Glenn Beck Drops GBTV Moniker, Renames Entire Online Operation The Blaze

Mediaite ^ | June 18th, 2012 | Frances Martel

[Mozilla]

Big changes are afoot in the Glenn Beck empire– his online television network, Glenn Beck Television, will no longer exist as we know it– in its stead, the entirety of Beck’s operations will be known as The Blaze, like his current online publication, with the focus more on a variety of media. According to an exclusive from CNN Senior Digital Producer (and former Mediaiter) Steve Krakauer, Beck had been planning a change in name and organization for some time, but decided to speed up the process as, logistically, The Blaze took up more of the time and space of the organization’s personalities. Plus, Beck told CNN, the name was “one, it’s a little egocentric, and two, it’s television, which doesn’t describe necessarily what we do.”

[samtheman]

Wow. What’s with Mediaite? The comment section reads like DU.

[sten]

and you’re shocked because....

[MuttTheHoople]

GBTV looks too much like “Gay-Bisexual TV”.

[samtheman]

Yeah, you’re right.

[taildragger]

Or he is creating a unified brand.

He will be news and entertainment via radio, web, visual media on the web and books and maybe more.

He is looking to create a mega brand IMHO such as Sony, Facebook, or even Google.

It wouldn't suprise me in the future he tries a conservative Facebook variant or a Conservative Search Engine. His ambition and goals and his ability to achieve them are quite remarkable.

[Carriage Hill]

I always thought they were very closely-related and linked. No surprise here.

[who knows what evil?]

What’s with Mediaite?

Commie leftists.

[Chickensoup]

He is looking to create a mega brand IMHO such as Sony, Facebook, or even Google.

____________________

If he, or anybody, sold email, cell phone, landline, search engines and servers that dumped your search emails and texts information after 10 minutes and that was impervious to the bots, they would make millions.

Privacy is what is valuable on the net

[Venturer]

Does anyone really care what Glenn Beck does any more?

[DrDavid]

GBTV looks too much like “Gay-Bisexual TV”.

I thought Glenn ought to rename GBTV to Live Glenn Beck TV...

[driftless2]

I don’t know if Beck voluntarily left FOX or Ailes threw him out, but he should have stayed with them. Who watches his tv channel? I don’t even know how to access it.

[Drumbo]

GBTV has more than 300,000 subscribers paying as much as $9.95 a month or $99 per year. GBTV and TheBlaze.com receives over 7 million unique visitors per month.

The network is available on Roku or Boxee for your TV or via the Internet on a PC and various apps for phones and iOS devices. GBTV viewers (in less than a year since launch) already surpass many mainstream cable channels including CNBC, Opra's OWN and Al Gore's Currant TV networks. So far, in June CNN averages 263,000 viewers per day according to Nielsen (dwindling) and at it's current growth rate (+ 100,000 since March) GBTV/TheBlaze will surpass Cable News Network ratings by year end, but comparing a premium subcriber channel to mainstrem cable is apples to oranges.

At Fox, Beck's viewership was much higher with revenues averaging $2.1 million per year. GBTV/TheBlaze revenue is currently $40 million+ (up from $20 million in March) and projected to reach $80 million this year. (source: TVNewser).

By all accounts Beck left Fox voluntarily (and still guests on various Fox shows including recent spots on O'Reilly and Stossel). Beck took a huge risk, but in retrospect, a no brainer. Love him or hate him, Beck's ventures are successful. Free content is available at TheBlaze.com.

[driftless2]

"subscribers"

Well, that's the problem. I'm already paying a ton for tv services. I like Beck, but it's too much. I like Rush more, but there's no way I'm paying for Rush24 when I can get him for "free." The juice ain't worth the squeeze. If every conservative talk show host or columnist demanded people pay for their services with a subscription, how many could afford to do so?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I pay Rush his fee because I get crystal clear recordings that I can play when and where I want, without any commercials. It’s great for the daily commute. Besides, radio reception around here is poor and his show, when I can find it, is all static and interference.

[bootless]

POF, you can listen to radio stations through IHeartRadio - they have a zillion major stations through the internet.

GBTV has a two-week free trial period and a lot of really good content for free. I subscribe to it, and if I can’t watch or listen, I grab the podcast. When I compare the programming and content versus Fox, they have much more depth and hot-button issues now. Fox got scared. He hammered on the caliphate and the MB, and Fox blinked. Right now, I’m watching Erick Stakelback guest hosting and talking about MB, followed by a CUFI representative, and then John Robison.

They also delve deeply into Farrakhan, Frank Marshall Davis, etc. He basically has as much time as he wants to get into a subject. I think it’s an improvement, and he doesn’t answer to the minority owners of Fox.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Thanks, BL. Great tip about Beck. I already subscribe to Rush, but he won’t cover a lot of topic and he tends to wander too much and talk too much about a single topic (often repeating himself 100 times).

I subscribe to a lot of podcasts which are great for my long walks about town and commute. I’ve got:
* Banter - American Enterprise Institute
* Best of the Web, James Taranto, WSJ
* Cato Daily Podcast
* Heritage Foundation
* The Hinderaker-Ward Experience (PowerLine Blog)
* IBD Editorials
* Imprimis - Hillsdale College
* Mises Institute
* National Review
* The Thomas Jefferson Hour (great if you’re a freedom history buff)
* Uncommon Knowledge (Hoover Institute)