Glenn Beck... Like him? Hate him?

[IceBergSLiM]

I like when he cries.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

I disagree with him but I think he is funny. Basically he is an epic troll.

He used to be a radio dj here in Phoenix and called a rival station's wife on air because she had just had a miscarriage and he wanted to make fun of her for it.

These days he trolls democrats.

 

[Linflas]

If nothing else the rage he manages to incite in "progressives" is pretty damned entertaining.

 

[trenchfoot]

I simply adore the guy. I like him so much I want to sue him every time he opens that sewer pipe in his face. I like him so much I want to name a whore house after him. I revere him so much I want to send him to Afghanistan and have him go village to village and put on the same dog and pony show he airs at home. He should be warmly received there. They love to applause with AK-74's and RPG's. Out of immense respect for him and his reputation overseas, they will shower his path with poppy blossoms and bouncing betties.

 

[nobodyknows]

I don't really know what his views are. Does anyone? He's a character, and it's Fox's story.

He so reminds me of the Charles Durning character playing the Governor in "Best lLttle Whorehouse in Texas".

 

[FTM0305]

Remember when Ron Paul supporters supposedly sent him death threats? I Lawled, because he milked every bit of sensationalism he could get from it, and when he ran out he secreted some from a mutated gland he has in his eyes. You can see it every time he gets teary eyed on tv.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ehh ... I don't see how anybody can take him seriously. He is pretty much just an attention whore.

 

[Jaskalas]

I listen to him for about 10 minutes on my way to work.

I've heard some things I like and some things I don't.

It's all politics, as usual. Anyone who says they don't like him for his character or the way he operates really means they don't like him because he leans right.

His 'character' is that of a radio talk show host. He loses a certain level of credibility with his antics and his shtick. It is a distraction from something that could otherwise be taken very seriously.

He lacks professionalism and that hurts his message.

 

[Sinsear]

There's a certain type of lack of character where some people think it's ok to use others.

They think it's ok to deceive them - that they're 'marks'.

Kind of like how Nancy "we have to pass it to find out what's in it" Pelosi tried to deceive the general population of the US?

 

[TheVrolok]

He's smarter than most haters give him credit for.

He's smart alright, he's also a gigantic douche.

 

[trenchfoot]

He's smart alright, he's also a gigantic douche.

How dare you insult all those other gigantic douches out there.

 

[airdata]

Hasn't Glen Beck been proven to be a fraud? He's an actor and character who has a very specific target audience that doesn't care about him being an actor.

 

[BoberFett]

Never watched his show. Everyone would do well to stop watching these opinion shows and pay more attention to facts than spin.

 

[BoberFett]

I find it rather amusing that America has no defense against fascist psychopaths, that if they can sell products they can poison the minds of fools. I think that after fifty million dead the Germans wouldn't allow him a platform from which to speak. Since we are supposed to own the air waves Fox and every other network dealing in opinion should be forced to have an opposing view point on at the same time any extreme is presented. These assholes are really hypnotists and they are dangerous to the country. His broadcasts should be constantly interrupted by fact check from other parties and accompanied by warning labels that what you hear is being presented to infect your mind with lies.

Wait, are we still talking about Beck here or has the subject changed to the Democrat party?

 

[Thump553]

NPR had an interesting talk show about Beck this morning. Some things I didn't know:
-Beck is a recovering addict of some kind, I don't know what
-Beck is on the outs with Fox News to a large extent, because they have a list of over 200 advertisers that have all made it clear that none of their ads are to be run on his show or any show he guests on
-the political pundit business is quite good-he's currently grossing over 32 million a year, most of which is from his radio show and books (TV a distant third)
-His TV ratings have been declining all year, his contract is up next year & it is quite likely he and Fox will part ways then.

I think he is going to fade away, especially as times get better. These extremist commentators have a very short half-life and we certainly have heard his Johnny One-Note message often enough.

I'm waiting for the gold bubble to pop and the regulators and ruined investors to come after him in droves.

 

[Deeko]

Beck is a doomsayer. He doesn't really have defined views, they will shift as necessary to allow him to preach how everything is wrong, everything is going to end if we don't change something, etc. The general public feeds into fear, so he is all but guaranteed to always have a job as long as he maintains this format.

Being a bit more level headed and realistic than that, no, I do not agree with Beck on just about any wavelength.

 

[HumblePie]

Hasn't Glen Beck been proven to be a fraud? He's an actor and character who has a very specific target audience that doesn't care about him being an actor.

proof??

 

[Atreus21]

His 'character' is that of a radio talk show host. He loses a certain level of credibility with his antics and his shtick. It is a distraction from something that could otherwise be taken very seriously.

He lacks professionalism and that hurts his message.

Agreed. That's why I listen to his shows sparingly.

Side note: Last Halloween he spent the beginning of the show reading Poe's The Raven, which was pretty neat.

 

[Scotteq]

NPR had an interesting talk show about Beck this morning. Some things I didn't know:
-Beck is a recovering addict of some kind, I don't know what
-Beck is on the outs with Fox News to a large extent, because they have a list of over 200 advertisers that have all made it clear that none of their ads are to be run on his show or any show he guests on
-the political pundit business is quite good-he's currently grossing over 32 million a year, most of which is from his radio show and books (TV a distant third)
-His TV ratings have been declining all year, his contract is up next year & it is quite likely he and Fox will part ways then.

I think he is going to fade away, especially as times get better. These extremist commentators have a very short half-life and we certainly have heard his Johnny One-Note message often enough.

I'm waiting for the gold bubble to pop and the regulators and ruined investors to come after him in droves.

He's a former Alcoholic, I believe.

Regarding the list of advertisers who won't be on his show: Howard Stern has a list like that, too. (And yes, I consider these guys in the same vein. They both exist to drive ratings and advertising revenue by creating controversy.)

Regulators and investors go after him? For what? I can understand advertisers not wanting to run the risk of an unearned political brand, but Investors? Firstly, he's an employee of Fox not a Board member. Secondly, (whether we like his opinions, or believe him, or hate him) he's making money, not losing it.

 

[PJABBER]

Didn't vote in the poll as I generally only have financial news on when he is broadcasting and don't know what his personal political stands are, other than he does find a lot of fault with the powers in place right now.

I did flip to his show a couple of times and found his schtick entertaining and informative. He provides a hell of a lot more detail and raw information than any other personality on air. He also makes a very strong effort to connect the dots on complex issues and relationships. You have to pay careful attention to see what he might skip over or over emphasize, but at least he makes an effort not to over simplify complexity.

Love him or hate him, he provides the most educational political programming on air right now. You may not like what he says but what he says is usually eye opening for those whose eyes are not wide shut.

 

[Scotteq]

He found a lot of fault with the last administration, too.

 

[soundforbjt]

I love how he tells people how bad it is for the gov't to tell people how to live their lives, and you think, ok he's telling us to be free thinkers, then he says, here's what you need to do. Total hypocrite.

 

[Thump553]

* * *
Regulators and investors go after him? For what? I can understand advertisers not wanting to run the risk of an unearned political brand, but Investors? Firstly, he's an employee of Fox not a Board member. Secondly, (whether we like his opinions, or believe him, or hate him) he's making money, not losing it.

The inflated-price gold buy scam he's always pushing.

Advertisers are staying away because he's an unknown quanity, quite the opposite. I'm sure he has huge negative opinion ratings (Q-ratings?). The (anti-Beck) author on the NPR show said Madison Avenue has a term for shows like his: "empty ratings"-good ratings but advertisers won't pay top dollar for them (because so many won't advertise on his show at all). The free market working as intended, the irony of it all.

 

[Scotteq]

I didn't say he was an unknown quantity - I said that advertisers didn't want to be associated with him because they (the advertiser) could get branded with a political tag they don't want. For a similar reason I drew that example out to Howard Stern - There is a long list of advertisers who won't sign with him because they don't want to be associated with that kind of message.

So I think we're on the same page on this.

That the Free Market will (eventually?) decide is clear - At which point, the network will let the guy go when his contract is up.


Re: The Gold thing. Didn't pay that much attention, but if they're paying him to advertise for them on his show, then he's "safe" (i.e. - you may not like it, but there isn't much you could do about it). As long as the gold company is providing whatever the required disclosure is to prospects, then both them and Beck are safe.

IF the disclosure is incorrect and/or not provided, *and* Beck has a financial stake, then he should be crucified. I doubt this to be true, though - because Beck has more than enough enemies that he'd have been "Out~ed" by now.

 

[Dankk]

He provides a hell of a lot more detail and raw information than any other personality on air. He also makes a very strong effort to connect the dots on complex issues and relationships. You have to pay careful attention to see what he might skip over or over emphasize, but at least he makes an effort not to over simplify complexity.

Love him or hate him, he provides the most educational political programming on air right now.

Sorry, but... what? I only watch Glenn Becks show for a few minutes and I have to change the channel because it's so mind-numbingly retarded that I feel like I'm going to lose brain cells if I don't. It always leaves me in shock, because I have difficulty imagining a large number of individuals following Glenn Beck.

The writers of that show have an incredibly easy job. All Glenn Beck has to do is talk real slow, use small words (but use them assertively to make some sort of an emotional impact), and then get teary-eyed halfway through, all within a 30 minute timeslot.