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Glenn Beck To Launch Children's TV Show
by Korva Coleman
NPR News

It's not Nick News, The Electric Company or even the Magic Treehouse. Starting next Monday, talk show host Glenn Beck hopes to educate a young audience with his new children's program, Liberty Treehouse. As he told Politico, his kids' show "will not only entertain children and young adults, but it will respect them and their knowledge and passion for history, art, science and current events."

In a recent interview with Newsmax, Beck said the one-hour program is intended to teach children aged eight through 14; and it's supposed to help parents share values "that go with the United States government in an entertaining sort of fashion." It's available on his subscription web channel, GBTV.

Beck's foray into children's programming is the latest vehicle from GBTV, which boldly proclaims "The Truth Lives Here". Last June, his company Mercury Radio Arts formed the streaming media channel, where Beck moved his eponymously named radio show after parting ways with Fox News.

As NPR's David Folkenflik explained on Talk of the Nation, Beck's departure came after he and Fox faced increasing anger over several comments described as racist and anti-Semitic. Although he doesn't have the same sizable cable audience, he's quickly grown popular with online subscribers, according to the Wall Street Journal. GBTV started with about 80,000 paying viewers, but the Journal reports in a few months, that number swelled to more than 230,000.

Little is known about Liberty Treehouse, other than its focus is history and will produce original content, such as science features. There'll be clips from old TV shows like Ozzie and Harriet and Superman cartoons. There's no trailer or web page yet, but the show's host, Raj Nair, has tweeted a few lines revealing his excitement about the upcoming show and a fondness for quotations by Christian writers.

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Eh...I can see where there's merit to him trying to offer some alternative to people who share his values.  But online tv...I just dont know if thats really gonna cut it.  I "was" signed up to GBTV for awhile and hated it.  Took too long to download the videos.  Plus since I dont have one of those iPhone thingys, I had to sit and stare at my computer to get the videos.  Sitting my my computer to download a video that is only a few minutes long is one thing.  Downloading a 30 minute to a 1 hour broadcast just isnt feasible for me.

I just dont know how successful GBTV is going to be.  It will likely attract some people who have the latest telephone gadgets.  But it has left me behind.

Btw...I can understand why NPR might say something about why Beck left Fox.  I dont really know why he left.  But as far as him being anti-Semitic...thats preposterous.  Anti Arab maybe.  Possibly anti Muslim.  Certainly anti Obama / Pelosi/ Soros.  But he has had several tv eps where rabbis have come on his program and they were warmly welcomed.  He recently had an event in Jerusalem as well...a pro Israel event.  So I dunno.  Sounds like sour grapes from NPR to me.