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The latest Glenn Beck ratings collapse

June 22, 2010 8:56 am ET by Eric Boehlert

Trust me, the sirens are now going off over at Fox News' headquarters on Sixth Avenue in NYC. According to the latest Nielsen numbers, Glenn Beck just demolished its previous low ratings mark with the program that aired last Friday, June 18.

Not only was the June 18, telecast easily the lowest rated, non-vacation show for all of 2010, I'd wager it was the lowest-rated Monday-Friday program that Beck has hosted at Fox News. Ever. That's how bad the Nielsen numbers were from Friday night. 

The show attracted an audience of 1.39 million viewers. The context? Glenn Beck's previous low for 2010 was recently posted on June 11. That show drew 1.71 million viewers. In other words, the June 18 low-water mark wasn't even close to the previous low -- Friday night's airing set the new mark with authority! 

Keep in mind, this is the same Glenn Beck that, back in January, was averaging more than 3 million viewers each night, which means that between late January and late June, Beck managed to lose two million viewers. That may be unprecedented in cable TV news. (But don't worry, Glenn claims his ratings are up this year!) 

UPDATED: Did I mention this summer is not going to be kind to Glenn Beck? 

UPDATED: RedState's Erick Erickson displays his usual impeccable timing this morning, posting this blog item where he touts Beck's "huge" TV ratings.

Whatever you say Erick. 

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    • Author by nerzog (June 22, 2010 9:02 am ET)
      7 1
      They were all out waiting in line to buy The Overton Window. Yeah, that's it...
      Report Abuse
      • Author by txthinker (June 22, 2010 9:42 am ET)
        4 1
        But Glenn counted his viewers himself, and says that 4 bazillion people watched his show Friday night......
        Report Abuse
      • Author by pete592 (June 22, 2010 11:18 am ET)
        2 1
        And once they buy it, they have to take the time to read it (while trying their hardest not to interpret it as a comedy).
        Report Abuse
      • Author by MiG (June 22, 2010 12:40 pm ET)
        2 1
        They were all out waiting in line to buy The Overton Window. Yeah, that's it...
        I thought only commies would wait in line.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (June 22, 2010 9:07 am ET)
      4 1
      Maybe he's not crying enough ?????
      Report Abuse
      • Author by nerzog (June 22, 2010 9:10 am ET)
        6 1
        I think he lost them with all that Woodrow Wilson stuff. I tried to warn them... the average Troglodyte has never even heard of Woodrow Wilson.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by ProgLib (June 22, 2010 9:24 am ET)
          4 1
          ...the average Troglodyte has never even heard of Woodrow Wilson.


          I can just imagine his viewers sitting there watching and like either falling asleep or changing the channel because they don't want to hear about some guy named Woodrow who they've never heard about. Or, knowing ass-clown viewers like his, they probably spend their time making fun of Wilson's name while Beck's complaining about him... "Haha, Woodrow, what a dweeb! Who has a name like that?"
          Report Abuse
        • Author by RedChocobo (June 22, 2010 11:21 am ET)
          3 1
          The average troglodyte probably can't even name a majority of the signers of the declaration of independence and probably thinks Benjamin Franklin was a president.
          Report Abuse
      • Author by NiceguyEddie (June 22, 2010 9:20 am ET)
        3 1
        He probably think he's not lying enough.

        ---------------------------------------
        Thank God there's a limit to the insanity we're willing to swallow.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by New Frontier (June 22, 2010 9:11 am ET)
      3 1
      Gather 'round all ye Glenn Beck ratings spinners, because spinneth thou now must!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by MickD (June 22, 2010 9:13 am ET)
      6 1
      It's been the backlash. The takedown by The Daily Show is all over the internet. The Repubs and cons do talk to each other (to reassure their prejudices) and I think they put up the crazy sign regarding Beck (even Repubs and cons want to try to be cool).
      Report Abuse
    • Author by ProgLib (June 22, 2010 9:20 am ET)
      3 1
      Can't wait to see the press releases from Fox News bragging about this new milestone for the crazy bleach haired lunatic himself.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by epkklk851 (June 22, 2010 9:25 am ET)
      5 1
      Hee Hee Hee. Keith has come close to have ratings of 1.4 million...but nobody watches him, right? Hee Hee Hee. Couldn't happen to a more egotistical creep. I guess his fans don't like Founders Fridays.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by bintx (June 22, 2010 9:34 am ET)
      5  
      To be fair, the ratings for all cable "news" programming was down on Friday, but Beck's was WAY off his former average.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by tharri874 (June 22, 2010 9:44 am ET)
      8 1
      I think the cause for this might be Beck's you're-either-with-me-or-against-me approach. He's not just a right-winger, he's a conspiracy theorist, and to believe Beck is to believe you live in a constant state of siege.

      While many become more devoted to Beck than ever, many others just decide to watch something else.

      So the good news is Beck's audience is getting smaller. The bad news is, they're getting crazier.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by little poncho (June 22, 2010 10:03 am ET)
      4 1
      beckie boy wonder, needs mental help FAST.... didn't the vet detect a severe mental problem, when he was hatched????
      Report Abuse
    • Author by hugacat7374 (June 22, 2010 11:14 am ET)
      2 5
      I really hate to sound like I'm downplaying this but is MMFA really getting excited about the ratings being off for 1 day? 1 day?! Seems a little like grasping at straws to me even though I'm happy to see his numbers are down.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by New Frontier (June 22, 2010 11:19 am ET)
        4 1
        but is MMFA really getting excited about the ratings being off for 1 day?
        Beck's ratings were not just "off", they were at an all-time low.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by nerzog (June 22, 2010 11:30 am ET)
        3 1
        Any bad news for Nostradumbass, no matter how small, is a victory for common sense and rational thought.

        Besides, it's fun to mock the self-righteous a$$hole.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (June 22, 2010 11:50 am ET)
        3 1
        Actually, it wasn't for just one day. Beck's ratings have been in the 1.7-1.9 million range for the past couple of weeks. Occasionally, he has hit around 2 million, but there is a definite downward trend which seems to have increased. I think there is a direct correlation to his increased lunacy and his ratings drop. Happened when he was on HLN, too.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by DellDolly (June 22, 2010 12:35 pm ET)
        2 1
        Do you see the blue thingies in the article above? They are links, at least some of them links to previous MMFA articles on this same subject.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Good Creon (June 22, 2010 11:28 am ET)
      3 1
      I'm not going to get too excited just yet. I'll wait and see if his ratings go back up in the fall, once the nice weather has started to die down. If they stay down, then I can take solace in the fact that people are waking up to his nonsense.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by IRONY 101 (June 22, 2010 12:45 pm ET)
      4 1
      One possible explanation for the decline in Glenn Beck's ratings is that many of his viewers have come to realize that he's psychotic.
      Report Abuse

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