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Glenn Beck

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File:The Real America.jpg
Glenn Beck appears on the cover of his 2003 book, The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland.

Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is a conservative American talk-radio and television host.

His show, The Glenn Beck Program, is syndicated by 234 radio stations and on XM Satellite Radio, in the continental United States and Puerto Rico. It is the third highest-ranked national talk radio show among adults ages 25 to 54, according to Premiere Research/Arbitron.

On January 17 2006, CNN announced that Beck would have an hour-long television show on CNN Headline News; his show first aired May 8 2006.

Career

Beck started in radio when he was 13 years old in Seattle, Washington by winning a local radio contest to be a DJ for an hour. Beck quickly drew the favor of his new colleagues and was granted a part-time job. He hosted Christian radio on Saturday, rock on Sunday and country on weeknights, but lost the job when he failed to complete a shift due to a migraine headache.

After high school graduation, Beck pursued his career as a Top 40 DJ, and experienced success and rapid growth in radio during his 20s. Beck was a DJ on WKCI (KC101), a Top 40 radio station in Hamden, Connecticut, hosting the local morning show. Originally the show was billed as the "Glenn and Pat Show" with co-host Pat Gray. Later when Pat left the show, Beck continued with co-host Vinnie Penn.

Years later, he began to explore the world of talk radio with a one hour program on KC101's sister station WELI. Beck then worked at WFLA-AM and launched The Glenn Beck Program during the afternoon drive, filling the slot vacated by Bob Lassiter. Beck hosted the new radio show, combining politics and comedy. In the first year, The Glenn Beck Program move from 18th place to the #1 position. Within 18 months, Premiere Radio Networks, the leading radio syndication company in the country, offered Beck the opportunity to go national. In January 2002, The Glenn Beck Program launched on 47 stations growing to 234 stations by September 2006. With over three million listeners it was ranked 8th in the nation[1] and 3rd among listeners age 25 - 54.

Also in January 2006, CNN Headline News announced that Beck would host an hour long show during prime time. Glenn Beck on Headline News debuted in June 2006.

Personal life

Beck grew up in Mount Vernon, Washington. At age 14 his mother, an alcoholic, committed suicide by drowning herself in a bay near Tacoma. More family tragedies followed shortly afterward as one of his brothers-in-law committed suicide in Wyoming and another had a fatal heart attack.

Beck became a self-admitted alcoholic and drug addict. By age 30 his addictions had consumed him, causing him to become in his own words "a despicable human being." The addictions culminated in a period of intense unhappiness and the disintegration of his first marriage, which had produced two children.

With the help of family and Alcoholics Anonymous, Beck stopped drinking and using drugs. He subsequently converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[2] and remarried.

Beck cites his 18-year-old daughter, Mary (named after Beck's mother), as one of the reasons he was able to overcome his addictions. Mary was born with cerebral palsy. Doctors predicted she would never walk or feed herself. She has since been able to do both, and runs cross-country for her school. Beck now describes himself as "a work in progress." Beck also has a second daughter from his first marriage, Hannah (born 1991).

In addition to challenges posed by substance abuse, Beck has also been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. He has recommended to listeners with similar symptoms to seek out their own diagnosis from medical personnel.

In late 2005, Beck announced that he and his wife Tania were expecting their first biological child together (the couple has adopted a son, named Raphe, born in September 2004). Cheyenne Grace Beck was born just after midnight on April 30, 2006.

Political views

"I am a conservative who doesn't happen to be a Republican," Beck often says while on-air. On his show, Beck addresses many current political, social, and economic issues. While most of Beck's commentary is from a conservative viewpoint, he does not self-identify as a Republican.

Political correctness

Beck dislikes political correctness and often mocks emerging politically-correct phrases. For instance, during the Christmas season Beck plays a "politically correct" version of O Holy Night. The lyrics have been changed to remove all reference to religion and gender, and the song is re-titled, O Somewhat Important Night. Beck has said "political correctness is the classic Great Idea Gone Wrong. All it's done is shut us up. It hasn't changed anybody's mind. It hasn't changed our hearts. It's changed our faces. It's taken every opinion we have, it's taken every joke we have, and it's forced us to conceal it and hide it and bury it. It's made us superficial." [3]

George W. Bush

Beck generally agrees with the policies of George W. Bush. On November 3, 2004, the day after the 2004 presidential election, Beck had a special show entitled "Gloat Fest 2004," where he gloated over the victories of Bush and the Republicans over John Kerry and the Democrats. (He stated that, had Bush lost, it would have been called "Pity Party 2004.")

Beck sometimes questions the Bush administration, however, including border security, government spending, some aspects of the Iraq War, and the nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court. As illegal immigration and other issues came to the forefront in the early summer of 2006, Beck became much more critical of the Bush administration, to the point that some of his listeners accused him of becoming a liberal Democrat or pandering to the CNN audience. Beck asserts that he is more conservative than the President, and that his conservative fans need not worry.

Global warming

Beck has ridiculed environmentalism and the theory of global warming. Beck recognizes that global climate change is always occurring, but is skeptical of the scientific opinion on climate change that global warming is largely attributable to human activity and that it may pose a threat to human civilization. [4] Beck complains that he perceives there to be an under-reporting of scientific findings that do not support the theory of global warming.

Other issues

Beck describes himself as having libertarian leanings (though he has stated that he feels libertarianism does not work without individuals' self-imposed moral limits) and a strong sense of family values. Beck's views are closer to Ayn Rand's Objectivism. His stated opinions include being pro-life, including being opposed to euthanasia and capital punishment, though he approves of torture as a means of exploiting known terrorist information. He is critical of political correctness and the entertainment industry, and is opposed to anti-smoking regulations. He describes himself as pro-business and against raising the minimum wage. During the summer of 2006, he began to repeatedly refer to the War on Terror as the Third World War.

Criticism

Beck has been accused of using "hateful rhetoric" by his critics, some going so far as to call him a "professional hatemonger". A liberal media watchdog group, FAIR, has specifically criticized Beck for statements he has made concerning Michael Berg, Michael Moore, Hurricane Katrina victims, and 9-11 victims.[5]

Beck responds to such criticism by saying that his quotes are taken out of context. When specifically asked about the "I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore" quote, Beck responded:[6]

The words reported were technically accurate, but they neglected to note the whole setup of the conversation and how it was all part of a comedy monologue. They didn't include my obvious joking with a caller and commenting that "this whole conversation is all so wrong." If you want to take comedy out of context and put it into a sterile room labeled "Talk radio," it's going to look terrible in print. ... The problem is, the folks who were protesting are just not paying attention. The people writing in to newspapers and complaining the most were people who don't even listen to the show.

CNN announcement (2006)

Criticism of Beck rose sharply in January 2006 when CNN Headline News announced that Beck would host a daily television program during prime time. Media Matters, a liberal website, had posted a total of six articles relating to Beck from the years 2004 and 2005. During the first six months of 2006 Beck was highlighted in 43 articles, each containing scathing criticism and animosity for Beck and CNN from Media Matters forum members.[7] Many petitions circulated on liberal-oriented blogs requesting participants to email CNN to voice their outrage at CNN's hiring of Beck, and to attempt to block the show from premiering in May of that year.

Glenn Beck Program

Main article: Glenn Beck Program

The Glenn Beck Program began in 2000 airing on WFLA (AM) in Tampa, Florida, and took the afternoon time slot from 18th place to #1 within a year. [8] In January 2002, syndicator Premiere Radio Networks launched the show nation wide on 47 stations. The show was then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it picked up new flagship station WPHT-AM. In the spring of 2006 Beck relocated his studios to Radio City Music Hall in New York City in preparation for his new TV show with CNN Headline News.

Beck's show is often compared to talk radio programs of hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage. Beck's show differs in that it contains less discussion about politics, and more social commentary and humor. Beck frequently says that he hates politics, and claims that his show contains "half the politics and twice the comedy" and "is not about Left and Right, it's about right and wrong."

Beck has also devoloped a football prediction method, which entails calling conveinence store workers in the cities playing against each other. He asks the "shelf replenishing engineers" relevant questions about the news of the week, and predicts the winner of the football game by whoever wins the trivia game. This game, entitled More-on trivia, is described by Beck as " a way to make yourself feel better, and laugh at the contestants". Beck has invented a character to host the show, Flap Jackson. He tells the contestants that he is calling from "109.9, The Big Frog." A fan created website that documents the entirity of Moron (More-on) trivia can be found here.

"The Glenn Beck Program" is currently the third most listened to national radio talk show among adults ages 25 to 54 according to Premiere Research/Arbitron.[9] The program can be heard live on weekdays from 9AM - Noon ET (with a "best of" weekend edition on some affiliates). During this time, listeners may call into the show to voice their opinions.

Glenn Beck on Headline News

Beck is the host of a weeknight hour-long show on CNN Headline News which premiered on May 8, 2006.

CNN Headline News calls Beck's show "an unconventional look at the news of the day featuring his often amusing perspective on the top stories from world events and politics to pop culture and everyday hassles."[10] Beck's TV program is not supposed to be a traditional news program. He says it is a news talk show for people who can't take the news anymore.[11]

At the time CNN hired Beck, his radio show was the third highest-ranked national radio talk show among adults ages 25 to 54 according to Premiere Research/Arbitron.[12]

The show's ratings have consistently improved since its second month; with a low of 79,000 demo viewers in June 2006, to a high of 149,000 in September. However, it still lags behind programs like Hardball with Chris Matthews in total viewership.

Glenn Beck on Headline News airs nightly at 7:00pm Eastern Time, repeating at 9:00 pm and 12:00 am.

Live events

File:Glenn-Beck-Rally.jpg
Glenn Beck on stage during his "Rally for America" in 2003.

In March of 2003, Beck ran a series of rallies called "Glenn Beck's Rally for America" in support of the troops fighting the war in Iraq. While generally attended by war supporters, Beck spoke of many who "disagreed with the war, but still supported the troops." He ran the final rally at Marshall University over the Memorial Day weekend. The event drew an estimated 25,000 people.

In subsequent years, Beck has toured American cities twice a year, presenting a one-man stage show. His stage productions are a mix of standup comedy and inspirational speaking.[13]

Winter tour

For his annual winter tour, "Glenn Beck's Christmas Tour", Beck focuses on a Christmas theme.

Summer tour

In 2005 the summer show, "Glenn Beck on Ice", focused on the need to diminish the role of politics in our lives. The 2006 summer show, "The Mid-Life Crisis Tour" featured life's lessons from the perspective of a middle aged man.

Gasparilla

Each year in January, Beck and Steve Burguiere return to their original home station of 970 WFLA to provide commentary on the yearly Gasparilla Parade.

Book and magazine

Beck has authored The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland (ISBN 0-7434-8633-1). Beck also is the founder and editor of a magazine called Fusion, which is a play on The Glenn Beck Program's motto, "the Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment," and is a comedy publication. A recurring item in Fusion is the future obituary of famous people. Those included in this segment so far are Michael Jackson (Vol. 1, Issue 1), J.K. Rowling (Vol. 1, Issue 2), Osama bin Laden (Vol. 1, Issue 3), and Helen Thomas (Vol. 1, Issue 4). Others include Yo Mama and the South Beach Diet. Fans who went to the 2005 "Glenn Beck: On Ice" tour received the first issue.

References

  1. ^ "The Top Talk Radio Audiences". Talkers magazine. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "Popular national radio personality Glenn Beck is LDS". www.abc4.com. Retrieved 2006-08-07. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Glenn Beck. The Real America: Messages From the Heart and Heartland.
  4. ^ "Questioning extent of global warming..." www.mediamatters.org. Retrieved 2006-08-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "CNN's "Cordial" Hire". www.fair.org. Retrieved 2006-08-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Al Peterson (June 2005). "Not Just Another Conservative" (PDF). radioandrecords.com.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  7. ^ "Glenn Beck Search Results". www.mediamatters.org. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "About the Glenn Beck Program". www.glennbeck.com. Retrieved 2006-08-02. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Anchors & Reporters, Glenn Beck". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Glenn Beck". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Tom Dorsey (2006-07-20). "Beyond headlines". The Courier-Journal.
  12. ^ "Anchors & Reporters, Glenn Beck". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Al Peterson (June 2005). "Not Just Another Conservative" (PDF). radioandrecords.com.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
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Official websites

Sites opposed to Beck

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