When Glenn Beck disclosed that his daily television show on the Fox News Channel would be coming to an end, he assured his fans that he would not be leaving them in the lurch, but did not reveal what his next endeavor would be. That is until this week, when he announced the launch of Glenn Beck Television. The GBTV website describes the network as follows:
GBTV is Glenns new live HD Video Network, featuring his two hour daily program, plus a full slate of original Glenn Beck Programming, news, documentaries, reality and behind-the-scenes shows, and much more. GBTV is Glenn Beck originals that you just cant get anywhere else.
The GBTV launch webcast will take place today, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. and is free to all guests.
Those who are already Insider Extreme members on Glenn Becks website will automatically be upgraded to GBTV. For all others, GBTV membership is $4.95 per month, or $49.95 for the year. For those who are interested in GBTV Plus, the cost is $6.95 a month (though Beck is running a special price of $4.95 per month if ordered before September 12), and $99.95 for the year.
GBTV will feature a two-hour daily Glenn Beck show, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., which will be overseen by former Fox News Channel executive Joel Cheatwood, as well as Beck University, which was launched last summer and is currently available to Insider Extreme members. The next session of Beck University begins on June 22.
Becks daily program will be featuring contributions from S.E. Cupp and Brian Sack, and will be followed every evening by the Fourth Hour show with Pat Gray and Stu Burguiere, Becks radio co-hosts.
In announcing the next phase of his career, Beck explained:
GBTV is the future. The confines of traditional media no longer apply. GBTV is about getting active in the community, participating in stories and finding new ways to deliver news, information and entertainment directly to the audience.
According to Becks production company, Mercury Radio Arts, the network already has 80,000 paying subscribers. While some programming is already available to subscribers, the network is planning a full launch on September 12, the day Becks online television show debuts.
Mercury President Chris Balfe, who will be overseeing GBTV, observed,
Lots of people are talking about the digital content revolution, but few are willing to risk it all and place a huge bet on the future. With GBTV, Mercury is doing just that. Fortunately, our incredible team at Mercury, as well as our industry-leading business partners, makes me confident that we will once again build something extraordinary.
During a live appearance in Albany, New York, in April, Beck alluded to some of his post-Fox plans, including expanding conservatism to comedic circles, remarking, Im going to make sure that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do not occupy the space of comedy alone for much longer.
Apparently GBTV will be the forum wherein Beck will keep that promise. Mediaite.com reports:
What intrigues this writer the most is the insinuations that GBTV wont just be focusing on political talk shows. While it will feature contributions from the likes of S.E. Cupp, who currently hosts a show on Becks current Insider Extreme network (which now seems like an embryonic forebear), theres an interesting quote where Beck promises that GBTV will feature something for fans of The Daily Show and 24. Does this just mean that Beck is going to be filling that extra hour with more jokes and a loud ticking clock or is GBTV going to become a full-fledged network with comedy and action shows all going directly to paid subscribers on their computers?
A promotional advertisement for GBTV has already been released by Beck:
According to Mediaite.com, the business model for GBTV is comparable to that of HBOs Go platform (launched to compete with Netflix) and may be the first step toward allowing television viewers to subscribe to specific networks themselves rather than having to pay for huge packages through cable companies that include myriad channels viewers do not want. Mediaite.com credits Beck with forward thinking:
If Beck really is making a TV network that is separate from the cable company system (and, seriously, the difference between computer and television is going to be nothing more than screen-size soon), then this new venture may actually be as forward-thinking and revolutionary as all the marketing talk makes it sound.
Acknowledging this, Beck commented, I think we might be a little early, but Id rather be ahead of the pack than part of it.
