Fox News announced today it is dropping Glenn Beck's daily talk show – but in an official statement said the network and the controversial host would work together on unnamed future projects.

That may just be a face-saving device for Beck and the network, or it may be an attempt by Fox to find a way to use Beck in a form that avoids alienating advertisers, possibly as a producer.

[Update: I've got a longer piece on the Guardian's site.]

So what next for Beck? Will he go down Oprah's route and establish his own channel? Maybe. But Beck's numbers, while good for cable news, aren't in Oprah's network reach. He still has his syndicated radio show, and as Rush Limbaugh shows that's a lucrative format in its own right.

Alexander Zaitchik, who wrote a biography of Beck titled Common Nonsense, told Slate's David Weigel:

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that his days as a heavy, constant presence in the mainstream conversation are over. Whatever media shape-shift he's about to perform post-Fox, he's a greatly diminished national presence for those who aren't "Insider Extreme" members at glennbeck.com. Which is a blessed, blessed thing.

So who will fill the 5pm slot on Fox News? Sarah Palin is the name that leaped to many minds. Mike Huckabee is another contender. Suggestions?



Update: reaction is coming in thick and fast.

Reuters: TV host Glenn Beck to leave Fox News daily show

New York Times Media Decoder blog: Glenn Beck to End Daily Fox News Program

Entertainment Weekly: Glenn Beck and Fox break up: Now who gets to keep the friends?

Think Progress: Why Beck Is Out At Fox: Poor Ratings And Paranoid Rants

Here's the joint statement from Fox News and Beck's production company, Mercury Radio Arts: