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Glenn Beck could start his own TV channel
Fiery right-wing presenter could go it alone after Fox stall on extending contract
Is there life after Fox TV for Glenn Beck, should the bombastic anchor part company with Rupert Murdoch's news channel when his contract runs out later this year? Yes, according to the New York Times. He could even start his own channel.
Beck's future at Fox has been in doubt ever since rumours emerged this month that the station would be happy for him to leave in December.
The news that senior Fox News executive Joel Cheatwood is making an imminent move to Beck's own media company, Mercury Radio Arts, has increased the speculation. It has also raised the possibility that Beck might create a rival news channel, perhaps inspired by Oprah Winfrey's successful launch of her own network in January.
Few media observers doubt that Beck's name - firmly linked with the rabble-rousing right - has the power to attract big viewing figures. As consultant Larry Kramer told the New York Times, Beck has a "passionate media brand with a clear point of view".
Another potential option for Beck would be to build what is already an impressive online presence. Forbes magazine reported recently that the 47-year-old earned $4 million from his web operations last year, twice what he received from Fox News.
A recent expansion in Beck's web activity, combined with a monthly subscription fee which would appear not to be deterring readers, makes this a real possibility.
Beck also proved his popularity with the Washington DC rally he organised last summer, which saw an estimated one million people protest against Obama and the liberal America before the Congressional mid-term elections.
There is, as of yet, no official word on whether Beck will definitely be leaving Fox, with both parties deliberately tightlipped on contract negotiations.
On Tuesday a Fox News spokeswoman said curtly: "It's not up until December" and declined to comment further.
Beck, meanwhile, has released a carefully worded statement. It reads: "I have no intention whatsoever of doing the show I am doing now on Fox anywhere else." ·
