RADIOFebruary 23, 2024

WARNING: George Soros and The FCC Are DISMANTLING Talk Radio

The mainstream media is collapsing as Vice Media and CBS News announce major changes. But now, progressives have talk radio in their sights. Glenn reviews the latest changes to the world of radio that could dismantle the entire system and crush free speech: George Soros is on the verge of taking control of Audacy, the second largest broadcaster in America; An investor based in Singapore is trying to take over Cumulus Media, the third largest broadcaster; And the FCC is forcing all broadcasters to start posting a race and gender scorecard on the demographics of their workforce. This is all an attempt to crush one of the last bastions of free speech, Glenn says.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I want to give a mile-marker. I feel that part of my job is to inform you.

What direction are we going in? And how fast are we going?

Let me give you a couple of stories that are gravely, gravely concerning.

I told you, last week, the Soros fund management, you know, run by billionaire George Soros and his son. Have now taken control or are on the verge of taking control of Audacy.

Audacy is the second largest broadcaster in America. Only iHeartRadio owns more.

And thank God, at this point, i Heart media. IHeartRadio has the Premiere Radio networks.

I've worked for this company in one way or another, since 1989.

They are my partner with this broadcast. And they have been always very, very supportive. If it wasn't for my partners, Julie Talbot and Dan Meador, and all of the people at i Heart media, who have just -- this show wouldn't be heard anywhere.

So i Heart is the only one, right now, not under attack.

And I will tell you about this. First, Audacy. Audacy amassed $1.9 billion in debt. They filed for bankruptcy.

And now Soros is taking on the -- the fund, and they will be the largest shareholder, once the bankruptcy proceedings conclude. Where are we?
They're dismantling radio.

And buying radio up. Now, Soros has already bought, what?

Last year. I think 50 radio stations that were all Spanish-speaking.

Gee. Isn't that interesting?

Now he's buying up, the second largest broadcaster in America.

Audacy owns 220 stations. News Talk, in New York. Chicago. Los Angeles. All some of the biggest news talk stations in the country.

They own the -- the radio stations, including KDWM, in Las Vegas.

Ph.D. Philadelphia.

KDK in Pittsburgh. They have Dana Loesch on many other stations. They have Sean Hannity. Mark Levin. And George Soros has spent more than $21 billion over the last few decades.

He spent 1.3 billion in 2022 alone.

Most of that cash went to left-wing causes, including Media Matters, Planned Parenthood, the Sunrise Movement.

He is the guy who has put in the radical DAs. And the radical attorneys general.

And now, what?

He's buying up talk radio. Why would you do that?

Why would you buy all of these broadcasts?

It seems like it's a failing industry, right? It's not.

It's not. About 80 percent of the people, till listen to radio.

80 percent. That's incredible. You think -- nobody listens to the radio. 80 percent still listen to the radio.

Okay. So that is the second largest broadcaster, now going to George Soros.

Then we have this.

Cumulus. Cumulus used to be the ABC radio network. It used to be the largest. Now, I think it is the third largest.

Cumulus is facing a takeover from an investor based in Singapore.

Part of the process of their bankruptcy. It has asked for, and received from the FCC permission to become as much as 100 percent foreign-owned.

So the third largest broadcaster, is about to go to a Singapore Holdings Company.

How does this bid, for America?

You have George Soros, and a Singapore can. And then i Heart, all alone.

But don't worry, news for radio gets even better. Yesterday, Brenden Carr, he's an FCC commissioner. He came out and said, the FCC has just ordered every broadcaster to start posting a race and gender scorecard, that breaks down the demographics of their workforce.

Activist lobbied for this, because they want to see businesses pressured into hiring people based on their race and gender. Courts have already overturned the FCC twice for pressuring broadcasters to making hiring decisions in violation of the Constitution.

I dissent.

This is a shot across our bow now, if the Supreme Court doesn't stop them again. We will now, if I want to be on radio, have to disclose, by the way.

I don't have a problem doing this.

I'm almost 2 percent Native American.

So I'm a minority, inside of a minority.

Anyway, we have to start hiring, based on gender and everything else.

I don't care what, you know, male, female. I don't care who you sleep with. I don't care what color you are.

I really don't.

I want to know what's inside of your head.

I want to know, how you think.

Can you bring something different, that I don't bring to the table?

That's how I hire.

Can you fit what your different thinking is, into what I'm trying to accomplish?

If you can, great!

We're going to work together forever.

Most of the people, that I work with, and I apologize for this. Spend their life with me.

STU: Sort of feels that way.

GLENN: Because we have a good working relationship. We all respect each other. Again, except for Stu.

This is really, and let me give you another one. This is not about radio.

Vice media, stops publishing on Vice.com. Slashes hundreds of jobs, amid mainstream media death spiral.

So all of these mainstream media companies, they're all -- did you hear about CBS?

And Catherine Herridge -- how do you say her name?

Herridge. Right? I can't remember.

Anyway, worked with her at Fox. We were obviously very close.

But she's very, very credible.

She's worked -- I don't agree with her all the time. But she's an actual journalist.

And CBS News they just threw her out.

She's gone. Now, they're saying, that's we've laid lots of people off, recently.

Because we're collapsing.

STU: That's their argument. For themselves.

GLENN: Yeah. We're collapsing.

Okay. Well, maybe. Or maybe a real journalist just isn't welcomed there anymore.

I don't know.

But everything, all of the media, what I said to Stu. And when we were at the height of Fox. I said, we have to get out of here.

And everybody is like, what?

Everybody works their whole life to get here. And I'm like, we have to get out of here.

I said, this whole thing is going to burn itself down. It's all going to collapse.

And here we are. It's all collapsing.

But as I said at the time as well, if you're here, while it collapses, and you'll survive, you'll then be working for the government.

Because all of these people, will get bail. They'll get bailed out by the federal government.

We can't. These institutions are far too important. This has it goes back to your Cloward and Piven stuff from yesterday.

It's worth watching. If you go to your Blaze TV account. You can watch it on demand.

It's one of those situations.

Vice is a great example of this.

How many articles did vice write about how your career and life were collapsing.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

Over and over again.

STU: Over and over again.

And all these companies, writing for years. About how conservative media personalities were going to flame out, and their businesses were going to collapse, are now all gone.

They're just -- they've all either dissolved. Or fired all their people. And AI is writing their articles.

It is, sure, satisfying. For me. But it is -- it is embarrassing for them, I would assume.

It's -- I don't know. Maybe they've all just -- they all moved on. They're all taking money from the government. And living at home now.

Or working from home now.

I don't know. It doesn't seem like they're able to keep any of these things afloat.

How much -- how much money did Vice get?

Billions and billions of dollars.

Of just free investment cash. Dumped into that place.

GLENN: Can you imagine if we would have had hundred --

STU: Oh, my gosh.

GLENN: Hundred million. Just 100 million. Compared to the billions that they had.

Just 100 million -- 50 million in investment.

Can you imagine what we could have done with it? Because we wouldn't have wasted it. They just wasted it.

STU: Gone.

GLENN: Gone.

STU: And this is also while they're producing shows for HBO. I mean, they were handed a media empire, with let's be honest, no valid reason to be handed a media empire.

I mean, like, vice did some interesting stuff early on.

They were kind of the different. They just turn into the typical left-wing news source.

And we were supposed to sit here and be like, oh, wow. This is amazing. It's innovative.

Let's just throw money at these people. What do they do?

The place is gone, basically.

GLENN: We sat there, for I don't know how many meetings. I sat there with big, big companies, that were trying to figure out, how we were doing it.

And at the time, we were doing it, more right than anybody else. We were still wrong.

And we had no margin of error. Because it was all on me.

And they were trying to figure out, you know, what do we do? What do we do?

And I remember sitting in meetings going, your numbers don't make sense. I'm sorry, guys. I'm not an accountant. I'm not a good businessman.

But I can look at this. You're selling what for what? And how do you even know that's true?

And it was all hype. It was all hype.

Now all that hype is over. And it's all falling apart. The mainstream media is falling apart.

And look what's happening.

You know, I mean, said recently, it's been quiet, on the western front.

It's been all quiet for quite some time in talk radio.

Haven't really had any attacks on talk radio. Been squished with digital. But on talk radio, haven't had a single problem.

That's new.

What was that all about?

They forget about us?

No. No. They're just going to take it.

They're just going to take it in public/private partnerships. And the left, because our billionaires do nothing.

Honest to God, our billionaires who believe in America, the only one that I know, that is actually putting his money where his mouth is. Is Donald Trump.

I mean, there is a handful.

STU: Yeah. I don't agree with that. There are some of these guys, very active. Not always publicly.

GLENN: Yes. But George Soros.

I mean, if you're going to stand up, stand up. Stand up.

You want to stay in the shadows? That's fine.

And I thank you for it. But get your friends to stand up. Why isn't -- we know the power of talk radio.

We know the power of radio. Where are our billionaires? Why aren't they stepping to the plate?

Why?

Anyway, I want you to do me a favor.

I want you to support your local radio station. The station that is -- is running this program.

Please, support them. Please, buy the advertising.

If you -- I'm not asking to you buy something you don't need.

If you hear somebody advertising.

Something like, okay. I need that.

Or I'm looking at that. Please, go to that store, or whatever.

Local radio is critical. Critical.

You've got to have a local radio station. That is not controlled by the Borge (phonetic).

We thank our sponsors, and we thank our local radio stations. Our affiliates. You're the heart of us. Thank you.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

Salena Zito reveals WHY Trump said “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“I have a new purpose,” then-candidate Donald Trump told reporter Salena Zito after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Salena joins Glenn Beck to reveal what Trump told her about God, his purpose in life, and why he really said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, as she details in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland”.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Salena, congratulations on your book. It is so good.

Just started reading it. Or listening to it, last night.

And I wish you would have -- I wish you would have read it. But, you know, the lady you have reading it is really good.

I just enjoy the way you tell stories.

The writing of this is the best explanation on who Trump supporters are. That I think I've ever read, from anybody.

It's really good.

And the description of your experience there at the edge of the stage with Donald Trump is pretty remarkable as well. Welcome to the program.

SALENA: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me.

You know, I was thinking about this, as I was ready to come on. You and I have been along for this ride forever. For what?

Since 2006? 2005?

Like 20 years, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

SALENA: And I've been chronicling the American people for probably ten more years, before that. And it's really remarkable to me, as watching how this coalition has grown. Right?

And watching how people have the -- have become more aspirational.

And that's -- and that is what the conservative populist coalition is, right?

It is the aspirations of many, but the celebration of the individual.

And chronicling them, yeah. Has been -- has been, a great honor.

GLENN: You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, when -- when Elon Musk said he was starting another party.

And somebody asked me, well, isn't he doing what the Tea Party tried to do?

No. The Tea Party was not going to start a new party.

It was to -- you know, it was to coerce and convince the Republican Party to do the right thing. And it worked in many ways. It didn't accomplish what we hoped.

But it did accomplish a lot of things.

Donald Trump is a result of the Tea Party.

I truly believe that. And a lot of the people that were -- right?

Were with Donald Trump, are the people that were with the Tea Party.

SALENA: That's absolutely right.

So that was the inception.

So American politics has always had movements, that have been just outside of a party. Or within a party.

That galvanize and broaden the coalition. Right? They don't take away. Or walk away, and become another party.

If anything, if there is a third party out there, it's almost a Republican Party.

Because it has changed in so many viable and meaningful ways. And the Tea Party didn't go away. It strengthened and broadened the Republican Party. Because these weren't just Republicans that became part of this party.

It was independents. It was Democrats.

And just unhappy with the establishment Republicans. And unhappy with Democrats.

And that -- that movement is what we -- what I see today.

What I see every day. What I saw that day, in butler, when I showed I happen at that rally.

As I do, so many rallies, you know, throughout my career. And that one was riveting and changed everything.

GLENN: You made a great case in the opening chapter. You talk about how things were going for Donald Trump.

And how this moment really did change everything for Donald Trump.

Changed the trajectory, changed the mood.

I mean, Elon Musk was not on the Trump train, until this.

SALENA: Yeah.

GLENN: Moment. What do I -- what changed? How -- how did that work?

And -- and I contend, that we would have much more profound change, had the media actually done their job and reported this the way it really was. Pragmatism

SALENA: You know, and people will find this in the book. I'm laying on the ground with an agent on top of me.

I'm 4 feet away from the president.

And there's -- there's notices coming up on my phone. Saying, he was hit by broken glass.

And to this take, that remains part of this sibling culture, in American politics.

Because reporters were -- were so anxious to -- to right what they believed happened.

As opposed to what happened.

And it's been a continual frustration of mine, as a reporter, who is on the ground, all the time.

And I'll tell you, what changed in that moment.

And I say a nuance, and I believe nuance is dead in American journalism.

But it was a nuance and it was a powerful conversation, that I had with President Trump, the next day. He called me the next morning.

But it's a powerful conversation I had with him, just two weeks ago.

When he made this decision to say, fight, fight, fight.

People have put in their heads, why they think he said it. But he told me why he said that. And he said, Salena, in that moment, I was not Donald Trump the man. I was a former president. I was quite possibly going to be president again.

And I had an obligation to the country, and to the office that I have served in, to project strength. To project resolve.

To project that we will not be defeated.

And it's sort of like a symbolic eagle, that is always -- you know, that symbol that we look at, when we think about our country.

He said, that's why I said that. I didn't want the people behind me panicking. I didn't want the people watching, panicking.

I had to show strength. And it's that nuance -- that I think people really picked up on.

And galvanized people.

GLENN: So he told me, when he was laying down on the stage.

And you can hear him. Let me get up. Let me get up.

I've got to get up.

He told me, as I was laying on the stage. I asked him, what were you thinking? What was going through your head? Now, Salena, I don't know about you.

But with me. It would be like, how do I get off the stage? My first was survival.

He said, what was going on through his mind was, you're not pathetic. This is pathetic.

You're not afraid. Get up.

Get up.

And so is that what informed his fight, fight, fight, of that by the time that he's standing up, he's thinking, I'm a symbol? Or do you think he was thinking, I'm a symbol, this looks pathetic. It makes you look weak.

Stand up. How do you think that actually happened?

SALENA: He thinks, and we just talked about this weeks ago. He -- you know, and this is something that he's really thought about.

Right? You know, he's gone over and over and over. And also, purpose and God. Right? These are things that have lingered with him.

You know, he -- he thought, yes.

He did think, it was pathetic that he was on the ground. But he wasn't thinking about, I'm Donald Trump. It's pathetic.

He's thinking, my country is symbolically on the ground. I need to get up, and I need to show that my country is strong.

That our country is resolute.

And I need people to see that.

We can't go on looking like pathetic.

Right?

And I think that then goes to that image of Biden.

GLENN: You have been with so many presidents.

How many presidents do you think that you've personally been with, would have thought that and reacted that way?

SALENA: Probably only Reagan. Reagan would have. Reagan probably would have thought that.

And if you remember how he was out like standing outside.

You know, waving out the window. Right?

After he was shot.

GLENN: At the hospital, right.

SALENA: Had he not been knocked out, unconscious, you know, he probably would have done the same thing.

Because he was someone who deeply believed in American exceptionalism.

And American exceptionalism does not go lay on the ground.

GLENN: And the symbol.

Right. The symbol of the presidency.

SALENA: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think that affects him today.

GLENN: So let me go back to God.

Because you talked to him the next day. And your book Butler.

He calls you up.

I love the fact that your parents would be ashamed of you. On what you said to him.

The language you used. That you just have to read the book.

It's just a great part.

But he calls you the next morning. And wants to know if you're okay.

And you -- you then start talking to him, about God.

And I was -- I was thinking about this, as I was listening to it. You know, Lincoln said, I wasn't -- I wasn't a Christian.

Even though, he was.

I wasn't a Christian, when I was elected. I wasn't a Christian when my son died.

I became a Christian at Gettysburg.

Is -- is -- I mean, I believe Donald Trump always believes in God, et cetera, et cetera.

Do you think there was a real profound change at Butler with him?

SALENA: Absolutely. You know, he called me seven times that day. Seven times, the take after seven.

GLENN: Crazy.

SALENA: Talked about. And I think he was looking for someone that he knew, that was there. And to try to sort it out.

Right? And I let him do most of the talking. I didn't pressure him.

At all. I believed that he was having -- you know, he was struggling. And he needed to just talk. And I believed my purpose was to listen.

Right? I know other reporters would have handled it differently. And that's okay. That's not the kind of reporter that I am.

And I myself was having my own like, why didn't I die?

Right?

Because it went right over my head.

And -- and so I -- he had the conversation about God.

He's funny. I thought it was the biggest mosquito in the world that hit me.

But he had talked profoundly about purpose. You know, and God.

And how God was in that moment.

It --

GLENN: I love the way you -- in the book, I love the way you said that as he's kind of working it out in his own he head.

He was like, you know, I -- I -- I always knew that there was some sort of, you know -- that God was present.

He said, but now that this has happened.

I look back at all of the trials.

All of the tribulations. Literally, the trials.

All of the things that have happened. And he's like, I realized God was there the whole time.

SALENA: Yes. He does. And it's fascinating to have been that witness to history, to have those conversations with him. Because I'm telling you. And y'all know, I can talk. I didn't say much of anything.

I just -- I just listened. I felt that was my purpose, in that moment.

To give him that space, to work it out.

I'm someone that is, you know, believes in God.

I'm Catholic. I followed my faith.

And -- and so, I thought, well, this is why God put me here. Right?

And to -- to have that -- to hear him talk about purpose, to hear him say, Salena. Why did I put a chart down?

I'm like, sir. I don't know. I thought you were Ross Perot for a second.

He never has a chart. And he laughed. And then he said, why did I put that chart down?

By that term, I never turned my head away from people at the rally. That's true.

That relationship is very transactional. It's very -- they feed off of each other.

It's a very emotive moment when you attend a rally. Because he has a way of talking at a rally. That you believe that you are seeing.

And he said, and I never turn my head away.

I never turn my head away.

Why did I turn my head away?

I don't remember consciously thinking about turning my head away. And then he says to me, that was God, wasn't it?

Yes, sir. It was. It was God.

And he said, that's -- that's why I have a new purpose.

And so, Glenn. I think it's important, when you look at the breadth of what has happened, since he was sworn in.

You see that purpose, every day.

He doesn't let up.

He continues going.

And it brings back to the beginning of the book.

Where you find out, that there was another president that was shot at in Butler.

And that was George Washington. And how different the country would have been, had he died in that moment.

And now think about how different the country would be, had President Trump died in that moment. There would be --

GLENN: We're talking to -- we're talking to Salena Zito. About her new book called Butler. The assassination attempt on President Trump. And it is riveting.

And, you know, it is so good. I wish the press would read it. Because it really explains who we are, who Trump supporters are. Who are, you know, red staters. It is so good at that. She's the best at that.