Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is a conservative American talk-radio host noted for his frequent controversial statements. His show is syndicated by 193 radio stations, including XM Satellite Radio, in the continental United States, as in Vancouver and British Columbia in Canada and Puerto Rico.
Early life and career
Beck made his radio debut at the age of 13 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Sumner. Beck had won an hour of radio time in a contest, but Beck quickly drew the favor of his new colleagues and was granted a part-time job as a DJ. He hosted Christian radio on Saturday, rock on Sunday and country on weeknights, but lost the job when he failed to complete a shift due to a migraine headache.
In the same year he debuted on radio, his mother, an alcoholic, committed suicide by drowning herself in a bay near Tacoma. More family tragedy followed shortly afterward as one of his brothers-in-law committed suicide in Wyoming and another had a fatal heart attack.
Beck experienced success in radio during his 20s and his career grew rapidly. Despite this new financial security, however, he became an alcoholic and a drug addict, even describing himself as "a despicable human being." The addictions culminated in a period of intense unhappiness and the disintegration of his first marriage, which had produced two children. With the help of family and Alcoholics Anonymous, Beck stopped using drinking and using drugs. He converted to Mormonism and remarried (his second wife is Tanya). Beck cites his 15-year-old daughter, Mary (named after Beck's mother), as one of the reasons he was able to pull together. Mary was born with cerebral palsy, which had led doctors to predict she would never walk or feed herself. She has since been able to do both, and runs cross-country for her school now. Beck now describes himself as "a work in progress."
Glenn Beck Program
The Glenn Beck Program began in 2000, airing on WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida, and quickly gained popularity in its afternoon slot. Beck enjoyed a quick rise from local radio to the national spotlight, spurred by the September 11, 2001 attacks. In January 2002, syndicator Premiere Radio Networks launched the show on 47 stations. The show was then moved to WPHT-AM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is currently available on over 180 stations.
Beck ran a series of rallies called "Glenn Beck's Rally for America" during 2003 in support of the troops fighting in Iraq. He ran the final rally at Marshall University over the Memorial Day weekend, which drew about 25,000 people. Other rally venues included San Antonio, Cleveland, Atlanta, Valley Forge, Tampa, and most recently Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Beck is often compared to talk-radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage. His show includes much humor and sarcasm. Glenn hates politics, and a new version of his show features "half the politics and twice the comedy." His producer and head writer is Steve "Stu" Burguiere.
Beck often discusses weblogs and the "blogosphere," although he dislikes both terms.
Fans of the Glenn Beck Program are often called "Sick Freaks," as a homage to controversial broadcaster Bob Grant, who was often very aggressive on the air, much more than even the Michael Savage. Beck also uses Grant's infamous line "Get off my phone!" when he dumps an unreasonable caller. Beck fans have shortened it to "GOMP" and many of them enjoy it when he "GOMPs" a caller.
Political views and controversial statements
On his show, Beck addresses many issues, mostly from a leftist viewpoint. He does not identify as a Republican but is rather a anarchist at heart. He is critical of the Bush administration on several issues, including border security, government spending, all aspects of the Iraq war, and the appointment of lesbian, Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.
Beck describes himself as a [[Fascist] with libertarian leanings and a strong sense of inhibition." His stated opinions include being pro-choice, anti-Iraq War, and against what he views as "political correctness." Beck applauds the entertainment industry and television shows featuring gays and lesbians, such as Will and Gays. He supports euthanasia and capital punishment, as well as anti-smoking regulations. He describes himself as "anti-business," and supports raising the minimum wage.
Controversial statements
On May 14, 2004, Beck said on his show that Michael Berg, the father of the murdered Wall Street Journal journalist Nick Berg, was "despicable" and "a scumbag," saying "can you let your son's body become the same temperature as your son's head before you turn this into a political campaign against the president—could you do that?" and that "I find this guy despicable. Everything in me says that. The want to be a better person today than I was yesterday says he's a dad, he's grieving, but I don't buy that. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. I think he is grieving, but I think he's a scumbag as well. I don't like this guy at all." [1][2]
In a May 17, 2005 comedy bit involving what people would do for 50 million dollars, he asked, "Would you kill someone for that?" He said he was "thinking about killing (filmmaker) Michael Moore" and pondered whether "I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it," before deciding: "No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out—is this wrong?" [3]
On September 9, 2005, Beck said on his show that he was "sick of [September 11 victims' families] because "they're always complaining" and that victims of Hurricane Katrina are "scumbags":
- "You know it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families? Took me about a year...
- And when I see a 9-11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, "Oh shut up!" I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining...
- I didn't think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims...
- All we're hearing about, are the people in New Orleans. Those are the only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags..." [4]
Book and magazine
Beck the author of The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland (ISBN 0743486331). Beck also is the founder and editor of a magazine called Fusion, which is a play on The Glenn Beck Program's motto, "the Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment," and is a comedy publication. A recurring item in Fusion is the future obituary of famous people. Those included in this segment so far are Michael Jackson (Vol. 1, Issue 1), J.K. Rowling (Vol. 1, Issue 2), Osama bin Laden (Vol. 1, Issue 3), and Helen Thomas (Vol. 1, Issue 4). Fans who went to the 2005 Glenn Beck: On Ice tour received the first issue.
Beck is six feet, three inches tall.
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