“We used the term ‘paid spokesman’ because we felt it was important to tell people that there is a payment going to somebody,” Mr. Albarian said. But he said there was a misunderstanding about that designation because Goldline did not specifically pay Mr. Beck on an individual basis to speak on its behalf.

Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Mr. Beck, said the host should never have been listed as a “paid spokesman” because he did not receive separate fees beyond the sponsorship for that or any other work he did for the company.

Before he moved onto Fox News, however, Mr. Beck appeared in a video on the Goldline Web site extolling the virtues of gold. And Mr. Beck routinely reads Goldline ads on the radio, a practice Fox said was acceptable under its guidelines.

Goldline was also listed as the exclusive sponsor of Mr. Beck’s comedy tour last summer. Mr. Albarian said the company was represented in advertising signs around the venues during the tour, in the same way that sponsors of any tour would be.

Mr. Beck has also interviewed Mr. Albarian on his radio show, although never on Fox News. He made a disclosure before a Nov. 12 interview, saying, “I want you to understand clearly going into this that this is a sponsor of my program.”

While he said he was aware of the skewering of Mr. Beck by Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show,” Mr. Cheatwood said that segment was broadcast after the letter about Mr. Beck’s association with Goldline had been sent, and had nothing to do with Fox’s actions.