Glenn Beck is toast

[Canuckistanian]

And you know what? Even if he ISN'T toast for the moment, he soon will be.

Sooner or later, the Fox bean-counters will prevail over the Fox political hard-liners.

Bet on it.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. Alas,

you are underestimating the greed of the network suits, and you are overestimating the intelligence of Beck viewers.

It doesn't matter if Beck loses advertisers. The advertisers on the rest of Fox News will carry him.

What matters are his viewers, and his numbers are up.

Nice thought on your part, but I think, and I hope I'm wrong, a bit unrealistic...........................

[Canuckistanian]

3. Ah, but there's my point

Beck now needs to be SUBSIDIZED.

He's no longer a profitable venture.

It's only a matter of time.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. That's not subsidizing -

it's allocation of resources, and he's bringing in viewers who stay and watch other shows. Networks do this all the time. Why do you think MSNBC carries those bizarre prison shows all weekend? They pay for things like KO and Rachel during the week.

Nice try, but I think you're whistling past the graveyard, and ignoring real life..............................

[jobycom]

10. They don't care.

FOX News, and all the corporations who own the news, knows their media outlets won't make money by themselves. They use the media outlets to influence politics. They make a lot more money by keeping people racist and pissed off at liberals and African Americans and everyone else because then everyone votes for the "great white hope" (Republicans), and the parent corporations get their money back in tax cuts and loopholes and deregulation.

Glen Beck makes them a ton of money. They don't care if a few corporate sponsors shift their cash around to look like they aren't really sponsoring him.

[Canuckistanian]

14. How does Beck make money without corporate support?

And how does influencing politics make money?

Tax breaks? Sure. But they already got those during Bush.

Advertisers are REVENUE. Lose revenue, lose profit.

[jobycom]

30. What I said in the first post. nt

[TxRider]

11. What makes you think he needs to be subsidized?

[Canuckistanian]

12. His show is no longer profitable

You just can't lose 30 sponsors and hope to break even.

The margins are just too thin at Fox.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

18. You're not thinking broadly -

you think that because some advertisers pulled their ads from Beck they also pulled them from Fox News.

No, they did not.

They're just advertising more on the other shows.

And that's how the Beck show stays on the air and continues to draw in viewers...............................

[unpossibles]

41. exactly. It's like Walmart - Beck is a "loss leader"

they're really not losing much money AND they get to promote their nutty propaganda.

[RufusTFirefly]

43. And if we keep talking about him, he can cultivate a reputation as liberal bete noire.

That should earn him even more right-wing whack job followers.

[gmoney]

21. Watch Citizen Kane...

Charles Foster Kane: You're right, I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars *next* year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I'll have to close this place in... 60 years.


Substitute billion for million, and you have Murdoch's thinking. If Beck is spouting Murdoch's agenda, he doesn't care if it loses money or not. Influencing the discourse and political climate will ultimately be more profitable.

[Old Codger]

25. BUT

As batshit loony as beck is he is going to go too far for even his audience and that will do it, sooner or later it will happen...

[gmoney]

37. Oh sure...

but you were making the point that they'd pull Beck because he's unprofitable. Profit won't enter into it, especially if his ratings continue to rise, he sells lots of books, and stirs the pot constantly.

Once he has his "Lonesome Rhodes" moment (from "A Face in the Crowd" where a Beck-like figure is caught describing his audience as a bunch of simpletons) or his "Jack Lucas" moment (from "The Fisher King" where a Howard Stern-like DJ urges a nutball to exterminate the beautiful people, leading to a restaurant massacre) they might throw him off the air...

Or if people just stop paying attention...

[Old Codger]

60. Actually

I don't listen to him at all, the only way I know what is happening with him is either here, KO or Rachel. We are probably much better off with his constant stream of hate mongering and being broadcast for all to see....Like the saying goes keep your friends close and your enemies closer....He is living proof of the insanity involved in F(ony) news today.

[Common Sense Party]

45. His show is (inexplicably) popular. His ratings are higher than

MSNBC and CNN's combined for that time slot. Advertisers pay to have their ads seen by as many people as possible. Some advertisers are going to keep paying for the "privilege" of having their ads shown during Beck's rantapalooza, even if certain companies have pulled ads.

[jasi2006]

58. Not so. His audience has increased since the boycott.

Corporations will slowly come back when the public loses interest. Evil is real, evil is wealthy, evil is powerful, evil is long-suffering, evil protects its own, evil endures.

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Murdoch loves his money more than he loves right wing politics

The fact that the Simpsons and Family Guy are allowed to make fun of him are proof enough of that. Because they make money. Right now BecKKK is losing them a lot of money. Arguably, Hannity, O'Reilly and their other douchebags could carry the network, but what happens when they lose advertising as well, because they support BecKKK, or say things as dumb as he does?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

16. I doubt they're losing money -

you've read that those organizations are no longer advertising on the Beck show.

Have you read that they've pulled their Fox News advertising completely?

No, they haven't. They're not about to abandon a lucrative market like that.

The bean-counters just move the money around, and Beck goes merrily on, his ratings rising.

Sorry, but that's how business works........................

[Canuckistanian]

17. Yes. You get it.

Beck's show is a DIVISION of Fox. And divisions can and ARE cut for business reasons.

[K8-EEE]

36. advertisers rate more than viewers....ask Lawrence Welk

That was one of the highest rated shows on TV when it was cancelled and a consistent ratings winner in its timeslot....but its audience wasn't a desirable demographic to advertisers and advertisers pay the bills.

[roguevalley]

52. murdoch will never allow someone to stay if it means 50 cents is

not his anymore. dough trumps ideology with him.

[Motown_Johnny]

2. I thought Murdock didn't mind wasting millions to spread his lies

[DJ13]

4. Murdoch has been squeezing his companies for extra profit recently

He closed a free newspaper in London, and expressed an intent to even start charging a subscription to access Fox News online.

He wont let Beck damage his profits for long.

[Warpy]

6. I think he's also putting the Dow on the block

it's just rumor at this point, but I trust the source as much as I trust anybody who feeds me rumors.

[EFerrari]

8. Yep. He said he'd make his sites for profit and it won't work.

It didn't work five years ago and it won't work now.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Beck... is a special project

Remember him, say, two years ago? A prominent radio show, a few appearances on TV.... nothing special.

Then, BOOM. A major TV show, promotions up the yin-yang, shows getting edgier and edgier.....

They knew he was going off the deep end. Murdoch just fully UNLEASHED him.

Only now, the monster has escaped and is out walking in the town, and people are nervous....

[opihimoimoi]

13. Obviously Beck was a bad idea...a bad investment, a bad Pox on the GOP Brand Name

He is one of the last gasps of the dying GOP...flailing about breathing chene stokes

[Canuckistanian]

20. Right. Every "artist" is an investment

And each one keeps his/her job because of profitability.

See "Dennis Miller"

[MadBadger]

15. He isnt toast and wont be anytime soon

If Hannity has survived for such a long time with no sign of stopping, Beck will be fine. Especially since he regularly gets at least 2 million viewers a day.

[Canuckistanian]

19. Hannity still has all his sponsors

He has nothing to worry about.

[MadBadger]

27. So they'll find new sponsors who dont have values. Shouldnt be that hard.

[KelleyKramer]

22. 2 million viewers a day? You are full of it

Please do tell ??

[Cali_Democrat]

23. Well he had 3 million viewers on Aug 26

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/08/27/big-beck-goes-over-3-million-viewers-beats-oreilly-in-demo-cable-news-ratings-for-wednesday-august-26-2009/25541

A lot of people are watching that cretin.

Fortunately many advertisers are abandoning him and cash rules at the end of the day.

[geek_sabre]

24. wow, and that's at 5pm

I fear he's here to stay.

[KelleyKramer]

29. This neilson survey shows 800k on 8/26

And that is at the height of his controversy.

Even if it is 3 mill, there are 300 million Americans, so thats 001% of the people

This may be a distraction from his ability to get 100 people show up and disrupt a town hall meeting with the voting public.

When Obama was sworn in, there were more Americans in our capital in the entire history of the United States of America, for any reason, ever.

Go ahead Glenn, make our day!

[MadBadger]

31. 800K in the demo, 3 million total viewers. That is a ton for cable news, especially at 5PM ET

[MadBadger]

26. August 5,6,7,8,11,12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, he has had at least 2 million viewers

Am I still full of it?

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/

[Tangerine LaBamba]

46. Absolutely -

the people who are gleeful about advertisers pulling the slots on Beck aren't considering that their money isn't leaving Fox News - it's just going elsewhere in the line-up.

Beck's very popular, and the more the nasty old liberals beat up on him, the more his supporters love him. Just look at his numbers for August.

He has to be taken seriously. Just cackling in glee because some advertising money got moved around is hardly grounds for celebration. He's popular, he's got people who listen to him, and who believe him.

He bears watching, but not laughing...............................

[emilyg]

51. +1

[spanone]

28. glenn beck is shit

[tularetom]

32. The Beck program is a loss leader anyway

If every sponsor in the world pulled out they would run the show with no sponsors just to show that they can't be pushed around by minorities and the loony left. And to get viewers to tune in and stick around for the other nutbars.

And after awhile they'd just raise the rates on other advertising to compensate for the revenues that they lost on Beck. He gets viewers, He ain't going anywhere unless he becomes the victim of a palace coup by other Faux news "personalities" who are jealous of his new found ascendancy to the peak of the idiot hierarchy. I think we've already seen a tiny hissy fit by billo, and we'll see more as Beck out crazies the crazies.

If such a thing could happen it would boost :popcorn: sales way above pre recession levels.

[maxpower]

33. Your word to the FSM's ears

Peace
Max

[lordsummerisle]

34. When advertisers start pulling out of Fox News

not just Glenn Beck, then I'll start paying attention...

[Tangerine LaBamba]

47. Bingo -

being shortsighted is a liberal pox, and must be eradicated.

Beck's dangerous. Not someone to be laughed at...................

[Wednesdays]

35. I think you're right.

However, if someone who talks exactly like Beck were to crop up, no one would even take notice. Which is what's going to happen...they'll throw Glen under the bus 'cause he's radioactive now, and quietly replace his show with that of another wingnut hate artist.

[Union Yes]

38. Beck's self inflicted fall from grace will be a spectacle. I got my popcorn.

:popcorn:

[Swamp Rat]

39. hee hee!

:bounce: :hi:

[Union Yes]

40. I'm thinkin Glenn has a mini nazi battlefield set up in his basement.

On one side, the "Libruls".

The other side, Beckstag's Stormtroopers. Waging war on the evil left. It's his coping mechanism.

What a sorry ass sack of racist shit he is.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

53. Like this

:rofl:

[Union Yes]

54. awesome!

:rofl:

[grantcart]

42. you Inglorious Basterd

[drmeow]

44. As much as I'd like to think you are right

I have to side with the cynics on this one. For one thing, I wouldn't count on Beck losing all those advertisers for the long term. I don't know if they still do this but when Walmart used to move into a new market they would deliberately operate the store at a loss for as long as they needed to in order to put a critical mass of competitors out of business, then jack up the prices. I suspect that Fox operates under a similar "F**k everyone else our profit and political agenda is more important than anything including the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of everyone else" business model. Unless we can mobilize a sustained boycott of all Fox advertisers AND all Fox shows, they will leave Beck on until people have forgotten and then the advertisers will come back and it will go back to being self-supportive.

[scheming daemons]

48. Dammit, I *LIKE* toast! How about changing your title to "Glenn Beck is burnt grits"

[bleever]

50. Glenn Beck is cold toast that even vigorously dragged butter won't melt on?

I too wish to defend the honor of toast, when properly made.

[cui bono]

49. LA Times had an article today saying that his audience has gone up.

Hopefully just out of curiosity, although I know the Palinites were told to watch him, but there can't really be that many of them.

[Kablooie]

55. Oh I wish I could be toast too. No one's ever toasted me.

[SmileyRose]

56. I doubt it - his ratings are going up.

That is what he was hired to do.

[sufrommich]

57. I think a big reason his ratings are going up is that

people are sensing a "Network" moment in the making. I attribute a lot of it to morbid curiosity

[SmileyRose]

61. Yep, it's a cross between a trainwreck and a carnival side show

Nothing of any value but some people can't help themselves.

[zbdent]

59. um ... I doubt it ...

Howard Stern was a money-maker for Clear Channel ...

but as soon as he turned against Bush (over the over-reaction of the nip-slip), Clear Channel decided to forego the cash machine and got the government (gee, they love government intrusion when it helps them, right?) to shut him down and force him off the airwaves.

Prior to the Superbowl Janet Jackson event, Stern was all for Bush's attack on Iraq and the "terrorists" ... but as soon as the resident Reich-winger on the Stern show had his ass handed to him by Al Franken, that was the one thing that Clear Channel couldn't forgive ... they forgave the constant sexual innuendo and hijinks, but turn against Bush? That was the fatal "mistake" ...

[dhpgetsit]

62. Actually his insanity and controversy has apparently improved his ratings.

And 60% of Republicants believe anything he says without engaging their brains.

[Canuckistanian]

65. Donahue had good ratings, too

But they cancelled his show because the sponsors got spooked.

Why couldn't it happen to Beck?

[cbdo2007]

63. Maybe he's toast on Fox but someone will hire him and he'll still make millions.

Their goons who watch these shows will watch him anywhere and will probably even pay for it to see him, so he'll still live on on some network or radio or website or blog or something.

[gnickl]

64. Beck=Nuts

HOw anyone can actually pay attention to that blathering moron for more than 5 minutes is beyond me