Home > Glenn Beck

Beck made his radio debut at the age of 13 in Seattle, Washington, near where he was raised ( Sumner, Washington). Beck had won an hour of radio time in a contest, but Beck quickly drew the favour of his new colleagues and was granted a part-time job as a disc jockey. He hosted Christian radio on Saturday, rock on Sunday and country on weeknights, but lost the job when he failed to complete a shift due to a migraine.

His childhood would not be all hopes and dreams, however. In the same year he "debuted" on radio, his mother, an alcoholic, drowned herself in a bay near Tacoma. More family tragedy followed shortly after, as one of his brother-in-laws committed suicide in Wyoming and another had a fatal heart attack.

Beck experienced success in radio during his 20s and flew through the ranks of local radio. Despite this new financial security, however, he became an alcoholic and a drug user, even describing himself as "a despicable human being". The addictions culminated in a period of intense unhappiness and the disintigration of his first marriage, which had produced two children.

With the help of family and Alcoholics Anonymous, Beck eventually sorted things out. He sobered up, converted to Mormonism and remarried (his second wife is Tania). Beck cites his 15-year-old daughter, Mary (named after Beck's mother), as one of the reasons he was able to pull together. Mary was born with cerebral palsy which had led doctors to predict she would never walk or feed herself. She has since been able to do both.

Beck has since enjoyed a quick rise from local radio to the national spotlight. The Glenn Beck Program began in 2000, airing on WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida, and quickly gained popularity in its afternoon slot. In January 20022002 : January February March April May June July August September October November December A timeline of events in the news for January, 2002. See also Afghanistan timeline January 1-16, 2002 Afghanistan timeline January 17-31, 2002 January 29, 2002 Geo, syndicator Premiere Radio NetworksPremiere Radio Networks syndicates some of the most popular radio programs in the United States. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide and is headed by Kraig Kitchin. Premiere programs are heard on over 7800 radio stations worldwide, launched the show on 47 stations. The show was then moved to Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAlternate meanings: Philadelphia (disambiguation Philadelphia is the fifth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in Pennsylvania, occupying all of Philadelphia County . As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,517,550, but a July 1, 20 and is currently available on over 100 stations internationally.

Through his show, Beck addresses many topical issues, mostly from a conservative viewpoint (he describes himself as a MormonThe term Mormon technically refers to all followers of Mormonism or the Latter Day Saint movement, although colloquially the term usually refers to members of the most prominent Mormon group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). with libertarian leanings and a strong sense of family valuesThis article is about the moral concept. For the rock music tour, see Family Values Tour. Family values are a set of values or ideals thought by some to establish, define and maintain the family. The term family values has sparked debate and controversy p). His opinions on specific issues include being: pro-life, for the war in Iraq, against political correctness, highly critical of Hollywood, against overtly homosexually-themed television programming (including Will and Grace), against euthanasia, against anti-smoking regulation, and staunchly conservative, but not Republican. Beck is also notable for being very tall, at 6-foot-4.

Beck ran several rallies, usually individually called Glenn Beck Rally for America, during 2003 in support of the troops fighting in Iraq. He ran a rally at Marshall University over the Memorial Day weekend which was attended by 25,000 people. Other rally venues included San Antonio, Cleveland, Atlanta, Valley Forge, and Tampa.

Beck is often compared to other talk-radio hosts Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage (justly or otherwise).

He is the author of The Real America: Messages From The Heart and Heartland (BooksEnthsiast.com).

He admires Oprah Winfrey, but recently disagreed with her on several areas, including her view that marriage is an 'outdated' insititution