Ron Hendren Ron Hendren is a journalist and television personality. He is best known as one of the original hosts of Entertainment Tonight, joining the syndicated television show at its debut in 1981. Hendren had a brief career in politics, working for politicians that included Sargent Shriver, Stephen M. Young, and B. Everett Jordan. He transferred to a journalism career with a self-syndicated news column in 1972, which was subsequently picked up and distributed nationally as Ron Hendren In Washington by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. This led to a career as an on-air commentator and critic at the NBC owned and operated station WRC-TV in Washington D.C.. During his tenure at WRC, Hendren was a visiting lecturer in journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park. Hendren joined the Today Show in 1979, becoming the first on-air network television critic in the United States. He joined Entertainment Tonight in 1981 while at the same time continuing a daily local commentary on KNBC News. Hendren also hosted a nationally syndicated radio program, "TV Tonight with Ron Hendren." After leaving Entertainment Tonight in 1984, Hendren hosted nationally syndicated television programs including "All About Us" and "BreakThrough: Television's Journal of Science and Medicine." Early life and education Hendren attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in journalism and political science. While at UNC, he was a member of the Men's Residence Council and also wrote for The Daily Tar Heel, the school's independent student newspaper. He was named North Carolina's outstanding young leader of 1963 and graduated as a Whitaker Scholar. He moved to Washington D.C. after graduating in 1967. He later went on to attend The George Washington University Law School, but left prior to graduating. Hendren joined the North Carolina National Guard where he served from 1968–69, moving on to the United States Army Reserve where he served until 1974. Career Hendren's career was initially transitioning into the world of politics. He was a member of President Richard Nixon's Youth Advisory Council on Selective Service in 1969. He went on to become a staff aide to the Hon. R. Sargent Shriver, who headed the Office of Economic Opportunity. He also served as a legislative assistant to then Senator Stephen M. Young (D-Ohio) and later to B. Everett Jordan (D-N.C.). By 1972, Hendren left politics to begin his own Washington news column that was syndicated to more than 100 college and weekly newspapers. Hendren became known for his journalism by the mid-1970s with his nationally syndicated newspaper column. About his writing, Editor & Publisher stated, "Ron Hendren sees Washington through eyes still shining with the fire of youth....he gives political columning a new and refreshing twist." In 1975, his column was picked up for national distribution by the Los Angeles Times. During his time with the column, he wrote on many political issues including Turkey–United States relations with Gerald Ford, the equal-time rule as it applies to television stations and presidential candidates, and the investigation of Vice President Spiro Agnew and his subsequent resignation from office. Hendren also began television commentary, working for WRC-TV in Washington. The station expanded his role there to make him the first on-air critic of television in the nation. He subsequently joined KQED (TV), the public television station in San Francisco as a commentator, for which he won a regional Emmy in 1978. In 1979, Hendren joined the Today Show as its resident television critic, making him the first on-air network television critic in the United States. Part of Hendren's responsibilities included reviewing programming for the networks, including NBC's own