Description:
--An American cable opinion show hosted by Glenn Beck that airs weekdays on Fox News Channel. The program, originally on CNN Headline News (now HLN), premiered on FNC on January 19, 2009 and now airs weekdays at 5:00 PM EST.
--Each broadcast usually begins with a brief, scripted monologue by Beck, in which he gives his analysis of the top story of the day. This is usually followed by an interview with a correspondent who continues the discussion with his or her opinions on the matter.
Although the original concept of the show combined elements of late-night talk shows (e.g., satirical comedy bits and frequent celebrity inter
--An American cable opinion show hosted by Glenn Beck that airs weekdays on Fox News Channel. The program, originally on CNN Headline News (now HLN), premiered on FNC on January 19, 2009 and now airs weekdays at 5:00 PM EST.
--Each broadcast usually begins with a brief, scripted monologue by Beck, in which he gives his analysis of the top story of the day. This is usually followed by an interview with a correspondent who continues the discussion with his or her opinions on the matter.
Although the original concept of the show combined elements of late-night talk shows (e.g., satirical comedy bits and frequent celebrity interviews) and cable news, it gradually came to center on the latter format and to use a more news-oriented style.
--The Friday broadcasts were devoted to a full-hour interview under the label Honest Questions. People interviewed included Ron Paul, Al Sharpton, Janice Dickinson, Larry King, Nancy Grace, Benjamin Netanyahu, Anderson Cooper, and Ben Stein.
--Special programs
Special programming included Exposed: The Extremist Agenda, Exposed: The Climate of Fear, and a week-long series titled America's Addiction. These programs tended to be serious examinations of the subjects without any of Beck's humorous asides.
--The Extremist Agenda, a special about Islamic extremism, aired in November 2006.
--The May 2, 2007 edition of his Glenn Beck on Headline News was a "special report" entitled, "Exposed: The Climate of Fear". In his opening remarks, Beck said, "Welcome to 'Exposed: The Climate of Fear.' I want you to know right up front, this is not a balanced look at global warming. It is the other side of the climate debate that you don't hear anywhere. Yes, Al Gore, there is another credible side."
Media Matters for America claimed that "Beck relied heavily on people with energy industry ties and others espousing positions on global warming that have been soundly debunked or rejected by the overwhelming majority of scientists studying climate change."
--Glenn Beck's self-titled television show on The Fox News Channel premiered on January 19, 2009. Since switching to Fox News Channel, Beck has gained more viewers. Beck's format includes the use of diagrams and visual aids. His recurring segments include "Use Your Head" and "The One Thing".
Recently, he had a Special Program called "The New Republic" which aired August 23–28, 2009, and in weeks since, when events warrant it. In October 2009, the show started using the title "Refounding America". "The 9/12 Project" is used for specials related to the website of the same name.
Criticism of White House officials
[edit]Van Jones
Further information: Resignation
Van Jones resigned from his position as Special Advisor to the president in September 2009 after becoming a major subject of news stories on programs such as Glenn Beck, after lesser known conservative groups had first aired concerns as early as April. The early critics received coverage from Fox News, notably from Fox commentator Glenn Beck, who featured Jones on 14 episodes of his show. They forced Van Jones in July and August 2009 to defend his past including membership in a socialist group and support for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a death row prisoner convicted of killing a police officer. Editors credited Beck with his "first scalp", noting that the Huffington Post expressed continued support for Jones, singling out the efforts of Glenn Beck to force his resignation, though Beck was not the first to voice concerns about the appointment.
--Anita Dunn
Further information: Controversies as White House Communications Director
Anita Dunn, as interim White House Communications Director, made critical statements of Fox News. Following her statements, Beck aired a clip, from June 5, 2009, of Dunn giving a speech to high school students. She stated "two of my favorite political philosophers, Mao Zedong and Mother Teresa -- not often coupled with each other -- but the two people that I turn to most to basically deliver a simple point, which is, 'You're going to make choices, you're going to challenge, you're going to say, why not?, you're going to figure out how to do things that have never been done before." Beck was critical of Dunn as he questioned what he alleged was a pattern of communist sympathy.
--Beck's shows have been described as a "mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future ... capturing the feelings of an alienated class of Americans." Beck has referred to himself as an entertainer, a rodeo clown and identified with Howard Beale "When he came out of the rain and he was like, none of this makes any sense. I am that guy."
Beck's style of expressing his candid opinions have helped make his shows successful, but have also resulted in protest and advertiser boycotts. In late July 2009, Beck argued that reparations and social justice were driving President Obama's agenda, discussing issues of diversity and institutional racism. That week in response to the Henry Gates controversy, Beck stated that Obama has repeatedly exposed himself as having, "a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture." He concluded that, "I'm not saying he doesn't like white people. I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist." These remarks drew criticism from MSNBC commentators, the NAACP, and resulted in as many as 80[citation needed] advertisers boycotting both Glenn Beck's show and the Fox News channel.
Time describes Beck as "the new populist superstar of Fox News" saying it is easier to see a set of attitudes rather than a specific ideology, noting his criticism of Wall Street, yet defending bonuses to AIG and denouncing conspiracies against FEMA but warning against indoctrination of children by the AmeriCorps program. Time concludes that "what unites Beck's disparate themes is a sense of siege" but notes that Beck describes his (radio) program as "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment."
According to Nielsen ratings, Beck has had the highest rated 5PM cable news show since March 2009, consistently beating his competition's combined total viewership. Beck was up 96% in 2009, from Fox's previous year 5 p.m. time slot.
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