Why the loss of big-name advertisers doesn't matter to Glenn Beck

Updated

If cable news was like high school, Glenn Beck would be voted "Most Polarizing." He's despised by liberals and beloved by conservatives (and anyone who loves weepy men). But like that high school geek who astounded the more popular kids when he went on to make a fortune, Beck has shocked onlookers by managing to cement his role in the Fox News line-up even though he caused many of the show's top advertisers to flee. His offense: describing President Obama as "racist."

On a broadcast of Fox & Friends in July, Beck interjected during a discussion of the Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. affair to add this about Obama: "I'm not saying he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist." The result? Major advertisers fled his show, including top-end marketers such as Mercedes-Benz USA and Infiniti, according to Gawker.

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