Glenn Beck may hold some wild opinions, but the man certainly has a solid business sense. With his popularity starting to wane, arguably due to over exposure, numerous books and daily talk and radio shows, Fox News' most vocal contributor has decided to step away from his self-titled television program, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a year-to-year comparison a few months back, the show lost nearly 40% of its total viewers. That's not to say he's no longer popular. He still regularly averages well over 1.5 million per telecast, but those figures are nowhere near the days he once boasted nearly 3 million. He'll continue to produce specials for the cable news network, but his role will be greatly diminished, possibly to focus on his writing and personal appearances.
Regardless of my own political leanings, I've always thought Beck was much better in small doses, especially during his segment on the O'Reilly Factor. He's too high energy to effectively carry an hour long program, especially one produced daily. Both Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and Beck himself had very positive things to say about the other in the news about Beck's departure. The former released a statement reading, “Glenn Beck is a powerful communicator, a creative entrepreneur and a true success by anybody's standards. I look forward to continuing to work with him." The latter countered with his own praise: “I truly believe that America owes a lot to Roger Ailes and FOX News. I cannot repay Roger for the lessons I've learned and will continue to learn from him and I look forward to starting this new phase of our partnership."
No word on exactly when Glenn Beck might end, but it'll definitely be before the end of the year. We'll bring you that date as soon as it become available.
