Books
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (1999). Clark Howard's Consumer Survival Kit III, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 1563525062.
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (2000). Get Clark Smart : The Ultimate Guide for the Savvy Consumer, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 1563526298.
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (2002). Get Clark Smart: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rich from America's Money-Saving Expert, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 078688777X.
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (2003). Clark's Big Book of Bargains : Clark Howard Teaches You How to Get the Best Deals, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 0786887788.
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (2005). Clark Smart Parents, Clark Smart Kids : Teaching Kids of Every Age the Value of Money, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 0786887796.
- Howard, Clark; Meltzer, Mark (April 10, 2006). Clark Smart Real Estate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Selling Real Estate, Paperback, Longstreet Pr. ISBN 140130785X.
