Thomas William Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American writer
and critic of television programming and operations. He is best known
as the television critic for The Washington Post, for which Shales
received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1988. He also writes a
column for the television news trade publication NewsPro, published by
Crain Communications.Shales was born in Elgin, Illinois, the son of
Hulda Louise (née Reko) and Clyde LeRoy Shales. Shales's first
professional job was with radio station WRMN/WRMN-FM in Elgin at the
age of 18. He served on the station's disc jockey, local news
reporter, writer and announcer, on both the AM and FM bands. He later
worked with Voice of America as a producer of broadcasts to the Far
East.Shales was born in Elgin, Illinois, the son of Hulda Louise (née
Reko) and Clyde LeRoy Shales. Shales's first professional job was with
radio station WRMN/WRMN-FM in Elgin at the age of 18. He served on the
station's disc jockey, local news reporter, writer and announcer, on
both the AM and FM bands. He later worked with Voice of America as a
producer of broadcasts to the Far East.Shales graduated from American
University in Washington, D.C., where he was editor-in-chief of the
student newspaper, The Eagle, for the 1966â€"1967 academic year, as
well as the paper's movie critic.Shales worked as entertainment editor
at the Washington Examiner from 1968 to 1971. He joined The Washington
Post as a writer in the Style section in 1972, was named chief
television critic in July 1977, and was appointed TV editor in June
1979. The Washington Post Writers Group syndicated his column since
1979. Shales wrote for The Washington Post for several decades, but
left the paper effective December 31, 2010. Tom Shales Top Movies & Young Movies