Beck seeks to rally disaffected, aggrieved Americans

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

NEW YORK — "You are not alone," Glenn Beck likes to say. For the disaffected and aggrieved Americans of the Obama era, he couldn't have picked a better rallying cry.

Beck, an evening host on the Fox News Channel, is suddenly one of the most powerful media voices for the nation's conservative populist anger. Barely two months into his job at Fox, his program is a phenomenon: It typically draws about 2.2 million viewers, more than any other cable news host except Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity, despite being on at 5 p.m., a slow shift for cable news.

With a mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future, Beck, a longtime radio host who jumped to Fox from CNN's Headline News channel this year, is channeling the feelings of an alienated class of Americans.

In an interview, Beck, who recently re-watched the 1976 film "Network," said he identified with the character of Howard Beale, the unhinged TV news anchorman who declares on the air that he was "mad as hell."

"I think that's the way people feel," Beck said. "That's the way I feel."

In part because of Beck, Fox News — long identified as the favored channel for conservatives and Republican leaders — is enjoying a resurgence just two months into President Barack Obama's term. While top-rated among cable news channels, Fox's ratings slipped during the long Democratic primary season last year. Now it is back on firm footing as the presumptive network of the opposition, with more than 1.3 million viewers watching at any given time, more than twice as many as CNN or MSNBC.

http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705293990,00.html

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Another fist-pounding talking head - just what we need...

With a mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future

Isn't that the formula that all of those guys use?

Edited March 30, 2009 by Private Pike

[^KK^ 3]

Wow...I sense hate. Sad world.

I understand having an opinion but when you have to have all those clocks...ur weird.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Another fist-pounding talking head - just what we need...

With a mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future

Isn't that the formula that all of those guys use?

It's the flavor de jour. Folks are geting tired of Hannity and O'Reilly. We will see what his ratings are in 6 months. We already are seeing a giant rift developing between Beck and Hannity. Same thing happened with Matt Drudge, and then Dennis Miller. I think Bill keeps Dennis as a weekly guest just to piss off Sean.

Edited March 30, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[Dan J 277]

Another fist-pounding talking head - just what we need...

With a mix of moral lessons, outrage and an apocalyptic view of the future

Isn't that the formula that all of those guys use?

It's the flavor de jour. Folks are geting tired of Hannity and O'Reilly. We will see what his ratings are in 6 months. We already are seeing a giant rift developing between Beck and Hannity. Same thing happened with Matt Drudge, and then Dennis Miller. I think Bill keeps Dennis as a weekly guest just to piss off Sean.

Pretty much. There is a power vacuum in the Republican party. Whomever emerges as the leader will probably shape the direction of the party in the future. In the meantime we will have a bunch of media personalities and politicians testing their message to see who has the largest appeal.