It’s official: Glenn Beck is Texas-bound

Joe Pompeo
·Media Reporter

Conservative talk show titan and erstwhile Fox News anchor Glenn Beck has hinted about a relocation out of the New York City area, where he claims to recently have been the victim of a brutal public heckling by liberal elites.

As it turns out, anyone who speculated that Beck might be headed somewhere in America's heartland—closer to the core tea party-ing audience that consumes his sometimes controversial ramblings with an apostolic zeal—was indeed correct. Beck confirmed on his daily radio program Monday that he, his family and part of his media empire are moving to Texas. He will open studios there for Mercury Radio Arts, the Manhattan-based production company behind both the radio show and his forthcoming Internet TV venture.

"Mercury is very excited to open a new radio and TV broadcast facility in Dallas, TX," Chris Balfe, president and COO of Mercury Radio Arts, told The Cutline in a statement provided by a spokesman. "While Glenn will be spending much of his time there, we will continue to maintain and grow our New York City offices and studios to accommodate the talented staff we have assembled and will continue to assemble here."

Following his acrimonious split with Fox News last month, Beck is embarking on the next chapter of his career with a web-based expansion of his signature blend of fiery right-wing rhetoric, populist rage and good old family values. He will launch an online subscription show from New York this September before expanding the offering, called GBTV, into a wide-ranging Internet television network.

While Mercury's Texas outpost will be headquartered in Dallas, Beck's personal digs are expected to be in nearby Westlake, an affluent suburb probably well out of reach for many of the "ordinary Americans" who follow his gospel. Westlake is so well-to-do, in fact, that Forbes recently ranked it as the most affluent town in the United States.

There, Beck is said to be renting a $4 million manse owned by a Swarovski crystal heiress and a major league baseball player. Beck's rep wouldn't comment on or confirm the living arrangements, but you can take a virtual tour of the property, which reportedly comes with a $20,000-a-month lease, over at Gawker.

Meanwhile, Beck is gearing up for his "Restoring Courage" rally in Israel next month, a sequel to the "Restoring Honor" rally he held in Washington the same time last year.