Dylan Ratigan

Dylan Ratigan
Dylan Ratigan
Born	Dylan Jason Ratigan (1972-04-19) April 19, 1972 Saranac Lake, New York
Occupation	Founder, Helical Holdings
Notable credit(s)	Host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show
Website	www.dylanratigan.com

Dylan Jason Ratigan (born April 19, 1972) is an American resource-tech entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, film producer and former host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show. The show was the highest-rated non-prime time show on the network, aimed at critiquing what Ratigan sees as an unholy alliance between big business and government.^[1] The Dylan Ratigan Show gained in total viewership 18%, while CNN and Fox fell 15% and 7% respectively in total audience (Year-over-Year/4pm ET). In the 18-34 demographic, The Dylan Ratigan Show gained 17%. Competitors, CNN and Fox fell 42% and 14% respectively (Year-over-Year/4pm ET). On June 10, 2012, Dylan Ratigan announced, and the New York Times reported, that he was leaving at the end of his three-year MSNBC contract.^[2] He is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post.

The former Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg L.P., Ratigan has developed and launched more than half a dozen broadcast and new media properties. They include CNBC’s Fast Money and Closing Bell, as well as DylanRatigan.com, which is home to his podcast, “Greedy Bastards Antidote.”

His first book, Greedy Bastards, was released on January 10, 2012, and spent five consecutive weeks on the New York Times Best-Sellers List.^[3]

Early life

Ratigan was born in the village of Saranac Lake, in upstate New York, the son of Adrienne (née Dodge), a psychotherapist, and John Ratigan. His grandfather, Frank Ratigan, was mayor of Saranac Lake from 1957-61.^[4]

Ratigan is of Irish (father), Hungarian Jewish (maternal grandfather) and Italian (maternal grandmother) descent.^[5][6] He was raised by his single mother.^[4] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political economy from Union College in Schenectady, where he was a member of the crew team.^[7]

Journalism career

Ratigan served as the Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg News Service, and before that had covered Mergers and Acquisitions, the U.S. Stock Market and IPOs. At Bloomberg, he co-created and hosted Morning Call for Bloomberg's cable network and the USA Network.^[7] He has served as a contributor to ABC News and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and Chicago Tribune.^[7]

Ratigan was the host of Fast Money (co-created with Susan Krakower^[7] and launching on June 21, 2006). Previously, he was the first anchor of CNBC's On the Money. He also anchored the CNBC TV program Bullseye for about a year and a half. In addition to his former duties as co-anchor on Closing Bell, Ratigan was a rotating co-anchor of The Call.

Ratigan left as host of Fast Money in 2009, provoked by outrage over the government’s handling of the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, he has dedicated his work to launching platforms that engage and debate the U.S. government on policy, while opening the door for millions to learn more about money’s often poisonous role in democracy. The New York Times reported he was considering all options but quoted him as saying he was dedicated to covering the economy, "the story that is affecting every American in every setting."^[8]

Morning Meeting launched June 29, 2009.^[9] Ratigan also contributes to other NBC News programs. Ratigan described the show's imperative as "to discuss any and all political issues with no directive other than to provide compelling content."^[10] The show was the second ever on the network to air in HD, as the network launched their programming in that format.^[11]

On May 27, 2010, Ratigan appeared as a guest host on the daily internet news and opinion show, The Young Turks. Cenk Uygur, regular host of The Young Turks was a frequent guest on The Dylan Ratigan Show.

On January 9, 2012, he appeared as a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC,^[12] discussing the premise of his book, Greedy Bastards, viz. the swindling and robbing of America by "government corruption and corporate communism, incensed by banksters shaking down taxpayers, and despairing of an ailing health care system, an age-old dependency on foreign oil, and a failing educational system".^[13]

The The Dylan Ratigan Show had its final episode on June 22, 2012.

Ratigan has appeared on tastytrade.com in a segment called "Truth of Skepticism" since January 9, 2015.

Reporting

Ratigan won the Gerald Loeb Award for 2004 coverage of the Enron scandal.^[7]

In Ratigan's final CNBC broadcast from the floor of the NYSE he reported on what he called "an important story developing" that Goldman Sachs and "a variety of European banks," in his assessment and that of his guests, essentially "perpetrated securities fraud" and an "insurance fraud scam" against AIG — and, by extension, the government and taxpayers funding that insurance company's "bailout" — by insuring their questionable investment vehicles and, upon their devaluation, making claims on them to be paid by AIG "at 100 cents on the dollar" despite all of the markdowns "being forced upon every other" entity including the government, banks, shareholders, bond holders, taxpayers and homeowners.^[14]

2011 rant

On the August 10, 2011, broadcast of The Dylan Ratigan Show, in a round table discussion of the market meltdown following the Budget Control Act of 2011, Ratigan went on a two-minute-long rant against what he perceived to be the state of politics in the United States government, saying:

"We've got a real problem! This is a mathematical fact! Tens of trillions of dollars are being extracted from the United States of America. Democrats aren't doing it, Republicans aren't doing it. An entire integrated system, financial system, trading system, taxing system, that was created by both parties over a period of two decades is at work on our entire country right now. And we're sitting here arguing about whether we should do the $4 trillion plan that kicks the can down the road for the president for 2017, or burn the place to the ground, both of which are reckless, irresponsible, and stupid."^[15]

The video of his impassioned speech went viral^[16] and was praised by other media sources. TV Newser wrote that it was "a powerful, emotional editorial on the economy and Washington".^[17] On a follow-up post on his website the day after he wrote that he had received a lot of positive mail from viewers, writing "I’m mad as hell. And according to the piles and piles of responses I got after my rant, so are you."^[18]

Other television appearances

Ratigan appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008 to discuss the financial crisis.^[19] He has also appeared on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert^[20] and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[21]

Post-television career

Since leaving MSNBC, Ratigan has become involved with hydroponic farming.^[22]

He is the founder of Helical Holdings and helped invent the company's Helical Outpost, a standardized plug-and-play resource system that produces clean water, connectivity, solar power, hydroponic produce and a community hub.

On May 21, 2013, he appeared on The Daily Show and discussed his association with a high tech hydroponic farming project employing military veterans.^[23][24] He appeared on Charlie Rose on May 23, 2013 to discuss his work with military veterans.^[25]

Dylan Ratigan currently has a regular show on tastytrade.com with Tom Sosnoff called "Truth or Skepticism".^[26]

References

External links

• Dylan Ratigan website.
• Dylan Ratigan biography on MSNBC
• Daily Beast profile of Dylan Ratigan
• From CNBC Business Journalist to Critic of Bankers on MSNBC from The New York Times