Mercury Confidential: Meet the woman who has kept Glenn's TV show on the air every day since CNN

By Meg Storm

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at Mercury Radio Arts? Just how do all of Glenn’s crazy ideas get done? Does anyone ever get a chance to sleep? Well, over the next few months we are going to take you inside MRA, giving you the inside scoop on everything from publishing to special events, 1791 to Markdown to GBTV. We will be interviewing members of our New York, Columbus, and Dallas staff, bringing you all the info, so you can know what it’s really like to work for Glenn. Part 1 (Kevin Balfe – Publishing)Part 2 (Liz Julis – GBTV/Special Events)Part 3 (Joel Cheatwood: CCO & President of TheBlaze)Part 4 (Eric Pearce: VP, TV Operation of TheBlaze)Part 5 (Michelle Vanderhoff Network Operations Manager at TheBlaze)

Imagine leaving your job at CNN to get a call a few days later asking you to return and help launch a show for a radio personality who had virtually no television experience. Imagine then being the only person to leave your job at CNN and follow the now budding cable news star to Fox News, where you work your way up to senior producer in a matter of months. Finally, imagine leaving the comforts of working as an executive producer at a major cable news channel to join a fledgling online streaming network. Well, that just about sums up the remarkable career of Tiffany Siegel, V.P. and Executive Producer of Glenn Beck Programming

Siegel's journey is proof that with risk comes reward, and it is her work ethic and unfailing ability to translate Glenn's mile-a-minute ideas into a broadcast ready reality that took her from producing "all of the entertainment fluff segments" to the person calling the shots.

Life as an executive producer for Glenn can mean a long and stressful day, with Siegel getting into the office each morning in time for the 6:30AM meeting during which Glenn and his team figure out the content for the day and not leaving until after the Glenn's show is off the air each night, but she doesn't mind. After all, she is living her dream.

"Its pretty obvious - for this job at least - I went to Syracuse University, and I studied broadcast journalism," Siegel explained. "This was a lifelong thing for me."

She interned for CNN throughout college, and then took a job there after graduation. "I started in financial news, which was not that exciting. But at the time, it was during the Dot Com bubble, so we were launching all kinds of business programs. It was actually a good place to get your feet wet," she said.

Siegel ended up leaving CNN to work for CBS News, but it wasn't long before she got a call that would ultimately prove to be the opportunity of a lifetime. A producer at CNN, Conway Cliff (now a program consultant at TheBlaze), was launching a new daily show with a man named Glenn Beck, and he thought Siegel would be a good addition to the team.

"I was only at CBS for a few months because I left CNN and then Conway pulled me right back into CNN when Glenn's show came on because it just seemed like something so different then anything that network had done before," she recalled. "So I came in for an interview. I didn't meet Glenn, but I interviewed with Chris and Kevin Balfe. And then I met Glenn about two weeks before we were going to launch."

It was an exciting opportunity for Siegel that came at a very special time in her life. "I actually got married the week before we launched - the day Cheyenne [Glenn's daughter] was born - and then I came back from my honeymoon, and I think we launched the next day," she said with a laugh.

As far as Glenn is concerned, Siegel started at the bottom of totem pole. "I started as a segment producer doing, as Glenn tells the story, all of the entertainment fluff segments," she said. "When he tells a story about how you can make it big in his company he always says: Look at Tiffany, she started doing stupid, idiotic reality TV show segments for me."

"I did start doing a little bit of the lighter stuff," she continued. "I worked my way up - did a lot of field producing, and I guess that is when I really got to know Glenn. I did some stuff in the field, like when we went to Los Angles for a week, which enabled me some time with him working on different packages."

That trip to Los Angeles was actually one of the first chances Siegel got to really make an impression on Glenn, and it is safe to say things didn't quite go as planned.

"I didn't know Glenn that well, and I really wanted to show him that I wasn't just the fluffy reality TV show girl," she recalled. "So we were going to broadcast from the roof of the CNN building, which was pretty cool. I guess Glenn had just had these fancy suits made for his new TV career, and he had on his brand new L.A. suit that day."

"I took him up to the roof to show him this amazing vantage point, and the whole suit rips right before air. It just ripped," she said shaking her head. "I think they ended up putting masking tape on the back of it. And I was just like, 'Ok - this is the worst impression I could be making on this man.' He has these really nice fancy suits and it was ruined... that kind of sucked."

The incident was definitely an icebreaker, and it clearly didn't affect her chances for success. In fact, in retrospect it proved to be the beginning of an incredible partnership.

One of Siegel's fondest moments of her time at CNN came when a segment she produced made Glenn cry on television... for the first time.

"I think I made him cry for the very first time on set - at CNN anyway - we all know he has cried many, many times," she said sarcastically. It was a segment about a woman who had lost her son in Afghanistan, and she set up a foundation in his honor that would send packages to soldiers overseas. The woman was brought to the studio to talk about her story with Glenn.

"We had done a profile on her and her story, and she was on the set," Siegel explained. "So she watched the package with Glenn, and we came back from the piece, and he was just - you know Glenn - so hysterical that he could barely compose himself."

Considering how many tears Glenn has shed on the air, it is no small feat to say a story you produced caused him to cry for the first time. Siegel is one of the few people who have had the chance to work with Glenn since day one of his television career, and she has witnessed his evolution from novice to expert.

"Glenn, in the beginning, did not understand TV at all. He would say, lets get an expert on X, Y, and Z, and then they would be on the set that night, and he would be like, 'How did this happen?' He couldn't fathom how it worked," she said. "Now he is like, get me an elephant, two wild turkeys, and a monkey at five o'clock. And he expects it to be done. He has caught onto TV, the lingo, all of it. And now he is an expert on all of these things."

When Glenn decided to make the move to Fox News in late 2008, Siegel jumped at the chance to continue working with him. Of the entire production staff at CNN, she was the only one to follow Glenn. "I was the only one who took the risk at the time," she said. "That was scary, but exciting. And I knew that if Glenn was behind it, it was going to be fine. I knew him at that point, and I was comfortable with what he was doing."

With her days as the "fluff producer" long behind her, Siegel moved to Fox News as the second in command. "I was not running the show at first, but they had a senior producer that didn't work out," she explained. "So after about six months they put me in the driver's seat, and I was so excited. At that time we were the number two show in all of cable news, and I couldn't believe that I was running it!"

As executive producer, Siegel's job is to oversee the production and content of the show, providing Glenn with as many ideas as possible and keeping things organized - responsibilities that are much easier said than done when it comes to working with Glenn.

"I guess the thing with Glenn - what is that saying? The only thing consistent is change. That's Glenn. It is legitimately different everyday," she said. "He is not someone that likes to plan ahead, and even if he does plan ahead he will pretend that he didn't plan ahead. He'll be like, 'What are you talking about? I never said I would do that.'"

"For Glenn, I just like to come up with as many different story ideas with as many different topics as possible - so a ton of research, creative ways that he can tell stories," she continued. "We build that rundown from scratch everyday. We come in at 6:30 in the morning, and we meet with him and give him ideas. And then he marinates them in his head and comes out with that day's monologue, which has become the signature of the show."

There is no question that the opening monologue has become the hallmark of Glenn's program - lasting upwards of 20 minutes and packed full of thoroughly researched material that sets the tone for the rest of the show. "When we started with Glenn he was doing maybe four or five minute monologues, and people said that was too long, and you can't keep that up," Siegel explained. "And then we expanded them to twenty minutes, and now they can be up to an hour long. He is the only one on TV that I think can pull that off everyday."

Working with Glenn is also unique in that he generates so many of his own ideas. Siegel describes Glenn as "an idea factory," a quality that makes her job exponentially easier and more difficult at the same time.

"He is so not the typical TV host," she said. "He changes everyday. His ideas get bigger. No one works harder than Glenn, so just trying to - I don't want to say keep up with that - but I love the fact that he is absolutely the hardest working man in this building. To surround yourself with that just pushes you to do more."

"He is absolutely one of a kind, and completely unique. I have worked with a lot of other anchors and they are nothing like Glenn," she continued. "Glenn's vision is all his own."

Siegel has learned that a sense of humor is often necessary to ensure she keeps her sanity. "And then there is the silly factor of Glenn," she said with a laugh. "Like when the Supreme Court health care decision came down, he said that morning, let's have a circus on set. Let's have an elephant and horses and clowns. And he is dead serious! I have to be the magic fairy that makes that happen. It's a challenge, but fun... really fun."

It is running joke around the office that certain people have learned to 'speak Glenn,' and Siegel is one of those people. Her ability to anticipate his needs and understand the big picture is what makes their relationship work so well.

"I think from listening to him and working so closely with him, I do feel like I can often finish his sentences," Siegel admitted. "And I have a good memory, so if we did a show in 2009 where there is a certain sound bite that Glenn recalls, I can recall that too."

It also helps that in the six plus years Glenn has been on television, Siegel has only missed a handful of shows. "The only time I have ever missed a show was when I gave birth - and I only missed four shows," she said. "So people definitely think I am nuts, but just literally being on every show he has done on TV, allows you to remember all that stuff."

It also helps that Siegel has surrounded herself with a fantastic group of writers, producers, and directors. It is a team effort through and through. "Our team is unbelievable," she said without hesitation. "This team is all in it. Go big or go home."

When Glenn made the decision to leave Fox News and start his own online streaming network, Siegel was once again ready for the challenge. "Exposure wise it is obviously harder because you go from being part of the mainstream to being sort of under the radar," she said in regards to GBTV (now TheBlazeTV). "On a positive note, there is nothing we can't do. At the networks - at Fox or at CNN - we always had to get approval. If Glenn wanted to do a stunt or say something or do a show on location, we had to go to the 'second floor' - that's what they call it at Fox - or run it through executives."

The freedom to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants is something that Glenn was particularly excited about when he started GBTV. The freedom for Glenn to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants is something that can pose a bit of challenge for Siegel. "Now, we have no limitations, which is a blessing and a curse because sometimes if Glenn wants to do something nuts, we used to be able to say, 'Oh the second floor said no,'" she said with a laugh. "I'll say to Joel [Cheatwood, President/Chief Content Officer at TheBlaze] sometimes, 'We are the second floor. Help!' We can't say no now. It's just us. If Glenn wants to ride a horse into the studio, well, okay, make sure you are wearing your cowboy hat."

Despite all of the television wonders she has seen and produced over the years, one of Siegel's most memorable moments working for Glenn actually had nothing to do with TV.

"We were at Fox, and it was probably a Tuesday," she recalled. "Glenn decided it was his 10 year anniversary, and how could he let that go by without splurging on a last minute trip to Rome with Tania [his wife]."

Considering Glenn's show stars Glenn and Glenn only, taking the rest of the week off was going to be a little tricky. "So we had not been on Fox that long. We didn't have the liberty like we do now to just get a guest host," Siegel explained. "The only way to make this work was to tape like two or three shows back to back at one o'clock in the afternoon, and then he was going to get on the plane with Tania and go."

As if preparing for and taping three shows in one day was not complicated enough, Glenn added another piece to the puzzle when he decided the trip was going to be a surprise. "This was a really big ordeal, and it was like, no one tell, no one tell, no one say anything. This is the biggest surprise, and everyone managed to keep their mouth shut."

During the taping/broadcast of his show, Glenn can hear Siegel through an earpiece he wears, and when he speaks, she can hear what he is saying as well. Just as they were about to begin taping the first show, Glenn had a request. "We are right about to go on the air to tape the show," she said. "And I am in his earpiece, and he is like, 'Tiffany, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to ask my wife - (who is now waiting in the Green Room with no idea what is going on - she thinks she is here for this early show) - I need you to get her pocketbook and take her passport out because they need it so she can get on the plane.'"

"And I am like, you know, we can get you your circus elephants, but why would Tania give me her purse. Like I am supposed to take her pocketbook? She didn't really even know me at the time," she said.

As usual, however, she figured out a way to get it done. "But we somehow managed to sneak her passport out of her bag so she wouldn't know, and she was still surprised when she got to Rome. Its just so Glenn - go steal my wife's pocketbook, and steal her passport, and she won't notice."

It may sound nuts, but it is just another day at the office for Siegel, and she wouldn't have it any other way. "It sums up my job," she said with a smile. "I am responsible for everything from making sure the show gets on the air to making sure he has a Coke Zero at all times."

What do clay pots have to do with to preserving American history?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Editor's note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Why should we preserve our nation’s history? If you listen to my radio program and podcast, or read my columns and books, you know I’ve dedicated a large part of my life and finances to sourcing and preserving priceless artifacts that tell America’s story. I’ve tried to make these artifacts as available as possible through the American Journey Experience Museum, just across from the studios where I do my daily radio broadcast. Thousands of you have come through the museum and have been able to see and experience these artifacts that are a part of your legacy as an American.

The destruction of American texts has already begun.

But why should people like you and me be concerned about preserving these things from our nation's history? Isn’t that what the “big guys” like the National Archives are for?

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1946, a Bedouin shepherd in what is now the West Bank threw a rock into a cave nestled into the side of a cliff near the Dead Sea. Instead of hearing an echo, he heard the curious sound of a clay pot shattering. He discovered more than 15,000 Masoretic texts from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

These texts weren’t just a priceless historical discovery. They were virtually perfect copies of the same Jewish texts that continue to be translated today. Consider the significance of that discovery. Since the third century B.C. when these texts were first written, the Jewish people have endured a continued onslaught of diasporas, persecutions, pressures to conform to their occupying power, the destruction of their temple, and so much more. They had to fight for their identity as a people for centuries, and finally, a year after the end of the Holocaust and a year before the founding of the nation of Israel, these texts were discovered, confirming the preservation and endurance of their heritage since ancient times — all due to someone putting these clay pots in a desert cave more than 2,000 years ago.

I first felt a prompting to preserve our nation's history back in 2008, and it all started with clay pots and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

So, what do these clay pots have to do with the calling to preserve American history? I didn’t understand that prompting myself until the horrible thought dawned on me that the people we are fighting against may very well take our sacred American scriptures, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of Rights. What if they are successful, and 1,000 years from now, we have no texts preserved to confirm our national identity? What kind of new history would be written over the truth?

The destruction of American texts has already begun. The National Archives has labeled some of our critical documents, like our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, as “triggering” or “containing harmful language.” In a public statement, the National Archives said that the labels help prepare readers to view potentially distressing content:

The Catalog and web pages contain some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. NARA’s records span the history of the United States, and it is our charge to preserve and make available these historical records. As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance.

According to this statement, our founding documents are either “outdated, biased, offensive,” “possibly violent,” or a combination of these scathing descriptions. I’m sorry, the Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.” Our Constitution is not “outdated and biased,” and our Bill of Rights certainly is not “offensive and possibly violent.” They are glorious documents. They should be celebrated, not qualified by such derogatory, absurd language. Shame on them.

These are only the beginning stages of rewriting our history. What if they start banning these “triggering” documents from public view because they might offend somebody? Haven’t we torn down “triggering” statues before? What if we are no longer able to see, read, and study the actual words of our nation's founding documents because they are “harmful” or “possibly violent”? A thousand years from now, will there be any remnant to piece together the true spirit behind the nation that our founders envisioned?

The Declaration of Independence is not “triggering.”

That is why in 2008, I was prompted to preserve what I could. Now, the American Journey Experience Museum includes more than 160,000 artifacts, from founding-era documents to the original Roe v. Wade court papers. We need to preserve the totality of our nation’s heritage, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to preserve our history in our own clay pots.

I ask you to join with me on this mission. Start buying books that are important to preserve. Buy some acid-free paper and start printing some of the founding documents, the reports that go against the mainstream narrative, the studies that prove what is true as we are continually being fed lies. Start preserving our daily history as well as our history because it is being rewritten and digitized.

Somebody must have a copy of what is happening now and what has happened in the past. I hope things don’t get really bad. But if they do, we need to preserve our heritage. Perhaps, someone 1,000 years from now will discover our clay pots and, Lord willing, be able to have a glimpse of America as it truly was.

Top 10 WORST items in the new $1.2 TRILLION spending bill

Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Images

Biden just signed the newest spending bill into law, and Glenn is furious.

Under Speaker Johnson's leadership, the whopping $1.2 TRILLION package will use your taxpayer dollars to fund the government through September. Of course, the bill is loaded with earmarks and pork that diverts money to fund all sorts of absurd side projects.

Here is the list of the ten WORST uses of taxpayer money in the recently passed spending bill:

Funding venues to host drag shows, including ones that target children

David McNew / Contributor | Getty Images

Money for transgender underwear for kids

Funding for proms for 12 to 18 year old kids

Bethany Clarke / Stringer | Getty Images

Border security funding... for Jordan and Egypt

Another $300 million for Ukraine

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

$3.5 million for Detroit's annual Thanksgiving Day parade

Icon Sportswire / Contributor | Getty Images

$2.5 million for a new kayaking facility in Franklin, New Hampshire

Acey Harper / Contributor | Getty Images

$2.7 million for a bike park in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia, a town with a population of less than 2,300 people

$5 million for a new trail at Coastal Carolina University

$4 million the "Alaska King Crab Enhancement Project" (whatever that means)

FRED TANNEAU / Stringer | Getty Images

There is no doubt about it—we are entering dark times.

The November presidential election is only a few months away, and following the chaos of the 2020 election, the American people are bracing for what is likely to be another tumultuous election year. The left's anti-Trump rhetoric is reaching an all-time high with the most recent "Bloodbath" debacle proving how far the media will go to smear the former president. That's not to mention the Democrats' nearly four-year-long authoritarian attempt to jail President Trump or stop his re-election by any means necessary, even if it flies in the face of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Biden is doing worse than ever. He reportedly threw a tantrum recently after being informed that his polls have reached an all-time low. After Special Counsel Robert Hur's report expressed concerns over Biden's obviously failing mental agility, it's getting harder for the Democrats to defend him. Yet he is still the Democratic nominee for November, promising another 4 years of catastrophic policies, from the border to heavy-handed taxation, should he be reelected.

The rest of the world isn't doing much better. The war in Ukraine has no clear end in sight, drawing NATO and Russia closer and closer to conflict. The war in Gaza is showing no sign of slowing down, and as Glenn revealed recently, its continuation may be a sign that the end times are near.

One thing is clear: we are living in uncertain times. If you and your family haven't prepared for the worst, now is the time. You can start by downloading "Glenn's Ultimate Guide to Getting Prepared." Be sure to print off a copy or two. If the recent cell outage proved anything, it's that technology is unreliable in survival situations. You can check your list of supplies against our "Ultimate Prepper Checklist for Beginners," which you can find below:

Food

  • Canned food/non-perishable foods
  • Food preparation tools
  • Go to the next level: garden/livestock/food production

Water

  • Non-perishable water store
  • Water purification
  • Independent water source

Shelter

  • Fireplace with a wood supply
  • Tent
  • Generator with fuel supply
  • Go to the next level: fallout shelter

Money

  • Emergency cash savings
  • Precious metals

Medicine

  • Extra blankets
  • Basic first aid
  • Extra prescriptions
  • Extra glasses
  • Toiletries store
  • Trauma kit
  • Antibiotics
  • Basic surgery supplies
  • Potassium Iodate tablets

Transportation

  • Bicycle
  • Car
  • Extra fuel

Information

  • Birth certificates
  • Insurance cards
  • Marriage license
  • Immunization records
  • Mortgage paperwork
  • Car title and registration
  • House keys, car keys
  • Passports
  • Family emergency plan
  • Prepping/survival/repair manuals
  • Go to the next level: copy of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and other important books/sources

Skills

  • Cooking
  • Gardening
  • Sewing
  • First Aid
  • Basic maintenance skills
  • Go to the next level: farming/ranching
  • Self-defense training

Communication

  • Family contact information and addresses
  • HAM radio

Miscellaneous

  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Lamps and fuel
  • Hardware (tools, nails, lumber, etc)
  • Extra clothes
  • Extreme weather clothes and gear
  • Gas masks and filters
  • Spare parts for any machinery/equipment

Is Trump's prosecution NORMAL?  This COMPLETE list of ALL Western leaders who served jail time proves otherwise.

PhotoQuest / Contributor, The Washington Post / Contributor, Win McNamee / Staff | Getty Images

Mainstream media is on a crusade to normalize Donald Trump's indictments as if it's on par with the electoral course. Glenn asked his team to research every instance of a Western leader who was jailed during their political career over the past 200 years—except extreme political turmoil like the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, Irish Revolution, etc.—and what we discovered was quite the opposite.

Imprisoning a leader or major political opponent is not normal, neither in the U.S. nor in the Western world. Within the last 200 years, there are only a handful of examples of leaders in the West serving jail time, and these men were not imprisoned under normal conditions. All of these men were jailed under extreme circumstances during times of great peril such as the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War.

What does this mean for America? Are Trump's indictments evidence that we are re-entering times of great peril? Below is a list of Western leaders who were imprisoned within the last 200 years. Take a look and decide for yourself:

Late 1800s

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Jefferson Davis: The nearest occurrence to a U.S. President to serve jail time was in the case of Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson was captured in Georgia by Northern Soldiers in 1865 and locked up in Fort Monroe, Virginia for two years. He was offered a presidential pardon but refused out of his loyalty to the confederacy.

Early 1900s

PhotoQuest / Contributor | Getty Images

Eugene V. Debs: Debbs, a Midwestern socialist leader, became the first person to run for president in prison. He was locked up at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta having been convicted under the federal Sedition Act for giving an antiwar speech a few months before Armistice Day, the end of World War I. Many of his supporters believed his imprisonment to be unjust. Debs received 897,704 votes and was a distant third-part candidate behind Warren G. Harding, the Republican winner, and James M. Cox, the second-place Democrat. Harding ordered Debs’s release from prison toward the end of 1921.

Nazi sympathizers and collaborators: After the end of World War II in 1945, several European leaders who had "led" their countries during the Nazi occupation faced trial and imprisonment for treason. This list included Chief of the French State Philippe Pétain, French Prime Minister Pierre Laval, and Minister-President of Norway Vidkun Quisling. The latter two were also executed after their imprisonment. President of Finland Risto Ryti and Prime Minister of Finland Johan Wilhelm Rangell were also tried and jailed for collaborating with the Nazis against the Allied Powers.

Late 1900s

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The end of the Cold War: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was one of the pivotal moments that brought the Cold War to a close and marked the end of Communist East Germany. With the fall of the wall and the collapse of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the former leaders were brought to trial to answer for the crimes committed by the GDR. General Secretary Erich Honecker and General Secretary Egon Krenz were both put on trial for abuse of power and the deaths of those who were shot trying to flee into West Germany. Honecker was charged with jail time but was released from custody due to severe illness and lived out the rest of his life as an exile in Chile. Krenz served 4 years in jail before his release in 2001. He is one of the last surviving leaders of the Eastern Bloc.

Lyndon LaRouche: Larouche was a Trotsky evangelist, public antisemite, and founder of a nationwide Marxist political movement, became the second person in U.S. history to run for President in a prison cell. Granted, he ran in every election from 1976 to 2004 as a long-shot third-party candidate. When he tried to gain the Democratic presidential nomination, he received 5 percent of the total nationwide vote. Even though in 2000 he received enough primary votes to qualify for delegates in a few states, the Democratic National Committee refused to seat his delegates and barred LaRouche from attending the Democratic National Convention.