Follow-up question: Would anyone notice?

Not according to Nielsen they wouldn't. Or at least they didn't last Friday when Fox News yanked Glenn Beck off the schedule for 5 p.m. in favor of a breaking news special about the turmoil in Egypt.

Of course, Beck is supposed to be one of Fox's biggest attractions. But as Media Matters noted last week, so far this year he hasn't been hitting the type of rating numbers the Fox News brass is accustomed to. In fact, Beck hasn't been hitting them for several months.

For instance, for all of 2010, Glenn Beck's average size audience, week-to-week, was 2.2 million viewers. But the show hasn't hit that weekly mark since mid-November. Instead, for much of 2011, the show has been hovering around the 1.7-1.8 million range. (Confirmed: January was Beck's worst ratings month on Fox News. Ever.)

Back to Friday, when Beck was subbed out. What were the ratings? The numbers were pretty much the same as Beck's: 1.9 million viewers. Which leads me back to the original question: What if Fox News preempted Glenn Beck every night?

Answer: They'd have a lot more sponsors.