Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
{{infobox radio station | name	WTAM | image File:WTAM logo.png | area Greater Cleveland | branding Newsradio WTAM 1100 | slogan Cleveland's Only NewsradioThe Big One | airdate September 26, 1923 | frequency 1100 (kHz)| affiliations Fox News RadioPremiere Radio Networks| format }}

| power = 50,000 watts| class = A | coordinates = | owner = Clear Channel Communications | webcast = Listen Live| website = www.wtam.com | former_callsigns = WTAM (1923-1956)KYW (1956-1965)WKYC (1965-1972)WWWE (1972-1996)| former_frequencies = 1927-1941: 1070 (kHz)1926-1927: 770 (kHz)1923-1926: 750 (kHz)| sister_stations = WAKS, WGAR-FM, WHLK, WMJI, WMMS | callsign_meaning = "Where The Artisans Meet"(backronym; the callsign was sequentially assigned)We're Cleveland's Talk AM | }} WTAM (1100 AM) — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio broadcasting a primarily news/talk format. The station serves Cleveland, Akron and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio.

Broadcasting on 1100 kHz with 50,000 watts from its transmitter located at the top of Snowville Road in Brecksville, Ohio, WTAM is a class A clear channel station (formerly Class I-A), sharing the frequency with KFAX (formerly KJBS) in San Francisco. It boasts that they can be heard in most of the eastern two-thirds of the United States at night, and in most of Canada. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and uses the on-air nickname "The Big One" (borrowed from sister station WLW and also used by WWVA).

WTAM features syndicated talk shows hosted by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and George Noory (''Coast to Coast AM)'', and local hosts Bill Wills and Mike Snyder (mornings), Mike Trivisonno (afternoons), and Bob Frantz (evenings). It is also an affiliate of Fox News Radio, carrying network updates at the top of the hour; and has a local news and weather partnership with onetime sister station WKYC-TV.

WTAM serves as the sole flagship station for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Indians; and the AM flagship for the Cleveland Browns (shared with FM sister station WMMS).

History

Early years

WTAM began broadcast operations on September 26, 1923. It was one of several stations that started between 1922 and 1923 with a call sign assigned sequentially by the Commerce Department with "W" as the first letter and "A" as the third. It was originally owned by S.E. Lawrence and Theodore Willard, in the name of the Willard Storage Battery Company. Initially the station only offered three hours of nightly programming, but soon expanded its on-air lineup. Studios were located in the Willard factory on Taft Avenue at East 131st Street. By June 30, 1924, WTAM was broadcasting with 1000 watts and sharing the 770 kHz frequency with WJAX.

WJAX had signed on earlier in 1922, owned by the Union Trust Co. In 1924 it was known as the "Wave from Lake Erie." Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. purchased WJAX in 1925 and changed to the callsign to WEAR. Finally, Willard Battery purchased WEAR to have control of shared frequency allocation.

WTAM was the first radio station to broadcast coverage of a political convention when it covered the 1924 Republican National Convention at Cleveland's Public Auditorium on June 10–12, 1924. The station's power increased to 2500 watts in 1925 and to 3500 watts in 1926, as the studios moved to the Union Trust Building (now the Huntington Building). By June 30, 1927, WTAM and WEAR broadcast on 750 kHz with WTAM broadcasting with 3500 watts. The January 31, 1928 Radio Service Bulletin of the Commerce Department listed WTAM broadcasting with 3500 watts at night and 5000 watts during the day.

Becoming a clear channel giant

After Willard Battery threatened to close the station, WTAM and WEAR were purchased by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (now part of FirstEnergy) and the Van Sweringen brothers on May 31, 1928. In a statement announcing the purchase, the new owners declared, "Recognizing the fact that this radio station is a civic asset to the Greater Cleveland district and that the cessation of its operation would be a real loss, the Van Sweringen interests and the Illuminating Co. entered into arrangements to continue it. Every effort will be made to maintain the station on a plane which will make it of maximum value to the community."

When the new Federal Radio Commission instituted General Order 40 after the passage of the Radio Act of 1927, WTAM along with sister station WEAR (at that point absorbed into WTAM entirely) claimed the clear channel frequency allocated to Cleveland, and on November 11, 1928 it began broadcasting at 1070 kHz with WTAM broadcasting at 50,000 watts. In 1929 the station built two broadcast towers in Brecksville, Ohio, each 200 feet high.

WTAM: the NBC years

With its national prominence as a clear channel giant established, WTAM became a valuable radio property. NBC purchased WTAM on October 16, 1930, and the studios were moved to the Auditorium Building. The station became a major link in the NBC Red Network, contributing some programming to the network. In 1933 Gene Carroll and Glenn Rowling brought their vaudeville humor to radio with the ''Gene and Glenn'' show. They became famous for their characters "Jake & Lena," and their program aired nationally six days a week for several years in the 1930s with WTAM originating the program for nationwide broadcast on the NBC Red Network.

NBC began to make substantial investments to station facilities in the 1930s. In 1937 a new tower was built in Brecksville which was 480 feet tall. That tower is still in use today by WTAM and FM stations WAKS (a WTAM sister station) and WZAK. In 1937 or 1938, the station moved to 815 Superior Avenue, and the building was renamed the NBC building. (The building is known today as the Superior Building.) On March 29, 1941 with the implementation of NARBA, WTAM moved its broadcast frequency from 1070 to 1100 kHz, maintaining its clear-channel status.

During the 1940s, the station continued to contribute some programming to the NBC radio network. On March 19, 1946 Bob Hope brought his Tuesday night 10 p.m. Pepsodent radio show to Cleveland along with Jerry Colonna, Frances Langford and the Skinnay Ennis Orchestra for a broadcast on the NBC radio network. Guests included Ohio Governor Frank Lausche. Recordings of this program are still available from collectors of old radio programs.  

WTAM also broadcast the 1948 World Series games of the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves, with announcers Jim Britt and Mel Allen. In 1951 WTAM originated an NBC Radio Network broadcast of the Cleveland Orchestra.

NBC also expanded its broadcasting interests in Cleveland beyond AM radio. On October 31, 1948, NBC launched a sister television outlet, WNBK, on channel 4. A few weeks later, on December 6, 1948, sister station WTAM-FM was on the air at 105.7 MHz simulcasting the AM programming.

The broadcast tower for WTAM AM-FM and WNBK was moved to Parma, Ohio in the early 1950s. The AM radio outlet continued to use the Parma tower until 1974 when transmissions were moved back to the original broadcast tower in Brecksville.

WTAM also aired Cleveland Browns games during the 1952, 1953, and 1955 seasons; Jim Graner provided color commentary during the 1955 season.

KYW: the Westinghouse years

In 1956, NBC persuaded Westinghouse to trade its NBC-affiliated Philadelphia cluster of KYW-AM-FM and WPTZ-TV for NBC's Cleveland cluster. NBC had long wanted to own a station in Philadelphia, the nation's third-largest market at the time. After years of being rebuffed in its bids for WPTZ and KYW, NBC finally threatened to yank its television programming from WPTZ and Westinghouse's other NBC affiliate, WBZ-TV in Boston, unless Westinghouse consented to the trade.

Westinghouse wanted to keep the historic KYW callsign, which had been Chicago's oldest radio facility before being transferred to Philadelphia on December 3, 1934. Therefore, on February 13, 1956, the Cleveland stations became KYW-AM-FM-TV. The Philadelphia stations became WRCV-AM-TV. The WTAM callsign was later picked up by WGLS in Atlanta, Georgia.

In the early 1960s under Westinghouse ownership KYW, known on-air as "KY11," became a Top 40 powerhouse with DJs Jim Runyon (the "weeeellll" voice of the Chickenman series), Jim Stagg, Jay Lawrence, Jerry G., and the morning duo of Harry Martin and Specs Howard. Its main Top 40 rival in the Cleveland market was "Color Channel 14" WHK 1420.

WKYC years

Almost immediately after the trade was finalized, Westinghouse complained to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Justice Department about NBC's extortion. In 1965, after a protracted legal battle, the FCC ordered the swap of stations reversed without NBC realizing any profit on the deal. NBC regained control of the Cleveland stations on June 19. Not wanting to tamper with success, NBC changed the Cleveland stations' calls were changed to WKYC-AM-FM-TV. The "KY" came from KYW, and the "C" stood for Cleveland. Since the station's nickname was "KY", the calls were munged to spell We're KY in Cleveland.

To their end, KYW AM has explained that KYW "moved" to Cleveland in 1956 and "returned" to Philadelphia in 1965. However, the three stations' facilities remained the same.

WKYC continued as a Top 40 outlet under NBC ownership with DJs such as Hal Martin, Specs Howard, Jay Lawrence, Jerry G, Jim Stagg and Jim Runyon. When Program Director Ken Draper left for Chicago's WCFL in early 1965, both Stagg and Runyon wasted no time following him. Bill Winters came in about this time. Jim LaBarbara was wooed away from a 3 day stint at WIXY to do evening prime time. Chuck Dann and KLIF's morning duo Charlie and Harrigan signed on. Jim Gallant was doing overnights.

In late 1966, popular afternoon DJ Jerry G (Jerry Ghan) also decided to follow Draper to WCFL. He was replaced by WIXY's evening man Jack Armstrong, who then decided to call himself Big Jack. LaBarbara was moved to overnight to accommodate Armstrong's installation as the evening jock.

In early 1967, the on air staff was: LaBarbara, overnight; Charlie and Harrigan, morning drive; Bob Cole, late morning; Jay Lawrence, mid afternoons; Chuck Dann, afternoon drive; and Big Jack in the prime time slot.

WKYC "Radio 11" was a large record-selling influence as far away as New York City and Miami, Florida. However, its main local competition in those days was WIXY 1260 "Super Radio". Unlike WIXY, WKYC - being an NBC owned-and-operated station in a situation not unlike WRC in Washington - was obligated to carry all NBC Radio programming such as Monitor, as well as all top-of-the-hour NBC Radio newscasts. The NBC Radio afternoon daily network news feed was also based from WKYC's studios and anchored by Virgil Dominic.

On February 1, 1968, at 3:05 p.m., following an NBC Radio newscast , the station altered its format to a "more music"–style presentation derivative of the Drake-Chenuault Top 40 format known as "Power Radio," programmed by Hal Moore. Personalities at that time included Charlie & Harrigan (Jack Woods and Paul Menard), Bob Shannon, Chuck Dunaway, Lee 'Baby' Sims, Fred Winston, and Buddy Harrison.

It remained a Top 40 station until early 1969, when WKYC went for a short time, to "Heavy 11" which focused on acid rock artists Iron Butterfly, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, and the like - an oddity for a powerful AM station. In short while, WKYC eventually went back to a more adult-friendly MOR format. The FM station at 105.7-FM varied between automated easy-listening formats of the time.

By 1972 NBC left radio in Cleveland again - this time for good - by selling WKYC-AM-FM to Ohio Communications, owned by sports franchiser Nick Mileti and broadcasters Jim and Tom Embrescia. NBC ended up retaining ownership of WKYC-TV until 1990.

WWWE years

The AM radio station's call letters were changed to WWWE (for Embrescia, though Mileti was 1100's majority owner) and WKYC-FM became WWWM (for Mileti, though Embrescia was 105.7's majority owner), both on November 7, 1972. The FM station took the "M105" on-air persona, while the AM station adopted the "3WE" brand. Mileti also owned both the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Cavaliers; the radio broadcasts for both teams were moved from WERE to WWWE. Pete Franklin also moved from WERE and took over an evening sports call-in show called ''Sportsline''. The program aired from 7 p.m. to 12 midnight every weeknight, and followed the Indians and Cavaliers games. Franklin became a legend, bragging that his station’s nighttime signal could be heard "over 38 states and half of Canada" (a claim still stated on-air by hosts on WTAM to this day), and he soon developed a listenership throughout the country. Franklin stayed with the station until 1987 when he left for WFAN in New York.

In addition to Franklin, the daytime lineup included at one time or another, Jim Runyon, Larry Morrow, Phil McLean, Jim Davis, Jack Reynolds, Tony Matthews, Jeff Elliot, Johnny Andrews, Lanny Wheeler, Ted Alexander and Bill King. During the 1970s and 1980s, formats included AC, oldies, country, and MOR. Ownership of "3WE" also changed hands numerous times, having a succession of owners. In 1977 the station was sold to the Pacific & Southern Co. (where it again dropped its NBC network affiliation) and the Gannett Co. (ironically, the current owners of WKYC-TV).

The station had a new generation of listeners who only knew it as "3WE," while the historic WTAM callsign ended up being used by the 102.3 facility in Gulfport, Mississippi. WWWM passed over into separate ownership in 1975, and was paired with WBBG in the late 1970s. "M105" changed to "Majic 105.7" as WMJI with a soft AC format in 1982. Lake Erie Broadcasting (owned by Art Modell and Al Lerner) purchased the station in 1985. The station became "Radio 11 WWWE" with a news/talk format, adopting a popular news/talk format from the former WJW-AM, which Lake Erie had sold to buy WWWE (and became WRMR in the process). Talent on the "new" WWWE included news director John O'Day, and news staffers Ed Coury, Lisa Meyer, Bruce Kamp, Jim Bellis, and talk hosts Merle Pollis, Joel Rose, John McCullough, among others.

WWWE was sold to the Independent Group Ltd. (owned by Tom Embrescia, Tom Wilson and Larry Pollock) on November 30, 1987, where it once again became "3WE"—the home to popular local "shock jock" Gary Dee in afternoon drive. However, the station continued to go through numerous talent turnover regardless. At one point or another, Fig Newton, "Dancin' Danny Wright", Beth Fisher, Bob Henderson, Lee Kirk, Geoff Sindelar and Bruce Drennan would all appear on WWWE during this time.

In 1990 WWWE was purchased by Booth American Co., based out of Detroit, Michigan. WWWE became affiliated with ABC Radio, and its news department was taken to a 24-hour operation. Studios were moved to the Western Reserve Building on West Ninth Street overlooking the Flats. Ed Coury, former newsman, was brought in from Washington, D.C. to host the morning news program, and later, to be the station's News Director. WWWE added both Paul Harvey (dropped from WGAR) and Rush Limbaugh (dropped from WERE) to its schedule, but ended its radio contract with the Cleveland Indians following the 1991 season. After ending its contract with the Indians, WWWE signed Craig Carton an evening sports-talk host, paired with local sports journalist Mike Snyder. Carton currently co-hosts the morning show on WFAN in New York, while Snyder continues at WTAM.

In April 1994, Booth merged with Broadcast Alchemy to form Secret Communications LP, which owned the station through the remainder of its tenure as WWWE. It was at this time Gary Bruce was hired away from WIOD in Miami as program director, and soon began making sweeping changes to the lineup.

Two new hosts were brought in from WIOD; first Chuck Meyer for morning drive, followed by "shock-jock" Jaz McKay from 9 a.m. to noon. The former WMMS morning team of "Jeff 'n Flash" (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed "Flash" Ferenc) were reunited in afternoon-drive with "Rock 'n Roll Talk Radio," and former "Sportsline" caller Mike Trivisonno—dubbed "Mr. Know It All" derisively by Pete Franklin—took over as host of "Sportsline" in the 6 p.m.–11 p.m. slot.

Eventually Rich Michaels joined WWWE in May 1995 in the midday position, and Jaz McKay moved to the 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. slot. Unfortunately, WWWE itself would make news on January 23, 1996, when its traffic plane hit a cellular phone tower and crashed in Highland Hills. Traffic reporter James Endsley (who was known on-air as Fred Wesley) and pilot James McVeigh were killed.

Back to WTAM

In 1996, ownership decided to replace the WWWE call letters. The station was temporarily branded as "Newsradio AM 1100" during this time, and in searching for a new "AM"-related callsign, it found that the original WTAM call was available. On July 26, 1996, the station once again became WTAM, forty years after having dropped the call letters. The WWWE call sign was later assigned to a 5000 watt daytime station in Atlanta, which, coincidentally, also broadcasts on 1100 kHz.

On April 25, 1997, Jacor Communications announced the purchase of WTAM along with WLTF from Secret Communications LP. Then on August 19, Jacor also announced the purchase of WKNR from Cablevision Systems Corp. WKNR had the rights to Cleveland Indians baseball, which Jacor moved to WTAM beginning with the 1998 season. Jacor then was forced to swap WKNR with Capstar Broadcasting’s WTAE in Pittsburgh that August as part of the Justice Department settlement when Jacor purchased Nationwide Communications. WTAE was then quickly spun off to ABC Radio. In May 1999, Clear Channel Communications completed its $6.5 billion purchase of Jacor and its 454 stations, including WTAM (reuniting the station with its former 105.7 FM counterpart, now named WMJI).

As the Indians flagship station, and picking up some popular nationally syndicated talk shows, such as Dr. Laura Schlessinger (who replaced Rich Michaels) and Coast to Coast AM, WTAM began to build—and sustain—an audience. Unlikely success was found with Mike Trivisonno in 1996 after he was moved into the afternoon-drive shift and eventually became a lead-in to the Indians and Cavaliers broadcasts.

Bill Wills was brought in from sister station WLW in Cincinnati and was paired with long-time newscaster John Webster and local sportscaster Casey Coleman to host ''Wills, Webster and Coleman in the Morning'' - a morning drive news show patterned after Wills' show on WLW. (John Webster retired in 2001, and the morning shows' title was shortened to ''Wills and Coleman'').

Glenn Beck replaced Dr. Laura Schlessinger in the 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. slot (where she aired from 1997–2001) following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Then, Beck was replaced in March 2005 with Jerry Springer's mid-morning show. On March 2006, WTAM replaced Springer with a local program hosted by Bob Frantz, coming over from Clear Channel sister station WSPD in Toledo. Beck's show was then brought back on November 3, 2008, bumping Frantz to the 7 p.m. - 12 a.m. slot.

Studios for all of Clear Channel's Cleveland stations, including WTAM, were consolidated into a new facility in Independence, Ohio by July 2002. WTAM canceled its fifteen-year affiliation with ABC Radio in August 2005, picking up Fox News Radio in a nationwide deal that involved other Clear Channel talk stations, but continued to run ABC Radio's Paul Harvey until August 12, 2006.

On November 27, 2006, sportscaster Casey Coleman, who was co-host of the popular ''Wills and Coleman'' morning show, and sideline reporter on the station's coverage of the Cleveland Browns, died following a fifteen-month bout with pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. Sports director Mike Snyder was brought into the morning slot to succeed Casey, and the program was renamed ''Wills and Snyder''.

Current programming

Weekday

Locally-originated weekday programming includes ''Wills and Snyder in the Morning'' hosted by Bill Wills and Mike Snyder with Scott Reese, and Dave Ramos; ''The Mike Trivisonno Show'' hosted by Mike Trivisonno with Ryan Gohmann, Seth Williams, and Jennifer Rose during afternoon drive; and ''The Bob Frantz Show'' hosted by Bob Frantz with Brian Motsay weeknights. Notable syndicated weekday programming, all from Clear Channel subsidiary Premiere Radio Networks includes ''The Glenn Beck Program'', ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', and ''Coast to Coast AM'' (hosted by George Noory).

Weekend

Saturday programming includes ''The Bob Becker Show'', ''At Home'' with Gary Sullivan, ''The Mutual Fund Show'' with Adam Bold, ''The Matt Patrick Show'', ''The Triv Show without "Triv"'' with Ryan Gohmann, Seth Williams and Jennifer Rose, ''Somewhere in Time'' with Art Bell and ''Coast to Coast AM'' (hosted by Ian Punnett).

Sunday programming includes ''Novel Conversations'' with Frank Lavallo, ''Retirement Matters'' with Bill Smith, ''The City Club Forum'', ''Retirement Wealth Planning'' with Dave Mortach, ''The Bob Frantz Show'' hosted by Bob Frantz with Brian Motsay, ''Wheelin' and Dealin''' and ''The Dave Ramos Show'', both hosted by Dave Ramos, ''The Ken Lanci Show'', ''Black on Black Crime'' with Art McKoy, ''Live on Sunday Night'' with Bill Cunningham, ''Gardening with Angelo Petitti'' (in the spring and summer months), and ''Coast to Coast AM'' (hosted by George Knapp).

On occasion, ''Weekend Sportsline'' will also air depending on the schedule (usually preceding or following play-by-play) and is usually hosted by either Andre Knott, Nick Camino or Chuck Galeti.

Sports

Sports programming includes ''Browns Primetime'' (Browns Radio) with Mike Snyder during football season and ''The Byron Scott Show'' (Cavaliers Radio) with Mike Snyder and Byron Scott during basketball season. ''The Gary Waters Show'' with André Knott and Cleveland State men's basketball coach Gary Waters also airs during basketball season. ''Tribe Talk'' (Indians Radio) with Jim Rosenhaus airs year round. Other football season-only shows include ''Countdown to Kickoff'' with Bob Frantz and André Knott (simulcast on WMMS), and ''Best Browns Coverage Postgame'' with Nick Camino.

WTAM also airs additional pregame and postgame shows during Cleveland Indians broadcasts. ''Tribe Insider'', which airs 30 minutes prior to the network pregame show hosted by Jim Rosenhaus, is hosted by Nick Camino. ''Extra Innings'', which airs for 90 minutes following the conclusion of the networks' postgame show, is generally hosted by Bob Frantz on weeknights, and Nick Camino or Andre Knott on the weekends. (''The Mike Trivisonno Show'' airs after weekday afternoon games, while games that have a start time of 9:00 p.m. or later will not feature ''Extra Innings'' but will join ''Coast to Coast AM'' in progress.) In the event that Indians broadcasts air on WMMS (see "Sports Play-By-Play" below) either of these two shows may still air on WTAM, depending on the circumstances of the schedule.

Sports play by play

Flagship station for:

Cleveland Indians baseball (select games air on WMMS when there is a conflict with the Cavaliers)

Cleveland Browns football (shared with sister station WMMS)

Cleveland Cavaliers basketball (select games air on WMMS when there is a conflict with the Indians)

Cleveland affiliate for:

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football.

Awards

The station was one of 10 stations awarded the 2007 Crystal Radio Award for public service awarded by the National Association of Broadcasters. Winners were honored at the Radio Luncheon on April 17, 2007, during the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

References

External links

WTAM Website

}} }} }}

Category:Clear Channel radio stations TAM Category:Radio stations established in 1923 Category:Westinghouse Broadcasting Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States Category:Cleveland Indians broadcasters Category:NBC Radio Network affiliates

fr:WTAM

Richard Gilmore (born 1943 in New York, New York) is President/CEO of GIC Trade, Inc. (the GIC Group). A trade economist and businessman with a Ph.D. from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where he was a Fulbright Fellow, Gilmore serves as Trustee for Bayer CropSciences, Syngenta Corporation, and Agrium, Inc. He is currently Special External Advisor to the White House/USAID for the Private Sector/Global Food Security and Managing Director of the Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) in Beijing.

Gilmore has been a commodity commentator on CNN and Channel Earth, and has appeared on the Today Show and the BBC to discuss food prices. His book, ''A Poor Harvest'', a study of the grain trade, was translated into Japanese. He has written articles on food stabilization, food security, trade liberalization, and venture capitalism, and has lectured at the Agrarian Institute of Russia, Moscow State University, University of Aix-en-Provence, Johns Hopkins University SAIS, Harvard University, Georgetown University, and American University.

Gilmore is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Advisory Board of NESsT, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the Johns Hopkins SAIS Advisory Council, and the Science Advisory Board of the Conservation Law Foundation. He was a member of the President's Business Development Council during the Clinton Administration and has been chairman of the board of the Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations since its inception in 1977.

Prior to founding the GIC Group, Gilmore was project director for food policies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation, director of food policy at the Overseas Development Council, a guest scholar at the RAND Corporation, senior economist with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a legislative assistant in the Office of Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, an economic research assistant with the International Labor Organization's Institute of Labor Studies, and a trade economist with the United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.

Publications and Presentations

Regular commentator, CNBC Squawk Box Asia and U.S. with recent interviews on commodity prices, biofuels, food safety, and carbon credit instruments, 2008-2010.

Speech, National Economist Club, Wall Street Green Trading Summit.

Speech, North Dakota State University, Johns Hopkins University, School of International Studies.

Speech, National Farm Foundation, Advanced Biofuels Leadership Council.

Speech, US Department of Agriculture, International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council/ São Paulo.

Interview, Australia Farm Journal, July, 2010.

Interview, Venture Equity/Latin America, September, 2010.

Interview, White House Chronicle/PBS and XM, on food safety, April 10, 2009.

“Global Food Security Issues,” speech presented to Ford Fellows of the Global Scholars Program, The Washington Center, Washington, DC, September 29, 2008.

"The Global Commodity Picture: New Industry Drivers," speaker at Commodities Portfolio Management 2008 conference, Boston, September 16, 2008.

Interview with Patrick Barta of the Wall Street Journal, “Investment Strategies in the Context of Market Volatility.”

Chairman, Soft and Agricultural Commodities Investment Asia conference, Singapore, September 3–4, 2008.

NBC, Today Show interview on commodity prices, June 16, 2008.

Reuters interview broadcast, June 18, 2008: SAT 1 (Germany), RTL (Germany), TVB (China), N24 (Germany), Nippon TV (Japan), N-TV (Russia), TV-2 (Norway), KBS1 (South Korea), BBC Arabic, France 2, Sky News (UK), Deutshe Welle (Germany), TV Tokyo (Japan) and TRT International (Turkey).

Speech, Latin America Private Equity World, Miami, July 5, 2008.

"Sector-Specific Opportunities in Latin America." Speech at Latin America Private Equity World, Miami, July 5, 2008.

"Midwest Floods Pushing Up Already Soaring Prices." Interview, Reuters, June 17, 2008.

"Rising Water, Rising Food Prices," Interview with Richard Gilmore, Agribusiness Expert, for the Today Show, msnbc.com, June 2008.

"Ag Commodity Markets and Food Prices." Interview, White House Chronicle, PBS, June 1, 2008.

"Market Dynamics and Pricing of Biofuels." Speech at Biofuels Development Summit, May 15, 2008.

"Venture Capitalism in the Agro Sector," in Inside the Minds: The Roles and Motivations of Key Players in Venture Capital Deals, Aspatore Books, 2007.

"Get Ready for Health Wars," in Barron's, November 7, 2005.

Panel Moderator: "Ag Biotech IP: Progress and Challenges Ahead," BIO International Conference 2005.

"U.S. Food Safety under Siege?" in Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 22, Number 12, December 2004, p. 1503-1505

"Ag biotech and world food security—threat or boon?" in Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 18, Issue 4, April 2000, p. 361.

"A Breakthrough for World Agriculture?" in Voice, Japan, November 10, 1999.

Contributor, National Policy Association and Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, "Competition, Cooperation, and Competitive Advantage," in The Future Stakes for U.S. Food and Agriculture in East and Southeast Asia, NPA Report #291, 1999.

Contributor, Institute for International Economics. Monograph on trade issues for the next round of international agricultural trade negotiations, 1997.

"Competition, Cooperation, and Competitive Advantage," in The Future Stakes for U.S. Food and Agriculture in East and Southeast Asia, National Policy Association and US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service, 1999.

"Food and Agriculture Companies," in Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations, Oxford University Press, 1997.

Commentator on international agribusiness, Channel Earth, affiliate of NBC.

Presentation, "How to do Business in India," The MegaShow/FPM&SA;, November 1995.

Interview, Bloomberg Wire, October 1995.

Presentation, Congress of the World Union of Wholesale Markets, September 1995.

Visiting Lecturer, Agrarian Institute of Russia, January 1993.

Visiting Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Moscow State University, January 1993.

"World Agriculture without GATT," Choices, Second Quarter 1991.

A Poor Harvest: The Clash of Policies and Interests in the Grain Trade (Longman, New York: 1982; TBS Britannica, Tokyo: 1982).

"Wheat and Coarse Grains--Stabilization or Status Quo?" in, eds., G. Goodwin and J. Mayall, A New International Commodity Regime, Croom Helm Ltd., 1979.

"Trade Liberalization and Agricultural Prosperity," Newsweek International, October 31, 1988.

"Faces behind the Figures," Forbes Magazine, July 14, 1986.

"International Food Security: The Challenge Ahead," co-author with Barbara Huddleston of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Food Policy, London, February 1983, vol. 8, issue 1, pages 31-45.

"National Food Stabilization--At What Price?" Trends, U.S. Information Agency, February 1981.

Weekly Commentator on Commodity Markets, "Take Two," CNN, 1981-83.

"Grain in the Bank," Foreign Policy, No. 38 (Spring, 1980), published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, pp. 168–181.

"Grain in the Bank," Politique Etrangere, Fall 1980.

Visiting Lecturer on Agribusiness, University of Aix-en-Provence, Department of Economics and Chaine 2, French Television, 1979.

References

External links

Biotech Info

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Council on Foreign Relations - Foreign Affairs

EconPapers

Federal Trade Commission

NESsT

Rediff On The NeT Business Interview

Rockfeller Foundation

VAGA Story

WorldCat

Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:American economists

Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona best known for controversial experiments with mediums.

Biography

Schwartz received his PhD from Harvard University, and was a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Yale University as well as Director of the Yale Psychophysiology Center and co-director of the Yale Behavioral Medicine Clinic from 1976-1988. He is the Director of The VERITAS Research Program of the Human Energy Systems Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona.

In his early career Schwartz published extensively on biofeedback research, and health psychology. Schwartz's major research focus for the past ten years has been in the field of parapsychology. The goal stated by VERITAS is to test the hypothesis that the consciousness of a person survives physical death. To this end, Schwartz has performed experiments at the University of Arizona that tested well-known mediums such as John Edward of TV's Crossing Over and Allison DuBois, the inspiration for the TV drama Medium. Based on research that Schwartz has characterized as formal scientific experiments under controlled conditions as well as informal readings on himself, Schwartz concluded that DuBois could indeed contact dead people, saying, "There is no question this is not a fraud, some people really can do this, and Allison is one of them." Schwartz says his experiments with DuBois included a reading for celebrity physician and author Dr. Deepak Chopra following the death of his father that Chopra characterized as 77% accurate.

Schwartz's methods have prompted criticism by skeptics such as University of Oregon professor Ray Hyman, who says they deviate from the accepted norms of scientific methodology, and criticizes Schwartz for research errors such as inappropriate statistical tests and using subjects predisposed to believe in psychic abilities. Skeptic Robert Todd Carroll maintains that Schwartz's evaluation of mediums is subjective and a product of wishful thinking. When skeptic James Randi asked the University of Arizona to submit Schwartz's research data to an independent panel for evaluation as part of his $1 Million Challenge, Schwartz declined because he believed the panel, which was picked by Randi, would be biased. Schwartz has also been accused by psychic Laurie Campbell and Allison DuBois of exploiting their publicity value.

Schwartz is the co-author of ''The Living Energy Universe'', and is the author of ''The Afterlife Experiments: Breakthrough Scientific Evidence of Life After Death'' and ''The Truth About Medium'' as well as authoring over 450 scientific papers and editing academic books.

References

Books

Gary E. Schwartz and William L. Simon, "The Truth About Medium: Extraordinary Experiments with the real Allison DuBois of NBC's Medium and other Remarkable Psychics," Hampton Roads Publishing Company (October 2005) ISBN 1571744592

Paul M. Lehrer (Editor), Robert L. Woolfolk (Editor), Gary E. Schwartz "Principles and Practice of Stress Management," (The Guilford Press; 2 Sub edition, January 29, 1993) ISBN 0898627664

Richard J. Davidson (Editor), Gary E. Schwartz (Editor), David Shapiro, "Consciousness and Self-Regulation, Advances in Research and Theory Volume 4," Plenum Press (April 30, 1986) ISBN 0306420481

Gary E. Schwartz, William L. Simon, and Deepak Chopra (Foreword). ''The Afterlife Experiments'' (Mar 1, 2002) ISBN 074343658X

Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D and Linda G. S. Russek, Living Energy Universe: A Fundamental Discovery that Transforms Science and Medicine,'' Hampton Roads Publishing Co, 1999

External links

The VERITAS Research Program at the University of Arizona

''Not to Test Mediums: Critiquing the Afterlife Experiments"">"How Not to Test Mediums: Critiquing the Afterlife Experiments"'', a critique of Gary Schwartz' research from ''The Skeptical Inquirer'' (January 2003)

''Not to Review Mediumship Research"">"Follow Up: How Not to Review Mediumship Research"'', Gary Schwartz' response to the above critique from ''The Skeptical Inquirer'' (May 2003)

''Not to Review Mediumship Research'"">"Follow Up Reply: Hyman's Reply to Schwartz's 'How Not to Review Mediumship Research'"'', Ray Hyman's response to the above critique of his critique from ''The Skeptical Inquirer'' (May 2003)

''What If Gary Schwartz Is Right?'' by Robert Todd Carroll, at ''Freethinker'', mukto-mona.com, a Bengali humanist website (March 2005)

''Gary Schwartz's Subjective Evaluation of Mediums: Veritas or Wishful Thinking?'' by Robert Todd Carroll (April 2006)

''Gary Schwartz and Intelligent Design'' by Robert Todd Carroll (May 2006)

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Psychologists Category:Harvard University alumni Category:University of Arizona faculty

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
name	Jeanmar Gómez
team	Cleveland Indians
number	58
position	Pitcher
birth date	February 10, 1988
birth place	Caracas, Venezuela
bats	Right
throws	Right
debutdate	July 18
debutyear	2010
debutteam	Cleveland Indians
statyear	May 5, 2011
stat1label	Win-Loss
stat1value	4–6
stat2label	Earned run average
stat2value	4.74
stat3label	Strikeouts
stat3value	43
teams	Cleveland Indians (–present) }}

Jeanmar Alejandro Gómez (born February 10, 1988), is a professional baseball starting pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Gómez was signed by Cleveland as an undrafted free agent.

Since 2006, Gómez has played in the minors with the Gulf Coast League Indians, Lake County Captains, Kinston Indians, Akron Aeros, and the Columbus Clippers.

On May 21, 2009 Gómez pitched a nine-inning perfect game for Akron against the host Trenton Thunder at Waterfront Park. It was the first perfect game in Aeros team history and just the second nine-inning perfect game in Eastern League history, dating back to 1923.

On July 18, 2010 Gómez was called up to the Cleveland Indians from the Columbus Clippers to make his Major League Baseball debut against the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 7 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 unearned runs. He had 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.

References

External links

Sports Illustrated Article

MLB.com Article

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:Columbus Clippers players Category:Akron Aeros players Category:Kinston Indians players Category:Lake County Captains players Category:People from Caracas Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Major League Baseball players from Venezuela

fr:Jeanmar Gómez

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
name	Glenn Beck
birth name	Glenn Edward Lee Beck
birth date	February 10, 1964
birth place	Everett, Washington, U.S.
education	Sehome High School
nationality	American
occupation	Political commentator, author, media proprietor, entertainer
spouse	Claire (1983–1994)Tania (m. 1999); 4 children total
website	Glenn Beck's Official Website
religion	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)
Residence	Manhattan, New York City
Home town	Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S. }}

Glenn Edward Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the ''Glenn Beck Program'', a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. He formerly hosted the ''Glenn Beck'' television program, which ran from January 2006 to October 2008 on HLN and from January 2009 to June 2011 on the Fox News Channel. Beck has authored six ''New York Times''-bestselling books. Beck is the founder and CEO of Mercury Radio Arts, a multimedia production company through which he produces content for radio, television, publishing, the stage, and the Internet. It was announced on April 6, 2011, that Beck would "transition off of his daily program" on Fox News later in the year but would team with Fox to "produce a slate of projects for FOX News Channel and FOX News' digital properties". Beck's last daily show on the network was June 30, 2011.

Beck's supporters praise him as a constitutional stalwart defending their traditional American values, while his critics contend he promotes conspiracy theories and employs incendiary rhetoric for ratings.

Personal life

Early years

Glenn Edward Lee Beck was born in Everett, Washington, to William and Mary Beck, who lived in Mountlake Terrace, Washington at the time of their son's birth. The family later moved to Mount Vernon, Washington, where they owned and operated City Bakery in the downtown area. He is descended from German immigrants who came to the United States in the 1800s. Beck was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Mount Vernon.

Glenn and his older sister moved with their mother to Sumner, Washington, attending a Jesuit school in Puyallup. On May 15, 1979, while out on a small boat with a male companion, Beck's mother drowned just west of Tacoma, Washington in Puget Sound. The man who had taken her out in the boat also drowned. A Tacoma police report stated that Mary Beck "appeared to be a classic drowning victim", but a Coast Guard investigator speculated that she could have intentionally jumped overboard. Beck has described his mother's death as a suicide in interviews during television and radio broadcasts.

After their mother's death, Beck and his older sister moved to their father's home in Bellingham, Washington, where Beck graduated from Sehome High School in June 1982. In the aftermath of his mother's death and subsequent suicide of his stepbrother, Beck has said he used "Dr. Jack Daniel's" to cope. At 18, following his high school graduation, Beck relocated to Provo, Utah, and worked at radio station KAYK. Feeling he "didn't fit in", Beck left Utah after six months, taking a job at Washington D.C.'s WPGC in February 1983.

Adulthood

While working at WPGC, Beck met his first wife, Claire. In 1983, the couple married and had two daughters, Mary and Hannah. Mary developed cerebral palsy as a result of a series of strokes at birth in 1988. The couple divorced in 1994 amid Beck's struggles with substance abuse. A recovering alcoholic and drug addict, Beck has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

By 1994, Beck was suicidal, and imagined shooting himself to the music of Kurt Cobain. He credits Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with helping him achieve sobriety. He said he stopped drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis in November 1994, the same month he attended his first AA meeting. Beck later said that he had gotten high every day for the previous 15 years, since the age of 16.

In 1996, while working for a New Haven area radio station, Beck took a theology class at Yale University, with a written recommendation from Senator Joe Lieberman, a Yale alumnus who was a fan of Beck's show at the time. Beck enrolled in an "Early Christology" course, but soon withdrew, marking the extent of his post-secondary education.

Beck's then began a "spiritual quest" in which he "sought out answers in churches and bookstores". As he later recounted in his books and stage performances, Beck's first attempt at self-education involved six wide-ranging authors, comprising what Beck jokingly calls "the library of a serial killer": Alan Dershowitz, Pope John Paul II, Adolf Hitler, Billy Graham, Carl Sagan, and Friedrich Nietzsche. During this time, Beck's Mormon friend and former radio partner Pat Gray argued in favor of the "comprehensive worldview" offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an offer that Beck rejected until a few years later.

In 1999, Beck married his second wife, Tania. After they went looking for a faith on a church tour together, they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1999, partly at the urging of his daughter Mary. Beck was baptized by his old friend, and current-day co-worker Pat Gray. Beck and his current wife have had two children together, Raphe (who is adopted) and Cheyenne. Until April 2011, the couple live in New Canaan, Connecticut, with the four children.

Beck announced in July 2010 that he had been diagnosed with macular dystrophy, saying "A couple of weeks ago I went to the doctor because of my eyes, I can't focus my eyes. He did all kinds of tests and he said, 'you have macular dystrophy ... you could go blind in the next year. Or, you might not. The disorder can make it difficult to read, drive or recognize faces.

In July 2011, Beck leased a house in the Dallas–Fort Worth suburb of Westlake, Texas.

Career

In 2002 Beck created the media platform Mercury Radio Arts as the umbrella over various broadcast, publishing, Internet, and live show entities.

Radio

In 1983 he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, to work at radio station KZFM. In mid-1985, Beck was hired away from KZFM to be the lead DJ for the morning-drive radio broadcast by WRKA in Louisville, Kentucky. His four-hour weekday show was called ''Captain Beck and the A-Team''. Beck had a reputation as a "young up-and-comer". The show was not political and included the usual off-color antics of the genre: juvenile jokes, pranks, and impersonations. The show slipped to third in the market and Beck left abruptly in 1987 amid a dispute with WRKA management.

Months later, Beck was hired by Phoenix Top-40 station KOY-FM, then known as Y-95. Beck was partnered with Arizona native Tim Hattrick to co-host a local "morning zoo" program. During his time at Y-95, Beck cultivated a rivalry with local pop radio station KZZP and that station's morning host Bruce Kelly. Through practical jokes and publicity stunts, Beck drew criticism from the staff at Y-95 when the rivalry culminated in Beck telephoning Kelly's wife on-the-air, mocking her recent miscarriage. In 1989, Beck resigned from Y-95 to accept a job in Houston at KRBE, known as Power 104. Beck was subsequently fired in 1990 due to poor ratings.

Beck then moved on to Baltimore, Maryland and the city's leading Top-40 station, WBSB, known as B104. There, he partnered with Pat Gray, a morning DJ. During his tenure at B104, Beck was arrested and jailed for speeding in his DeLorean. According to a former associate, Beck was "completely out of it" when a station manager went to bail him out. When Gray, then Beck were fired, the two men spent six months in Baltimore, planning their next move. In early 1992, Beck and Gray both moved to WKCI-FM (KC101), a Top-40 radio station in Hamden, Connecticut. In 1995, WKCI apologized after Beck and Gray mocked a Chinese-American caller on air who felt offended by a comedy segment by playing a gong sound effect and having executive producer Alf Gagineau mock a Chinese accent. That incident led to protests by activist groups. When Gray left the show to move to Salt Lake City, Beck continued with co-host Vinnie Penn. At the end of 1998, Beck was informed that his contract would not be renewed at the end of 1999.

The ''Glenn Beck Program'' first aired in 2000 on WFLA (AM) in Tampa, Florida, and took their afternoon time slot from eighteenth to first place within a year. In January 2002, Premiere Radio Networks launched the show nationwide on 47 stations. The show then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting from new flagship station WPHT. On November 5, 2007, ''The New York Times'' reported that Premiere Radio Networks was extending Beck's contract. By May 2008, it had reached over 280 terrestrial stations as well as XM Satellite. It was ranked 4th in the nation with over six and a half million listeners. Glenn Beck is number three in the ratings behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Television

In January 2006, CNN's ''Headline News'' announced that Beck would host a nightly news-commentary show in their new prime-time block ''Headline Prime''. The show, simply called ''Glenn Beck'', aired weeknights. ''CNN Headline News'' described the show as "an unconventional look at the news of the day featuring his often amusing perspective". At the end of his tenure at CNN-HLN, Beck had the second largest audience behind Nancy Grace. In 2008, Beck won the Marconi Radio Award for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year.

In October 2008, it was announced that Beck would join the Fox News Channel, leaving CNN Headline News. After moving to the Fox News Channel, Beck hosted ''Glenn Beck'', beginning in January 2009, as well as a weekend version. One of his first guests was Alaska Governor Sarah Palin He also has a regular segment every Friday on the Fox News Channel program ''The O'Reilly Factor'' titled "At Your Beck and Call". Beck's program drew more viewers than all three of the competing time-slot shows combined on CNN, MSNBC and HLN.

His show's high ratings have not come without controversy. ''The Washington Post''s Howard Kurtz reported that Beck's use of "distorted or inflammatory rhetoric" has complicated the channel's and their journalist's efforts to neutralize White House criticism that Fox is not really a news organization. Television analyst Andrew Tyndall echoed these sentiments, saying that Beck's incendiary style had created "a real crossroads for Fox News", stating "they're right on the cusp of losing their image as a news organization."

In April 2011, Fox News and Mercury Radio Arts, Beck's production company, announced that Beck would "transition off of his daily program" on Fox News in 2011. His last day at Fox was later announced as June 30. FNC and Beck announced that he would be teaming with Fox to produce a slate of projects for Fox News and its digital properties. Fox News head Roger Ailes later referenced Beck's entrepreneurialism and political movement activism, saying, "His [Beck's] goals were different from our goals ... I need people focused on a daily television show." Beck hosted his last daily show on Fox on June 30, 2011, where he recounted the accomplishments of the show and said, "This show has become a movement. It's not a TV show, and that's why it doesn’t belong on television anymore. It belongs in your homes. It belongs in your neighborhoods." In response to critics who said he was fired, Beck pointed out that his final show was airing live. Immediately after the show he did an interview on his new GBTV internet channel.

GBTV

On June 7, 2011, Beck's company, Mercury Radio Arts, announced the new subscription-based internet TV network, GBTV. Glenn Beck's Fox News one-hour show ended June 30, 2011, and his new two-hour show will begin on GBTV.com starting September 12, 2011.

Books

Beck has reached #1 on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List in four separate categories : Hardcover Non-Fiction, Paperback Non-Fiction, Hardcover Fiction, and Children's Picture Books.

''The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland'', Simon & Schuster 2003. ISBN 978-0-7434-9696-4

''An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems'', Simon & Schuster 2007. ISBN 978-1-4391-6857-8

''The Christmas Sweater'', Simon & Schuster 2008. ISBN 978-1-4165-9485-7

''America's March to Socialism: Why We're One Step Closer to Giant Missile Parades'', 2008 (Audiobook) ''An Unlikely Mormon: The Conversion Story of Glenn Beck'', Deseret Book 2008 (Audiobook). ISBN 978-1-59038-944-7

''The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book'', Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 2009. ISBN 978-1-4169-9543-2

''America's March to Socialism: Why We're One Step Closer to Giant Missile Parades'', Simon & Schuster Audio 2009 (Audio CD). ISBN 978-0-7435-9854-5

''Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government'', Simon & Schuster 2009. ISBN 978-1-4391-6857-8

''Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government'', Simon & Schuster 2009. ISBN 978-1-4165-9501-4

''Idiots Unplugged'', Simon & Schuster 2010 (Audio CD). ISBN 1-4423-3396-0

''The Overton Window'', Threshold Editions 2010. ISBN 1-4391-8430-5 ''Idiots Unplugged'', 2010 (Audiobook) ''Broke: The Plan to Restore Our Trust, Truth, and Treasure'', Simon & Schuster 2010. ISBN 1-4423-3457-6.

''The 7: Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life'', Keith Ablow, co-author; Threshold Editions, 2011; ISBN 978-1451625516.

''The Original Argument: The Federalists' Case for the Constitution, Adapted for the 21st Century'', with Joshua Charles; Threshold Editions, 2011; ISBN 978-1451650617.

Beck also authorized a comic book: ''Political Power: Glenn Beck'', by Jerome Maida, Mark Sparacio (illus.); Bluewater Productions, 2011; ISN B004VGB4FO

Stage shows and speeches

Since 2005, Beck has toured American cities twice a year, presenting a one-man stage show. His stage productions are a mix of stand-up comedy and inspirational speaking. In a critique of his live act, ''Salon Magazine's'' Steve Almond describes Beck as a "wildly imaginative performer, a man who weds the operatic impulses of the demagogue to the grim mutterings of the conspiracy theorist". A show from the ''Beck `08 Unelectable Tour'' was shown in around 350 movie theaters around the country. The finale of 2009's ''Common Sense Comedy Tour'' was simulcast in over 440 theaters. The events have drawn 200,000 fans in recent years.

In March 2003, Beck ran a series of rallies, which he called Glenn Beck's Rally for America, in support of troops deployed for the upcoming Iraq War. On July 4, 2007, Beck served as host of the 2007 Toyota Tundra "Stadium of Fire" in Provo, Utah. The annual event at LaVell Edwards Stadium on the Brigham Young University campus is presented by America's Freedom Foundation. In May 2008, Beck gave the keynote speech at the NRA convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

In late August 2009, the mayor of Beck's hometown, Mount Vernon, Washington, announced that he would award Beck the Key to the City, designating September 26, 2009 as "Glenn Beck Day". Due to local opposition, the city council voted unanimously to disassociate itself from the award. The key presentation ceremony sold-out the 850 seat McIntyre Hall and an estimated 800 detractors and supporters demonstrated outside the building. Earlier that day, approximately 7,000 people attended the Evergreen Freedom Foundation's "Take the Field with Glenn Beck" at Seattle's Safeco Field.

In December 2009, Beck produced a one-night special film titled "The Christmas Sweater: A Return to Redemption". In January and February 2010, Beck teamed with fellow Fox News host Bill O'Reilly to tour several cities in a live stage show called "The Bold and Fresh Tour 2010". The January 29 show was recorded and broadcast to movie theaters throughout the country.

Projects and rallies

9-12 Project and Tea Party protests

In March 2009 Beck put together a campaign, the 9-12 Project, that is named for nine principles and twelve values which he says embody the spirit of the American people on the day after the September 11 attacks. The Colorado 9-12 Project hosted a "Patriot Camp" for kids in grades 1–5, featuring programs on "our Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the values and principles that are the cornerstones of our nation".

Restoring Honor rally

The Restoring Honor rally was promoted by Beck and held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 2010. The rally — which purported to embrace religious faith and patriotism — was co-sponsored by the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, promoted by FreedomWorks, and supported by the Tea Party movement.

''America's First Christmas''

In December 2010, Beck went to Wilmington, Ohio, a town devastated by the late-2000s recession, to host live events to encourage his fans to go to the town to boost the local economy in a project called "America's First Christmas". He hosted an event and his radio and television shows from the local theater.

2011 international tour

Beck headlined his "Restoring Courage" events in Jerusalem, Israel, in August 2011 in a campaign Beck said was designed to encourage people worldwide "to stand with the Jewish people". After Jerusalem, Beck visited Cape Town, South Africa, and was scheduled to visit Venezuela.

Political views

Beck has described himself as a conservative with libertarian leanings. Among his core values Beck lists personal responsibility, private charity, the right to life, freedom of religion, limited government, and family as the cornerstone of society. Beck believes in low national debt, and has said "A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence." He supports individual gun ownership rights and is against gun control legislation.

Beck believes that there is a lack of evidence that human activity is the main cause of global warming. He holds that there is a legitimate case that global warming has, at least in part, been caused by mankind, and has tried to do his part by buying a home with a "green" design. He also views the American Clean Energy and Security Act as a form of wealth redistribution, and has promoted a petition rejecting the Kyoto Protocol.

Opposition to progressivism

During his 2010 keynote speech to Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Beck wrote the word "progressivism" on a chalkboard and declared, "This is the disease. This is the disease in America", adding "progressivism is the cancer in America and it is eating our Constitution!" According to Beck, the progressive ideas of men such as John Dewey, Herbert Croly, and Walter Lippmann, influenced the Presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson; eventually becoming the foundation for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Beck has said that such progressivism infects both main political parties and threatens to "destroy America as it was originally conceived". In Beck’s book ''Common Sense'', he argues that "progressivism has less to do with the parties and more to do with individuals who seek to redefine, reshape, and rebuild America into a country where individual liberties and personal property mean nothing if they conflict with the plans and goals of the State."

A collection of progressives, whom Beck has referred to as "Crime Inc.", comprise what Beck contends is a clandestine conspiracy to take over and transform America. Some of these individuals include Cass Sunstein, Van Jones, Andy Stern, John Podesta, Wade Rathke, Joel Rogers and Francis Fox Piven. Other figures tied to Beck's "Crime Inc." accusation include Al Gore, Franklin Raines, Maurice Strong, George Soros, John Holdren and President Barack Obama. According to Wilentz, Beck's "version of history" places him in a long line of figures who have challenged mainstream political historians and presented an inaccurate opposing view as the truth, stating:

Conservative David Frum, the former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, has also alleged Beck's propensity for negationism, remarking that "Beck offers a story about the American past for people who are feeling right now very angry and alienated. It is different enough from the usual story in that he makes them feel like they’ve got access to secret knowledge."

Ideological influences

Political and historical

An author with ideological influence on Beck is W. Cleon Skousen (1913–2006), a prolific conservative political writer, American Constitutionalist and faith-based political theorist. As an anti-communist supporter of the John Birch Society, and limited-government activist, Skousen, who was Mormon, wrote on a wide range of subjects: the Six-Day War, Mormon eschatology, New World Order conspiracies, even parenting. Skousen believed that American political, social, and economic elites were working with Communists to foist a world government on the United States. Beck praised Skousen's "words of wisdom" as "divinely inspired", referencing Skousen's ''The Naked Communist'' and especially ''The 5,000 Year Leap'' (originally published in 1981), which Beck said in 2007 had "changed his life". According to Skousen's nephew, Mark Skousen, ''Leap'' reflects Skousen's "passion for the United States Constitution", which he "felt was inspired by God and the reason behind America's success as a nation". The book is touted by Beck as "required reading" to understand the current American political landscape and become a "September twelfth person". Beck authored a foreword for the 2008 edition of ''Leap'' and Beck's on-air recommendations in 2009 propelled the book to number one in the government category on Amazon for several months. In 2010, Matthew Continetti of the conservative ''Weekly Standard'' criticized Beck's conspiratorial bent, terming him "a Skousenite". Additionally, Alexander Zaitchik, author of the 2010 book ''Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance'', which features an entire chapter on "The Ghost of Cleon Skousen", refers to Skousen as "Beck's favorite author and biggest influence", while noting that he authored four of the 10 books on Beck's 9-12 Project required-reading list.

In his discussion of Beck and Skousen, Continetti said that one of Skousen's works "draws on Carroll Quigley’s ''Tragedy and Hope'' (1966), which argues that the history of the 20th century is the product of secret societies in conflict", noting that in Beck's novel ''The Overton Window'', which Beck describes as "faction" (fiction based on fact), one of his characters states "Carroll Quigley laid open the plan in ''Tragedy and Hope'', the only hope to avoid the tragedy of war was to bind together the economies of the world to foster global stability and peace."

Princeton University historian Sean Wilentz says that alongside Skousen, Robert W. Welch, Jr., founder of the John Birch Society, is a key ideological foundation of Beck's worldview. According to Wilentz: "[Beck] has brought neo-Birchite ideas to an audience beyond any that Welch or Skousen might have dreamed of."

Other books that Beck regularly cites on his programs are Amity Shlaes's ''The Forgotten Man'', Jonah Goldberg's ''Liberal Fascism'', Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen's ''A Patriot's History of the United States'', and Burton W. Folsom, Jr.'s ''New Deal or Raw Deal''. Beck has also urged his listeners to read ''The Coming Insurrection'', a book by a French Marxist group discussing what they see as the imminent collapse of capitalist culture, and ''The Creature from Jekyll Island'', which argues that aspects of the U.S. Federal Reserve system assault economic civil liberties, by G. Edward Griffin.

On June 4, 2010, Beck endorsed Elizabeth Dilling's 1936 work ''The Red Network: A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'', remarking "this is a book, ''The Red Network'', this came in from 1936. People — [Joseph] McCarthy was absolutely right ... This is, who were the communists in America." Beck was criticized by an array of people, including Menachem Z. Rosensaft and Joe Conason, who stated that Dilling was an outspoken anti-Semite and a Nazi sympathizer.

Religious

Beck has credited God for saving him from drug and alcohol abuse, professional obscurity and friendlessness. In 2006, Beck performed a short inspirational monologue in Salt Lake City, Utah, detailing how he was transformed by the "healing power of Jesus Christ", which was released as a CD two years later by Deseret Book, a publishing company owned by the LDS Church, entitled ''An Unlikely Mormon: The Conversion Story of Glenn Beck''.

Religious scholar Joanna Brooks contends that Beck developed his "amalgation of anti-communism" and "connect-the-dots conspiracy theorizing" only after his entry into the "deeply insular world of Mormon thought and culture". Brooks theorizes that Beck's calls to fasting and prayer are rooted in Mormon collective fasts to address spiritual challenges, while Beck's "overt sentimentality" and penchant for weeping represent the hallmark of a "distinctly Mormon mode of masculinity" where "appropriately-timed displays of tender emotion are displays of power" and spirituality. Philip Barlow, the Arrington chair of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, has said that Beck's belief that the U.S. Constitution was an "inspired document", his calls for limited government and for not exiling God from the public sphere, "have considerable sympathy in Mormonism". Beck has acknowledged that the Mormon "doctrine is different" from traditional Christianity, but said that this was what attracted him to it, stating that "for me some of the things in traditional doctrine just doesn't work."

Particularly as a consequence of Beck's Restoring Honor rally in 2010, the fact that Beck is Mormon caused concern amongst some politically sympathetic Christian Evangelicals on theological grounds. Tom Tradup, vice president at Salem Radio Network, which serves more than 2,000 Christian-themed stations, expressed this sentiment after the rally, stating "Politically, everyone is with it, but theologically, when he says the country should turn back to God, the question is: Which God?" Subsequently, a September 2010 survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Religion News Service (RNS) found that of those Americans who hold a favorable opinion of Beck, only 45% believe he is the right person to lead a religious movement, with that number further declining to 37% when people are informed he is Mormon. Daniel Cox, Director of Research for PRRI, summed up this position by stating:

Pete Peterson of Pepperdine's Davenport Institute said that Beck's speech at the rally belonged to an American tradition of calls to personal renewal. Peterson wrote: "A Mormon surrounded onstage by priests, pastors, rabbis, and imams, Beck [gave] one of the more ecumenical jeremiads in history." Evangelical pastor Tony Campolo said in 2010 that conservative evangelicals respond to Beck's framing of conservative economic principles, saying that Beck's and ideological fellow travelers' "marriage between evangelicalism and patriotic nationalism is so strong that anybody who is raising questions about loyalty to the old, lassez-faire capitalist system is ex post facto unpatriotic, un-American, and by association non-Christian.” ''Newsweek'' religion reporter Lisa Miller, after quoting Campolo, opined, "It's ironic that Beck, a Mormon, would gain acceptance as a leader of a new Christian coalition. ... Beck's gift ... is to articulate God's special plan for America in such broad strokes that they trample no single creed or doctrine while they move millions with their message."

After attempting unsuccessfully for a year to arrange a meeting with Protestant evangelist Billy Graham, Beck was invited to meet with Graham on February 19, 2011. Days later, Beck described the circumstances, writing: "Two weeks ago, as I have been struggling with some ideas and some things that I am working on for the future and I am trying to get clarity again, I thought of Billy Graham. When the phone rang and they said the Reverend feels it’s time to meet, I met with him. We had an hour scheduled. It lasted three hours." Earlier, in a January 2011 interview with ''Christianity Today'', Graham had said he regretted instances where he had strayed into politics in the past.

Public reception

In 2009, the Glenn Beck show was one of the highest rated news commentary programs on cable TV. For a Barbara Walters ABC special, Beck was selected as one of America’s "Top 10 Most Fascinating People" of 2009. In 2010, Beck was selected for the Times top 100 most influential people under the "Leaders" category.

Beck has referred to himself as an entertainer, and a "rodeo clown".

thumb|Beck at the [[Time 100|''Time'' 100 Gala, 2010]]''Time Magazine'' described Beck as "[t]he new populist superstar of Fox News" saying it is easier to see a set of attitudes rather than a specific ideology, noting his criticism of Wall Street, yet defending bonuses to AIG, as well as denouncing conspiracy theories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) but warning against indoctrination of children by the AmeriCorps program. (Paul Krugman and Mark Potok, on the other hand, have been among those asserting that Beck helps spread "hate" by covering issues that stir up extremists.) What seems to unite Beck's disparate themes, ''Time'' argued, is a sense of siege. One of Beck's Fox News Channel colleagues Shepard Smith, has jokingly called Beck's studio the "fear chamber", with Beck countering that he preferred the term "doom room".

Republican South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham criticized Beck as a "cynic" whose show was antithetical to "American values" at ''The Atlantic'''s 2009 First Draft of History conference, remarking "Only in America can you make that much money crying." The progressive watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting's (FAIR) Activism Director Peter Hart argues that Beck red-baits political adversaries as well as promotes a paranoid view of progressive politics. Howard Kurtz of ''The Washington Post'' has remarked that "Love him or hate him, Beck is a talented, often funny broadcaster, a recovering alcoholic with an unabashedly emotional style."

Glenn Beck was honored by Liberty University during their 2010 Commencement exercises with an honorary Doctoral Degree. During his keynote address to the students, he stated "As a man who was never able to go to college — I’m the first in my family that went; I went for one semester; I couldn’t afford more than that — I am humbly honored." In June 2011, Beck announced he was to be the honored with the Zionist Organization of America's 2011 Defender of Israel Award.

Laura Miller writes in Salon.com that Beck is a contemporary example of "the paranoid style in American politics" described by historian Richard Hofstader:

"The Paranoid Style in American Politics" reads like a playbook for the career of Glenn Beck, right down to the paranoid's "quality of pedantry" and "heroic strivings for 'evidence, embodied in Beck's chalkboard and piles of books. But Beck lacks an archenemy commensurate with his stratospheric ambitions, which makes him appear even more absurd to outsiders.

Critical biographies

In June 2010, investigative reporter Alexander Zaitchik released a critical biography titled ''Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance'', with a title mocking Beck's work, ''Common Sense''. In an interview about the book, Zaitchik theorized that "Beck’s politics and his insatiable hunger for money and fame are not mutually exclusive", while stating: "Beck’s true religion is not Patriotism, Mormonism, or Conservatism. His true religion is cross-platform self-marketing ... According to Beck’s worldview, there’s no inherent contradiction between his sophisticated instinct for self-promotion, his propagandist rodeo clown act, his self-image as a media mogul, and his professed belief system. I think he actually believes that God wants him to make a ton of money and become this huge celebrity by fear mongering and generally doing whatever it takes in the media to promote right-wing causes."

In September 2010, ''Philadelphia Daily News'' reporter Will Bunch released ''The Backlash: Right-Wing Radicals, High-Def Hucksters, and Paranoid Politics in the Age of Obama''. One of Bunch's theses is that Beck is nothing more than a morning zoo deejay playing a fictional character as a money-making stunt. Writer Bob Cesca, in a review of Bunch's book, compares Beck to Steve Martin's faith-healer character in the 1992 film ''Leap of Faith'', before describing the "derivative grab bag of other tried and tested personalities" that Bunch contends comprises Beck's persona: In October 2010 a polemical biography by Dana Milbank was released: ''Tears of a Clown: Glenn Beck and the Tea Bagging of America''.

Satire, spoof and parody

Beck has been the subject of mockery and ridicule by a number of humorists. In response to Beck's animated delivery and views, he was parodied in an impersonation by Jason Sudeikis on ''Saturday Night Live''. ''The Daily Show''s Jon Stewart has spoofed Beck's 9-12 project with his own "11-3 project", consisting of "11 principles and 3 herbs and spices", impersonated Beck's chalk board-related presentation style for an entire show, and quipped about Beck "finally, a guy who says what people who aren't thinking are thinking". Stephen Colbert of ''The Colbert Report'' satirized Beck's "war room" by creating his own "doom bunker". Through the character Eric Cartman, ''South Park'' parodied Beck's television program and his commentary style in the episode "Dances with Smurfs". ''The Onion'', a satirical periodical and faux news site, ran an ''Onion News Network'' video "special report" where it lamented that the "victim in a fatal car accident was tragically not Glenn Beck". Meanwhile, the ''Current TV'' cartoon ''SuperNews!'' ran an animated cartoon feature titled "The Glenn Beck Apocalypse", where Beck is confronted by Jesus Christ who rebukes him as the equivalent of "Sarah Palin farting into a balloon". Political comedian and satirist Bill Maher has mocked Beck's followers as an "army of diabetic mallwalkers", while ''The Buffalo Beast'', named Beck the most loathsome person in America in 2010, declaring "It's like someone found a manic, doom-prophesying hobo in a sandwich board, shaved him, shot him full of Zoloft and gave him a show." The October 31 Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, hosted by Comedy Central personalities Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, was conceived as a parody of Beck's earlier Rally to Restore Honor, even though Stewart and Colbert said that they came up with the idea of holding a rally in March and Stewart had put down the deposit for the National Mall before Beck announced his rally.

Public disputes

Obama

Several incidents involving Beck and President Barack Obama have resulted in notable public controversy. In response to Obama's remarks on the Henry Louis Gates controversy, Beck argued that Obama has repeatedly shown "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture", saying "I'm not saying he doesn't like white people. I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist." These remarks drew criticism, and resulted in a boycott promulgated by Color of Change. In 2009, the boycott resulted in at least 57 advertisers requesting their ads be removed from his programming, to avoid associating their brands with content that could be considered offensive by potential customers. He later apologized for the remarks, telling Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace that he has a "big fat mouth" and miscast as racism what is actually, as he theorizes, Obama's belief in black liberation theology.

Van Jones

In July 2009, Beck began to focus what would become many episodes on his TV and radio shows on Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs at Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality. Beck was critical of Jones' involvement in STORM, a left wing non-governmental group, and his support for death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, who had been convicted of killing a police officer. Beck spotlighted video of Jones referring to Republicans as "assholes", and a petition Jones signed suggesting that George W. Bush knowingly let the 9/11 attacks happen. In a move attributed by ''The New York Times'' to criticism of his earlier statements by conservatives and Republicans, Jones resigned his position in September 2009. ''Time'' magazine credited Beck with leading conservatives' attack on Jones. Jones characterized the attacks from his opponents as a "vicious smear campaign" and an effort to use "lies and distortions to distract and divide".

ACORN

In 2009, Beck and other conservative commentators were critical of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) for various reasons, including claims of voter registration fraud in the 2008 presidential election. In September 2009, he broadcast a series of heavily edited undercover videos by conservative activists James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, which seemed to portray ACORN community organizers offering inappropriate tax advice to people who said they were engaged in illegal activities. Following the videos' release, the U.S. Census Bureau severed ties with the group while the U.S. House and Senate voted to cut all of its federal funding.

Satire website

In 2009, lawyers for Beck brought a case (''Beck v. Eiland-Hall'') against the owner of a satirical website named ''GlennBeckRapedAndMurderedAYoungGirlIn1990.com'' with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The claim that the domain name of the website is itself defamatory was described as a first in cyberlaw. Beck's lawyers argued that the site infringed on his trademarked name and that the domain name should be turned over to Beck. The WIPO ruled against Beck, but Eiland-Hall voluntarily transferred the domain to Beck anyway, saying that the First Amendment had been upheld and that he no longer had a use for the domain name.

Jewish Funds for Justice

In January 2011, in protest at what they saw as inappropriate references to the Holocaust and to Nazis by Beck (and by Roger Ailes of Fox News), four hundred rabbis signed an open letter in paid advertisement in the Wall Street Journal. The ad was paid for by Jewish Funds for Justice which had previously called for Beck's firing. The JFFJ have claimed on their website that Beck seems "to draw his material straight from the anti-Semitic forgery, the ''Protocols of the Elders of Zion''". The letter states that Beck and Fox had "...diminish[ed] the memory and meaning of the Holocaust when you use it to discredit any individual or organization you disagree with. That is what Fox News has done in recent weeks." In response, a Fox News executive said to Reuters that the letter was from a "George Soros-backed leftwing political organization".

Reform Judaism

On February 22, 2011, during a discussion on his radio show about the controversy surrounding his earlier comments about Soros, Beck said "Reform Rabbis are generally political in nature. It's almost like radicalized Islam in a way where it's less about religion than it is about politics." He was quickly criticized by other conservatives, Jewish rabbis, and others. The Anti-Defamation League labeled Beck's remarks as "bigoted ignorance". On February 24, Beck apologized on air, agreeing that his comments were "ignorant".

2011 Norway attacks

In the wake of the 2011 Norway attacks, Beck received condemnation for his comparison of murdered and surviving members of the Norwegian Workers' Youth League to the Hitler Youth: "There was a shooting at a political camp which sounds a little like, you know, the Hitler Youth or whatever, you know what I mean. Who does a camp for kids that's all about politics? Disturbing." The statement was ill-received in Norway, leading senior political commentator Frank Aarebrot to label Beck as a "vulgar propagandist" and a "fascist", and Torbjørn Eriksen, former press secretary to Norway's prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, to describe Beck's comment as "a new low", adding that "Glenn Beck's comments are ignorant, incorrect and extremely hurtful". Commentators pointed out that groups affiliated with the Tea Party movement and the Beck-founded 9-12 Project also sponsor politically oriented camp programs for children. Beck condemned the attack in spite of his statements about its victims.

See also

Beck University

Conservative talk

List of most-listened-to radio programs

References

External links

Glenn Beck's Radio Program

Glenn Beck – The 912 Project

Official Site at Fox News

Multimedia

A Day in the Life of Glenn Beck - slideshow by ''Time magazine''

Katie Couric Interview of Glenn Beck - video by ''CBS News''

"Brand it like Beck" - video interview by ''Forbes magazine''

John Stossel: "Glenn Beck, Conservative Narcissist?" - video by ''ABC News''

Glenn Beck Discusses his Mormonism - video testimonial at ''The Week''

In the Words of Glenn Beck - slideshow by ''Life magazine''

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