He should've never been hired by CNN in the first place.
Beck Leaving CNN for Fox News
By Brian Stelter
Glenn Beck, the conservative commentator who helped re-invent CNN Headline News two years ago, is moving to the Fox News Channel.
He will host the network’s 5 p.m. weekday hour as well as an unscheduled weekend show beginning next spring. Fox News characterized the deal as a “multi-year agreement.”
In a statement, Mr. Beck said, “I am thrilled and profoundly humbled to have the chance to bring my program to Fox News. Expanding my audience is exciting, but I’m really looking forward to joining Mr. Ailes and his world-class team,” referring to Roger Ailes, the chairman of Fox News.
Mr. Beck, a longtime radio host who joined CNN in May 2006, delivers his political and cultural monologues and conducts his interviews in a humorous, populist style. His defection is a serious loss for Headline News, which has seen its ratings soar since it replaced hourly news updates with opinionated hosts in prime time.
It is also a significant hire for the Fox News Channel. While the network beats its cable news competition most hours of the day, it sometimes places second behind CNN, and on some days finishes third behind CNN and MSNBC, during the 5 p.m. hour, at least in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic. Fox News moved the host John Gibson out of the 5 p.m. time slot last spring and replaced him with an election-themed program.
Joel Cheatwood, who developed Mr. Beck’s program while at CNN, moved to the Fox News Channel in April 2007.
News of the deal was first posted on The Drudge Report Thursday afternoon. CNN had no immediate comment about the report.
In the third quarter of 2008, Mr. Beck’s CNN program averaged 376,000 viewers at 7 p.m. and another 487,000 viewers at 9 p.m., a record high for both hours. His program is Headline News’s second most popular behind Nancy Grace, who attracted 924,000 viewers at 8 p.m. and 559,000 viewers at 10 p.m. in the quarter.