Glenn Beck to go off the Air

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http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/04/glenn-beck-to-go-off-the-air/1

Glenn Beck and Fox announced jointly that he will be "transitioning off air". In a congenial statement it was stated that he will still be working with Fox to produce Shows. Although his viewership has plummeted 40%, he still brings in a much bigger audience than cable news competition in his time slot.

The question is Fox pushing him out? In an article from "Entertainment Weekly", it was reported that David Carr from the Times hinted that anonymous sources from Fox suggested that Beck was putting a dent in the credibility of Fox with off message rants like - the Bi-Racial President as a Racist - and Fox may also be losing advertising dollars.

I found Beck entertaining with his colorful approach to popular culture commentary, but wondered how long he would last, considering Fox's concern over their image as a cable News network to be taken seriously.

Looks like he may go the way of Rush Limbough, who also once had a popular TV show. I'm sure we will hear Beck on the radio for some time to come.

I never really listened to anything he had to say. Occasionally I'd run across his tv show, I thought it was hilarious to turn the sound down and mimic all his crazy hand movements.

Is it true? Really, really true?

The personalities on Fox have been so predictable for years. I was shocked to see such an unusual personality on Fox. The personality, though, was much different than the one Beck presented on Headline News.

I think the audience he brought in bought Beck creative freedom, that would not have been extended to someone else at Fox. But, I think the cost of credibility ended up being more of a concern to Fox as his viewership and advertising dollars dwindle.

Really, Really. CNN has been reporting it all day long. I'm sure Beck will talk about it at length, today on his TV show.

It is confirmed that it is a business deal between Fox News and Glenn Beck, it is actually on Beck's website.

NEW YORK— FOX News and Mercury Radio Arts, Glenn Beck’s production company, are proud to announce that they will work together to develop and produce a variety of television projects for air on the FOX News Channel (FNC) as well as content for other platforms including FOX News’ digital properties. Glenn intends to transition off of his daily program, the third highest rated in all of cable news, later this year.

http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/04/06/fox ... agreement/

I'm also going to go out on a limb and suggest that there may be some health issues as well, particularly his eyesight.

I doubt Fox is concerned with credibility, or they probably would have pulled him a while ago... Anyways, as Inuyasha stated, it was business related.

I didn't know that. I wish him good health

Or, when the Fox News people looked at the research he had to back up what he said, they knew he hadn't lost his mind and could back up what he said.



Thank you, I ended up finally going to Beck's site to see if there was an announcement.



It was reported about last year, and it is why Beck has been wearing glasses more and more often, I'm guessing it might not be enough anymore. Kinda sad, because he reads a lot, and also writes books.

I was aware of the issue with his eyesight. And it has been a publically known issue since last Summer. I left a third option on the poll, if somone considered this the reason. It is likely if it was the reason, that it would be mentioned in the press; no reason to hide it since the public was already aware of the general issue.

I think the fact of the success that Beck had in his viewership, was the element that kept Fox in the game as long as they did.

Similiar situation with Olbermann at MSNBC. He had the highest viewership among shows but, was released when concerns over his behavior and the network image were no longer acceptable for the network.

There is a tipping point for every situation, where the cost exceeds the benefit. And I think Fox found themselves at that point. Otherwise it would not have made much sense to take someone of the air that beat the other networks, 3 to 1 in popularity, even after a 40 percent drop in viewership for Beck's show. Unless, it was a decision initiated by Beck.

A congenial agreement between Beck and Fox, would be the only sensible way to present this, considering the number of loyal viewers that Beck has.

If it was announced that they were letting him go because some of his opinions did not match the image the network wants to present, those loyal viewers of Beck, might have become disillusioned with the network as a whole.

It is likely that Beck will elaborate further on the statement released in the press, today on his show. If he indicates it is because of his eyesight; the speculation as to other reasons will be a moot issue for me.

From what I understand Beck thinks he's bigger than just a TV show now and wants to move on to other things. I remember hearing he wanted to start his own TV network not too long ago. I don't think he was forced out, he's a cash cow.

I hope Judge Napolitano gets his time slot tho. The Judge is amazing. Apparently he is the frontrunner according to sources.

Also, the ratings were still pretty good. The drop had more to do with the big international stories in Egypt, Libya, and Japan. CNN has better international coverage(one of the few networks to still have foreign bureaus) and have pretty much exclusively covered that for over a month or two now.

Last edited by Jacoby on 06 Apr 2011, 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

This is ssssoooo sad. Now the day when Glenn Beck will be taken off the set in a straightjacket will never come!

He's gonna start his own News Corpse channel. Like Oprah's O channel....the G channel. Featuring the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, and Mr Beck himself on occassions (though I'd imagine he'll be more behind the scenes directing the vision itself rather than being on air as often).


At least, that's my guess.

I think that he may not be ready to admit it has gotten really bad or is progressing at a rate that it is affecting his ability see even large type. Beck used to not wear glasses on his program, now you see him wear them more and more often. I think they've gotten thicker over time too.



Fox News has had no problem with viewership compared to the other news agencies.



Fox News is entering into a deal with Glenn Beck, that could be argued as a promotion, they can't exactly take anyone in prime time off the air, because they get extremely good ratings too. If it was his behavior, they wouldn't be entering into a business deal with him where he is a Producer and helps develop some of their specials.



There are a number of factors that would influence those numbers, and actually it wouldn't surprise me if it is Glenn Beck that initiating it.



If that were the story, they wouldn't be making him a producer on joint projects for specials they would have him semi-retire.



They wouldn't be having him handle digital media and their website if that were the case.


It could also be that he is going to be taking an extended vacation so he can learn braille (sp?) and will be back. If they were trying to get rid of him they wouldn't be giving him more of a say as to what goes on.



That would explain the partnership with Fox News and would give them 3 news channels instead of 2.

To claim that Fox News isn't a legitimate news agency is a bit of a stretch when you consider the fact that CNN ended up having a retired CIA agent literally scold a CNN anchor telling them to stop covering for Obama on national television.

The deal that Fox made with Beck, is obviously of benefit to both parties involved. I don't doubt they see Beck as an asset in these future endeavors. My opinion, though is Fox wants someone else to replace him on air.

Either Fox decided they no longer wanted him on air or Beck decided he no longer wanted to be on air at Fox, and/or move on to other things. Either way he wasn't fired from Fox, his responsibilities have changed through negotiation.

Chances are, publically it will always be called a mutual agreement; speculation here is about who initiated the change and the reasons behind it.

Beck's ratings have been plummeting for some time, and he has also been costing Fox sponsors. There are probably additional credibility concerns, as almost all the Fox "news" and opinion shows have been dropping in the ratings. But this is primarily a business decision. Beck isn't getting the ratings/sponsorship that Fox expects, so they aren't going to have him on the air anymore.

The dollars come in through sponsorship. Some of the reason behind the loss of sponsorship is because some sponsors no longer want to be associated with the views that Beck expresses on his show. A boycott of advertisers was somewhat effective to this cause. The issue of creditability may be more of one with the sponsors than fox.

I agree here, that Fox is making a business decision; based on an analysis of future profitability. In my opinion it is a decision initiated by Fox; and not by Beck.