The Beck Factor at Fox: Staffers say comments taint their work

Washington Post ^ | 15 Mar 2010 | Howard Kurtz

[for-q-clinton]

A handful of advertisers, such as Apple, have abandoned Fox altogether. Network executives say they believe they could charge higher rates if the host were more widely acceptable to advertisers.

[for-q-clinton]

It's a 3 page article, but I found this interesting, plus drudge has called it out.

[Yo-Yo]

It must drive Apple nuts to know that Rush Limbaugh is a long time Apple FanBoy.

[lmr]

I wonder how much longer Fox will stand by him. Money talks, you know. It’s a lose-lose situation for Fox, in my opinion, even though Beck isn’t half as divisive as, the very nasty, Keith Olbermann.

[for-q-clinton]

Not sure I follow that logic. By apple nuts do you mean Apple haters or Apple zealots/lovers?

My perspective is Rush is the perfect Apple consumer. They have made the computer experience pretty simple and solid, but there are limits when you choose to go with Apple.

[jessduntno]

“It must drive Apple nuts to know that Rush Limbaugh is a long time Apple FanBoy.”

Drive them further nuts? why any company would go out of it’s way to antagonize half the country is beyond me...but there are still people buying them. I guess the ipnone really saved their asses.

[aruanan]

My perspective is Rush is the perfect Apple consumer. They have made the computer experience pretty simple and solid, but there are limits when you choose to go with Apple.

Yes, there are limits. In our lab we use Dell with our Hitachi DNA sequencers because that's the only thing Applied Biosystems' programs will run on. We use Macs for everything else.

[TSgt]

Give Beck’s spot to Rush. Problem solved.

Has FOX ever entertained the idea of giving Rush an hour?

[AlanD]

Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.996.1010

Please call Apple at the phone number above and ask for the Public Relations Dept. and demand an explanation of the Apple Boycott of Fox News. I just called them and I think it will do a lot of good if others do as well.

The Rep wouldn’t give me a straight answer and basically stonewalled me. He kept on saying that they advertise regularly on the regular Fox Broadcast Network, but wouldn’t explain the Fox News Channel Boycott.

[for-q-clinton]

The title may not show it but this is about Apple (well part of it is).

[chickadee]

While Beck has his amusing moments, I am not comfortable listening to him. He is too fervent. He could be sand in the gears of the GOP efforts to regain Congressional seats if the Dems are successful in painting him as the face of the GOP.

[pb929]

At the end of the day what really counts is ratings in the key demos. As long as Beck keeps his audience then Fox will keep him on.

There will always be some advertisers who will shy away from controversial programming but if people are watching then advertisers will pay.

[dila813]

If Beck wasn’t on the air, they would have another excuse.

[ryan71]

People watch Beck.

Until Obama wipes out the open market, it will take care of itself.

[DoughtyOne]

Last I saw, and if I read it correctly, Beck’s ratings are very respectable. If Apple objects to sound Conservative principles, it’s good for them to pull out so everyone can take note of it.

[dawn53]

Rush had a show years ago. I don’t think he has any interest in being on TV and the radio...why would he? Leave the grueling schedule to a younger man, who seems up to the challenge.

And as much as I love Rush, I don’t think he’d do a better job at “educating” than Beck does on his TV show.

If there’s an experiment that needs to be done...give Beck a decent time slot and see what happens. The big advertisers can “afford” to boycott his show because it’s on at a weird time (although it does pull more viewers than Hannity or Greta.) But if Beck was in primetime, I believe, they’d “have” to advertise on his show because his numbers would be huge...just my 2 cents.

[70th Division]

Now I hate to quote Michael Jordan BUT when he was ask why he does not talk politics he said; “Conservatives buy tennis shoes too”

[woweeitsme]

I think this is yet again a way that the liberal media is going to try to dismantle Fox News. They want to paint everyone that watches Fox News as a right-wing radical that is anti-government and dumb as a bag full of hammers.

So, if they can make the premise that Beck is a bit goofy (and coming from someone who likes him...he IS a bit goofy), they can get advertisers to back down based on a few statements that he makes.

Personally, I think Beck was wrong in saying that Zero is a racist. I don’t think he is a racist...he’s just a socialist/communist.

Quite honesty, I don’t know why anyone would be offended by his “progressive politics is a cancer” edict, though. That’s his opinion.

[MHT]

Beck is popular because he is educating people about American history and economics, two subjects woefully mistaught in our public schools. He's entertaining, usually incorporating stories about himself and his own development (which some people like but others find ego-centric). He has guests and most of these people are well-educated, articulate authors.

If American public schools taught more about the philosophy that built our governmental structure and the nitty-gritty of economics, Beck wouldn't have such a captive audience.

No other show teaches as Beck's does.

[LachlanMinnesota]

Only the finest of non-partisan journalists at the Washington Compost...

Unbiased in their efforts to get the boycott to work...

Unfortunately, with the management at FOX, Glenn could never feel secure.

[Lee'sGhost]

I don’t have time to read the article. Help me out, because this doesn’t pass the smell test. Fox has more viewers than the others combined (or something like that) and yet they can’t charge advertisers a higher rate? That’s BS. It’s one thing if libtard companies don’t want to be associated with Fox, but the rate has nothing to with that — unless ALL companies don’t want to be associated. The rate is based on number of viewers.