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Sunday, June 8, 2008
6/8: WGST/CNN Headline News’ Glenn Beck at Cobb Energy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Glenn Beck to some may be just another Sean Hannity/Rush Limbaugh clone.
But Beck — seen daily on CNN Headline News, heard locally on 640/WGST-AM — brings more humor to his political viewpoints, which he emphasized Saturday night during a one-man stage show he debuted in Atlanta before 1,500 acolytes at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
Dressed in an NRA T-shirt, Beck told humorous anecdotes about bureaucratic bumblers, such as the idiots at the airline who lost his gun and city officials who insisted he had three front yards, stopping him from building a fence. He also mocked gun control advocates, environmentalists and both major Presidential candidates.
Later, with a massive American flag draped behind him, he pretended to be a Presidential candidate and offered his philosophy on life.
“I’m your typical white bigot clinging to his guns and God,” he said sarcastically, paraphrasing Barack Obama. (Beck? Not a fan.)
He admits he’d be totally unelectable. Why? Here’s a sample: “The No Child Left Behind Act? Really? I think we should leave some of the stupid ones behind!”
Beck’s come a long way since recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Just eight years ago, Beck worked as a talk-show host at a station in New Haven, Ct., barely paying his $695 rent.
But syndicators for Limbaugh liked him and gave him a shot at national radio fame soon after 9/11.
He has taken full advantage, building a fan base via his cable show, a No.1 New York Times bestseller and a spot on 300 radio stations, including his second stint at WGST. His drive, he admits, stems from insecurity and the depths of where he’s been before. “You never know when it’s going to end,” he said before the concert. “Make hay while you can!”
Atlanta was one of his first radio stations back in 2002 but Beck’s ratings never quite took off, although he drew more than 20,000 to Centennial Olympic Park right before the Iraqi war. WGST got rid of him in favor of the Regular Guys in early 2005 but that experiment ended quicklyk, with the Guys moved to 96rock. For more than six months, instead of putting Beck back, they had a silly rotation of radio hosts from around the country before bringing in Denny Schaffer from Toledo, Ohio. Schaffer never had a chance. The station was listing and he wasn’t given much of a chance to develop a following.
Schaffer was dumped in late 2006 in favor of Mike McConnell, a syndicated talker from Cincinnati. That didn’t work either so a few months back, WGST brought Beck back. Early returns have been favorable.
Beck’s cable show, after two years, lags behind MSNBC, CNN and Fox News at both 7 and 9 p.m. But he has shown steady growth in the past year and he notes that his audience is younger than his competitors.
As for Schaffer, he started doing a show last year on the Web and is now also heard back in Toledo. Check it out here.
