Conservative host is one of radio's best

If there's a contest for the ultimate radio personality, Glenn Beck should be in the running. He combines common sense, a down-to-earth personality, humor and entertainment with intriguing commentaries that cut through the clutter and politics.

Beck may well be a new kind of Paul Harvey, telling it like it is for the next generation and equally at home on radio and TV.

He has an evening cable-TV show on CNN Headline News (since May 2006), at 7 p.m., seven days a week, as well as his syndicated national radio show on 212 stations, airing locally each weekday from 4-7 p.m., and Sundays from 2-5 p.m., on KNRS, AM-570 (and also on Cedar City's KNNZ and KSUB, and St. George's KZNU).

Beck's program is currently the No. 3 national show in total listeners, behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

However, people seem to either love or hate this conservative host's topical talk program — there's little in between. At least on these Web sites:

• KLIF radio: "Glenn Beck talks about the day's events with passion, humor and sarcasm. He astonishes even those closest to him with his on-air frankness."

• Hughes for America: "Glenn Beck: Moron, menace or both? ... One of conservative radio's most outspoken gasbags .. a third-rate, right-wing hack."

• TalkRadioInsiders.com: "The Glenn Beck radio show program combines great independent thinking, engaging political insight and laugh-out-loud humour. For what it's worth, we believe Glenn Beck may be the most talented radio host on the talk radio airwaves."

Personally, I find Beck, age 42, to be superb at what he does, and although I was skeptical at first with an initial "Who is this guy?" and "Is he for real?" reaction, I warmed up to him significantly over the summer, and that's saying a lot, because I am not a talk-radio kind of listener.

During a recent telephone interview, he said his radio and TV shows vary substantially each day. Basically, his radio show has much more humor than the TV version. "I'm a radio guy at heart," Beck said, adding that the learning curve to do television has been a challenge. "I'm not real good at (TV) yet."

Beck prefers radio, not just because of his extensive background there, but because it allows more time to get in-depth on issues, and it centers around the theater of the mind — the imagination.

"People do either love or hate me," he said. However, one TV study revealed he was the national radio host most likely to be reasonable.