This is my response to the "Why didn't CNN fired Glenn Beck years ago?" post in Media Matters' "County Fair"blog:

Beck was a ratings vacuum for years in Headline News before making the switch to Fox News, where he finally started posting strong numbers.

This reminds me of a point made by someones else (I wish I coud remember who) about the folly of trying to imitate Fox News. Fox News is not just a place with a lot of Republican personalities; Fox News is itself a Republican personality. You can turn it on any time of day and get a steady stream of GOP talking points, regardless of whose mouth they're coming from.

Maybe this will show the other TV news channels that there's no point in being Fox News lite. But I'm guessing someone at CNN is now saying, "If only we had kept Beck for three months more..."