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| Glenn Beck Wants YOU . . . to watch his show. |
Beck's eponymous talk show posted the steepest ratings declines for any cable news program. Glenn Beck averaged 1.8 million viewers, down 39% vs. January 2010. In 25-54, the drop was even bigger, 48%, to 397,000. Some of the losses could be explained by tough comparisons to last January, which was one of the highest-rated in Fox News' history, fueled largely by coverage of the Massachusetts governor race. Still, this is a very steep decline for Beck, who peaked at 2.8 million viewers in 2009, drawing more viewers than all of his cable news competitors combined.The piece softens this assessment by pointing out that all news talk shows are taking a beating at the ratings. (Which makes sense, if you think about it: Our current reality sucks, so people are turning to escapist fare, rather than confrontational shows, or news shows.)
But what’s really killing Beck’s show are the advertisers—specifically, the number of advertisers who refuse to run ads during his show. Again, quoth DH:
As of Sept. 2010, 296 advertisers had asked not to be on Glenn Beck, up from 26 in August 2009.No matter how high your ratings, if you’re not bringing in the big-time advertisers, you’re in serious trouble.
After all, the whole point of ratings is to determine the rate your advertisers will pay you. If you don’t have any advertisers—or if they are inconsequential, low-dollar advertisers—then having the highest ratings ever doesn’t mean a thing.
This is why Beck’s media fate is worth paying attention to: He’s popular, but he’s not bringing in big-time advertising revenue. So he just might get the boot.
A lot of people—Left, Right and Center—despise Glenn Beck. But irrespective of what one thinks of him and his political “philosophy”, he certainly does bring diversity to the mainstream media pap—a rather stark contrast to the high-energy, quick-talking, carefully polished, but altogether bland offerings elsewhere in media-land.
However, Fox News just might drop him, if he doesn’t deliver the income that he should from the advertisers. His ratings are merely a derivative of the really important number—his show’s ad revenue.
Roger Ailes, the boss of Fox News, might share Beck’s politics—but bottom-line, it’s about the bottom-line. Ailes wants Fox to make money—but Beck is hamstrung in this regard. The big advertisers have black-balled his show—and at this point in time, and there is nothing that Beck or Fox can do to bring them back.
This is an example of how corporations can so easily squeeze out dissenting voices. Whatever one might think of Beck, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, John Stewart, Rush Limbaugh, and so on, the example of Glenn Beck shows how easily a few corporations can torpedo that dissent from the mainstream.
Is that what a healthy society should have? A mass media that only allows a few carefully bland parrots in the cage?
Stay tuned.
It would not surprise me if these so-called stats are a bit tweeked -like other Government data. I hope Beck stays and stays on loud. He is the closest thing we have on mainstream TV to help the regular citizen to wake up and prep!.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not listen to Beck very often, however my husband does. Just that little bit of time between Beck and my husband has been very helpful to keeping my husband from thinking I have gone completely nuts with my ideas about food storage and silver.
Until Beck started talking about hyperinflation, I was being looked at like an Alien in our own home.
Kansas out.
The left wing liberal (Trilateral and Soros funded) foundations and related financial power centers made a concerted effort to push hard on a Glenn Beck advertising boycott.
ReplyDeleteHe challenged their dare, and is now learning how popularity ranks against strong-arm politics. But I do believe his popularity may be declining as well, due to the changing tone of his show.
He used to dredge up alarming facts and connect the dots to the New Economic World ... Um, uhh ... "Orduh" (quoting Soros) but lately it's turned into a quasi-religious, fund-raising effort for pet patriot programs, favorite Norman Rockwell Americana towns in distress, and externalized self-examination.
Sort of a Benny Hin meets Joel Osteen dynamic with a sprinkling of politics to benefit our fighting troops overseas sort of deal.
Plus you can only handle so many GOLDLINE commercials every 4.5 minutes.
Thank God for on-demand, but I seldom watch it anymore ...
Haha. That's funny Kansas. I'm so opposite. I've been concerned about food storage and preparedness and then this week I happened to catch a few minutes of Beck on the radio. He was talking about the need for food storage and I nearly lost faith in the idea. Just the fact that Glenn Beck recommends doing it was nearly enough for me to rehydrate everything and eat it all.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Glenn Beck's show on 11/5/2010.
ReplyDeleteA little too close to the truth. The elite want to keep the masses clueless. I'm surprised he's still alive.
I dislike Beck, but we are living in a time in which all conservative Christians should circle the wagon train and protect Beck's 1st amendment rights to challenge the hidden elite.
ReplyDeleteSome of his points are dead on. Ailes deserves credit (for once) for standing by Beck on this critical freedom of expression issue.
I was impressed by Glenn Beck when I first saw his show years ago when it was buried in the back of the lineup. The last few years he's gone stoopid I can't stand to watch even a few minutes of the show, even worse than Sean Hannity's steamin' heap. I wouldn't want any stuff of mine advertised during his show either tbfh.
ReplyDeleteJRigs
@El Cid -
ReplyDeleteThe Apostle Paul warns Christians against uniting with unbelievers. Beck is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Perhaps you accept Mormonism's Anti-Trinitarian theology and its claim that mortals may become God, but I cannot. Due to his religious beliefs, I suspect all that he believes - or claims that he believes. The most dangerous lies are those that mix truth with the lies.
This is late I know but IMHO he's just gotten boring on TV (except this week) I'd much rather listen to him on the radio. It's his calling. He's funny there.
ReplyDeleteBeck is unique voice in the media. Who elst would have taken on Soros the way he has? I'm not a "fan" because I take everyone with a grain of salt, but I think Beck has done the country a great service. He goes over the top sometimes, but remember that it's partially showbiz and it can be hard to calibrate one's statements. I try not to purchase products from companies which refuse to advertise on his show, and I let them know it.
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