Glenn Beck to leave Fox News program

By Paul Farhi, Wednesday, April 6, 1:47 PM

Glenn Beck will end his popular and often controversial daily program on the Fox News Channel later this year, Fox News and Beck’s production company said Wednesday.

Beck will “transition” away from Fox, with no specific end date for his 5 p.m. program, the news channel and Mercury Radio Arts, Beck’s company, said in a joint statement.

“Glenn Beck” has been one of the most popular programs on a cable news network since its debut on Fox News in early 2009, though his ratings have begun to tail off somewhat this year. But the host has come under criticism for his attacks on Democratic figures like President Obama and his predictions of apocalyptic doom. Among Beck’s targets has been liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros, whom Beck linked to Nazi atrocities in Soros’s native Hungary during World War II. Beck’s comments about Soros last fall drew denunciations from Jewish groups.

Beck and Mercury have occasionally clashed with Fox over the production of his program, and Beck’s controversial statements have driven away a number of corporate advertisers, despite the show’s ardent following.

Fox and Mercury said that they will “work together to develop and produce a variety of television projects for air on the Fox News Channel” and on Fox News’s digital properties, but neither side offered any specifics.

The absence of corporate support for his program has made some skeptical about Beck’s reported interest in taking over a cable TV channel and infusing it with programming similar to his Fox show. Oprah Winfrey has such a venture, called the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, that has gotten off to a rocky start.

The news of Beck’s departure from Fox brought a triumphant response from Media Matters for America, a liberal media watchdog group based in Washington that is partially funded by one of Soros’ philanthropic foundations and has been a persistent critic of Beck and Fox News.

“This is a good development for the American media,” said Ari Rabin-Havt, an executive vice president of the organization. “Glenn Beck was such an ugly and hateful voice on the air that it’s good for everyone.” Media Matters has accused Beck of inciting violent attacks on organizations affiliated with Soros.

Beck has been controversial within Fox News itself; some journalists felt his blend of sometimes wild speculation and advocacy were out of sync with a network that produces news programming. Beck’s program precedes an hour-long newscast hosted by Bret Baier, creating something of a mismatch in tone.

Beck hosts a morning radio program that is syndicated to hundreds of stations.

In the joint statement, Fox News Chairman and Chief Executive Roger Ailes and Beck offered praise for each other. “Glenn Beck is a powerful communicator, a creative entrepreneur and a true success by anybody’s standards,” Ailes said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him.”

Mercury said it will hire news executive Joel Cheatwood, Fox’s senior vice president of development, as executive vice president. Cheatwood will manage future projects between Fox and Mercury.

farhip@washpost.com

Source: Glenn Beck to leave Fox News program