Glenn Beck Jumps to Fox News Channel

Announced yesterday, Glenn Beck has been hired to host a 5 to 6 PM weeknight show on Fox News Channel, starting in the spring. Beck's contract with CNN ends in February.

Apparently, Beck and CNN could not agree on contract terms, leaving an opening for Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News, to make an offer.

Since Beck presented conservatism to viewers of his talk show, there was an irritating mismatch with the customary CNN programming mix of liberal opinion veiled with ersatz objectivity. Beck was figuratively driving on the wrong side of the road. Consequently, it's logical that the Beck-CNN contract negotiations would have a few sticking points.

Officially and unofficially, I'm convinced that CNN management and staff would express a desire to have Glenn Beck stay with the network. However, I suspect that, deep down, most CNN-types won't miss him in the least. In fact, rather than any hint of sadness, CNN players may well experience joy by having a fresh target at Fox News.