New York – When more than 400 Fox advertisers told Fox News Channel they did not want their commercials on Glenn Beck's show, the network was quick to find a solution.
The popular talk show host will stay on, his Mercury Radio Arts company finding ways to appeal to a mass conservative audience made up of millions of Tea Party activists.
Of late, Mr. Beck has been getting into trouble through various controversial statements. In one recent case, he said that President Barack Obama has “a deep-seated hatred for white people.”
According to Roger Ailes, Fox News Chairman and CEO, “Half the headlines say he's been canceled. The other half say he quit. We're pretty happy with both of them.” Published reports say that Mr. Beck approached Mr. Ailes in January seeking solutions to the controversy created by his “crank up the crazy and rip the knob off” moments that have doubled the afternoon show's ratings since he came on board in January 2009.
They agreed he will stay on and produce certain documentaries in the works at the present. Sinking ratings were the reason given for the planned discontinuation of the show and the disaffection of advertisers, many of whom tout investment in gold over “fiat currency” backed by government bonds and under heavy attack by inflationary economic forces.
Mr. Beck outlined the reasons for his current show's planned end of broadcasting. "I will continue to tell the story and I will be showing other ways for us to connect," he said.
One of Mr. Beck's most prominent critics — David Brock, founder of the liberal watchdog “Media Matters for America” — said that "the only surprise is that it took Fox News months to reach this decision."
"Advertisers who get weak-kneed because some idiot on a blog site writes to them and says we need to stifle speech, I get a little frustrated by that," Mr. Ailes said. He challenged newsmen to call CNN and other news networks and ask them if they would like to have Mr. Beck's ratings.
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