The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Will Fox Dump Glenn Beck?

Posted on | March 7, 2011 | 26 Comments

That’s what David Carr of the New York Times suggests: Beck’s contract is up in December and maybe he and the Fox folks don’t see eye-to-eye.

Howard Portnoy at Hot Air Green Room is dubious about this theory, citing Scott Baker at the Beck-sponsored Blaze blog.

I don’t watch Beck’s show enough to offer any definitive judgment, but it is my general impression that Beck’s show was much better in 2009 than it has been in recent months. Beck did valuable work in showing the connections between various radical elements of the organized Left and the Obama administration. 

There were a lot of people who sort of woke up after the 2008 election asking themselves, “How did we get here?” And what Beck did, with his chalkboard talks and so forth, was to provide these newly-engaged people with a very watchable seminar on the history and structure of the American Left, keyed on current events.

That was very good, but in recent months, whenever I tune into Beck on Fox, I get the idea that he’s preaching more than teaching. The show is now less about fact and more about feeling. He seems less interested in politics and history, more interested in forging an emotional connection with his viewers. But that is merely my perception, and it may be that regular Beck-watchers will say I’m mistaken.

Suggestion: Somebody at the network needs to have a sit-down meeting with Beck and explain that this is the Fox News Channel — not the Fox Patriotism Channel or Fox Faith Channel. Focus the show a bit sharper on here’s-what’s-happening-now and filling in the here’s-what-you-don’t-know background behind the headlines.

Also, a rooftop concert in London with Billy Preston on keyboards might be helpful: Get Beck!

Category: Fox News, Glenn Beck, Hot Air

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