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Famous Like Me > Actor > B > Glenn Beck

Profile of Glenn Beck on Famous Like Me

 
Name: Glenn Beck  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 1st June 1935
   
Place of Birth: Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
   
Profession: Actor
 
 
From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Glenn Beck appears on the cover of his 2003 book, The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland.

Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is a conservative American talk-radio host. His show is syndicated by 202 radio stations, including XM Satellite Radio, in the continental United States, Vancouver and British Columbia in Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Early life and career

Beck made his radio debut at the age of 13 in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Sumner. Beck had won an hour of radio time in a contest, but Beck quickly drew the favor of his new colleagues and was granted a part-time job as a DJ. He hosted Christian radio on Saturday, rock on Sunday and country on weeknights, but lost the job when he failed to complete a shift due to a migraine headache.

In the same year he debuted on radio, his mother, an alcoholic, committed suicide by drowning herself in a bay near Tacoma. More family tragedy followed shortly afterward as one of his brothers-in-law committed suicide in Wyoming and another had a fatal heart attack.

Beck experienced success in radio during his 20s and his career grew rapidly. However, he became an alcoholic and a drug addict, even describing himself as "a despicable human being." The addictions culminated in a period of intense unhappiness and the disintegration of his first marriage, which had produced two children. With the help of family and Alcoholics Anonymous, Beck stopped drinking and using drugs. He converted to Mormonism and remarried (his second wife is Tania). Beck cites his 15-year-old daughter, Mary (named after Beck's mother), as one of the reasons he was able to pull together. Mary was born with cerebral palsy, which had led doctors to predict she would never walk or feed herself. She has since been able to do both, and runs cross-country for her school now. Beck now describes himself as "a work in progress."

Glenn Beck Program

The Glenn Beck Program began in 2000, airing on WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida, and quickly gained popularity in its afternoon slot. Beck enjoyed a quick rise from local radio to the national spotlight, spurred by the September 11, 2001 attacks. In January 2002, syndicator Premiere Radio Networks launched the show on 47 stations. The show was then moved to WPHT-AM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is currently available on over 200 stations.

Beck ran a series of rallies called "Glenn Beck's Rally for America" during 2003 in support of the troops fighting in Iraq. He ran the final rally at Marshall University over the Memorial Day weekend, which drew about 25,000 people. Other rally venues included San Antonio, Cleveland, Atlanta, Valley Forge, Tampa, and most recently Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Beck is often compared to talk-radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage. His show includes much humor and sarcasm. Glenn hates politics, and a new version of his show features "half the politics and twice the comedy." His producer and head writer is Steve "Stu" Burguiere.

Beck often discusses weblogs and the "blogosphere," although he dislikes both terms.

Fans of the Glenn Beck Program are often called "Sick Freaks," as a homage to controversial broadcaster Bob Grant, who was often very aggressive on the air, much more than even Michael Savage. Beck also uses Grant's infamous line "Get off my phone!" when he dumps an unreasonable caller. Beck fans have shortened it to "GOMP" and many of them enjoy it when he "GOMPs" a caller.

Political views and controversial statements

On his show, Beck addresses many issues, mostly from a rightist or conservative viewpoint. He does not identify himself as a Republican but largly supports the policies of George W. Bush and the Bush administration. However, he is critical of the Bush administration on several issues, including border security, government spending, some aspects of the Iraq war, and the appointment of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

Beck describes himself as a Mormon with libertarian leanings and a strong sense of "family values." His stated opinions include being pro-life, pro-Iraq War, and against what he views as "political correctness". Beck is critical of the entertainment industry and television shows featuring gays and lesbians, such as Will and Grace. He is opposed to euthanasia and capital punishment, as well as anti-smoking regulations. He describes himself as "pro-business," and against raising the minimum wage.

Book and magazine

Beck the author of The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland (ISBN 0743486331). Beck also is the founder and editor of a magazine called Fusion, which is a play on The Glenn Beck Program's motto, "the Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment," and is a comedy publication. A recurring item in Fusion is the future obituary of famous people. Those included in this segment so far are Michael Jackson (Vol. 1, Issue 1), J.K. Rowling (Vol. 1, Issue 2), Osama bin Laden (Vol. 1, Issue 3), and Helen Thomas (Vol. 1, Issue 4). Fans who went to the 2005 Glenn Beck: On Ice tour received the first issue.

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Glenn Beck