CNN host calls Sheehan "pretty big prostitute

[Moses]

CNN: Cesspool of Neo- Nazis:


Olbermann named CNN hire Glenn Beck 'Worst Person' for calling Cindy Sheehan "a pretty big prostitute"

Summary: Keith Olbermann named right-wing radio host Glenn Beck, recently hired by CNN, the "Worst Person in the World" for calling anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan "a pretty big prostitute."

On the January 19 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named right-wing radio personality and recent CNN hire Glenn Beck the "Worst Person in the World" for calling anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan "a pretty big prostitute," as noted by Media Matters for America. After bestowing the award, Olbermann advised CNN on its decision to give Beck his own show: "From personal experience, maybe you should bail on this right now. Two simple words: Michael Savage."

Beck mentioned Sheehan on his January 10 radio show, during what he called a "search for the biggest prostitute," which, he said, sought to answer the question, "Who'll do anything for power or money?" The choices offered by Beck initially pitted former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss against Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and suspended Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. Beck later added Sheehan to the discussion, calling her "a pretty big prostitute." His producer Steve "Stu" Burguiere observed that "tragedy pimp" would be "the most accurate description."

On January 17, Olbermann named CNN News Group executive vice president Ken Jautz the "Worst Person" for hiring Beck, noting Beck's statement regarding Hurricane Katrina survivors: "The only ones we're seeing on television are the scumbags. It is exactly like the 9-11 victims' families. There are about 10 of them that are spoiling it for everybody."

From the January 19 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

— R.M.

Posted to the web on Friday January 20, 2006 at 10:01 AM EST

[Moses]

According the the Los Angeles Times, being opposed to hate speech is simply a matter of "liberal" "politics":


....Still, Beck's selection has alarmed some liberal media watchdog groups, who view his new show as a sign that the CNN network is embracing the kind of opinionated conservative talk shows that helped make Fox News the top-ranked cable news channel. They've also accused Beck of using inflammatory rhetoric and have distributed excerpts of some of his most controversial statements, including his musings about killing liberal filmmaker Michael Moore and his comments that "scumbags" in New Orleans were getting all the attention after Hurricane Katrina.

"For CNN to tap an unapologetic preacher of hate signals a desperate and misguided ploy for ratings without regard for the thousands of Americans Beck has offended with his malicious commentary," David Brock, president of Media Matters, said in a statement.

Beck said comments he had made satirically had been taken out of context, describing his style as the kind of "harsh comedy" employed on the Fox television show "The Simpsons." He called himself a conservative but not a partisan, noting that he once voted for Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

"I'm a guy who has opinions, who is a conservative, but I am not a guy who believes you should listen to me and guide your life by what I say," the 41-year-old talk show host said. "I do say controversial things, but I don't believe I'm a hate-filled guy."

He said that although he planned to discuss politics on the program, it was not going to be the main thrust of the show.

"It will feel very different from anything else than I think you're seeing on cable news," he said. "By 8 or 9 at night, I know what the news is and I certainly don't want to watch two people yell at each other about the news. My philosophy about the show is to take the day's events, digest them and present them in a much more entertaining and light way."

Headline News executives said that they had examined some of Beck's more provocative statements before hiring him and felt comfortable with his approach.

"He has a style [on his radio show] that is given to lengthy monologue and anecdotes, and oftentimes that type of style, if you pluck one line or another out of it, is subject to misrepresentation," Jautz said.
Jautz also dismissed the idea that in putting together a package of personality-driven shows, the network is imitating Fox News' formula.

"We want to be different from what else is out there," he said.

There's no question that in tapping Beck, the network is getting a personality with a built-in audience. As the host of one of the top 10 talk shows in the country, with a cumulative weekly listenership of 2.75 million, Beck is an "up-and-coming dynamo" who commands a loyal following, said Michael Harrison, publisher of the radio industry trade magazine Talkers.

"He's not just a talking-point conservative — he's a full-fledged radio entertainer," Harrison added. "He's got creative bits and he's very familiar to all kinds of popular culture. There's more to his repertoire than just what bill is in Congress."

Network executives said Beck was selected because he was a proven commodity and attracted the kind of young viewers that Headline News was seeking. "I see this show as the next step in the evolution of the network," Jautz said.

Last year, Headline News enjoyed its highest ratings in its 24-year history, a growth driven largely by a package of new prime-time programs including "Nancy Grace," a legal show featuring the acerbic former prosecutor. Her show, along with "Showbiz Tonight" and "Prime News Tonight," helped Headline News pull in an average viewership of 396,000 people during weekday prime time last year, a boost of 88% over the year before, according to Nielsen Media Research. The network still lags in fourth place behind Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, but it is edging closer to the competition. In 2005, it drew the same number of 25- to 54-year-old adults — the key advertising demographic — as MSNBC.

The network's new prime-time programs, which began last February, replaced the traditional 30-minute "news wheel" that continues to be the mainstay of Headline News during the day. When he took over the channel about a year ago, Jautz decided that it needed to offer something different at night.

"Nowadays, there is so much more competition on television in news, and so much more news on other platforms, including the Web," he said. "The feeling was that by the time you got to prime time, people knew the headlines of the day and were interested in something more."

Despite some qualms that the Headline News programs would erode the audience of the flagship CNN network, the gains enjoyed by Headline News last year do not appear to have cost CNN any viewers. Although Grace nearly tripled the ratings of the 8 p.m. time slot during the last year, her competition on CNN, "Paula Zahn Now," also saw a 29% increase.

[These people compare that slimey Usraeli Glenn Beck with Nancy Grace?!]

[Moses]

CNN's "Cordial" Hire
Headline News picks would-be killer Glenn Beck as host
1/18/06

CNN’s Headline News has hired radio talkshow host Glenn Beck to host a one-hour primetime show, according to a Daily Variety report (1/17/06). Variety quotes CNN Headline News president Ken Jautz's description of Beck: "Glenn’s style is self-deprecating, cordial; he says he'd like to be able to disagree with guests and part as friends. It's conversational, not confrontational."

But Glenn Beck’s hateful rhetoric tells a different story.

Beck, best known for setting up Clear Channel's pro-war Rallies for America shortly before the Iraq War, once described how much he loathed anti-war presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (WABC-AM, 3/16/03): "Every night I get down on my knees and pray that Dennis Kucinich will burst into flames."

In 2004, Beck called Michael Berg, whose son had been beheaded in Iraq, "despicable" and a "scumbag" because the elder Berg criticized George W. Bush in the wake of his son’s death (Mediamatters.org, 5/17/04).

On May 17, 2005, Beck fantasized about murdering anti-war filmmaker Michael Moore (Mediamatters.org, 5/18/05):

Beck also accused Moore of "taking help and money from Hezbollah."

He wasn’t much more charitable to victims of Hurricane Katrina, some of whom he called "scumbags." On September 9, Beck said that Katrina victims caused a "near riot" when ATM cards were distributed to the displaced (Mediamatters.org, 9/9/05):

In the same broadcast, he explained his animus against the relatives of September 11 victims (while maintaining that "of the 3,000 victims' families, I don't hate all of them. Probably about 10 of them"): "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. And we did our best for them."

The strategy of out-Foxing Fox by signing up incendiary right-wing talkshow hosts is a dangerous one, as MSNBC found when it gave a show to hate-radio star Michael Savage and had to let him go when it turned out that his TV persona spouted the same vitriol featured on his radio show (FAIR Action Alert, 7/7/03). Headline News executives may put Glenn Beck on the air in spite of his hateful baggage, but they shouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t turn out to be the "cordial" and tolerant host they are touting.

ACTION: Contact Ken Jautz and ask him to explain his characterization of Beck as "cordial." Ask him if CNN Headline News supports the hateful and violent commentary Beck is known for.

CONTACT:
Ken Jautz
President, CNN Headline News
[phone]

[Moses]

 
JON FRIEDMAN'S MEDIA WEB
Fickle CNN slouches to the right

By Jon Friedman, Markethingych
Last Update: 12:02 AM ET Jan. 23, 2006  

NEW YORK (Markethingych) -- There CNN goes again.

The cable network's Headline News outlet is poised to give a primetime slot to radio talk-show host Glenn Beck. He goes against everything that CNN has claimed to stand for -- a first-rate pedigree, a non-biased point of view and understated excellence. Beck's chief qualification is that he personifies controversy. ...

[Moses]

This judeo-fascist is so nazi he dies his hair blond-- cheap peroxide type blond:

[Moses]

Here's the intelligent debate that Beck offered for MLK day:

www.variety.com/article/VR1117936232?categoryid=14&cs=1