Glenn Beck a New Oprah?

The New York Times thinks so.

Virtually every novelist in America fantasizes about being picked to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. But now an increasing number of writers have discovered a new champion: Glenn Beck, the outspoken media darling of populist conservatism…..

On his radio show and cable television programs, first on CNN Headline News and now on the Fox News Channel, Mr. Beck has enthusiastically endorsed dozens of novelists, a majority of them writing in the thriller genre. Mr. Beck, who now attracts 9 million weekly listeners on radio and 2.7 million daily viewers on television, often selects authors whose plots or characters reflect political stances that mirror his own….

In the past five years Mr. Beck, who was a best-selling novelist with “A Christmas Sweater” last year, has interviewed about 40 thriller writers, including David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille and James Patterson, on his radio program, his cable television shows or both.

While his focus is thrillers, Mr. Beck stands out among talk show hosts in that he regularly interviews authors who write fiction at all. “I think it’s an aspect of the show that maybe has flown under the radar because of some of the more controversial things that have taken place on the air,” said Daniel Silva, an author of spy thrillers. Mr. Beck, Mr. Silva said, “has provided a really unique venue for novelists to come and talk about their work on television.”

Read the entire news article here.