reascii117ters

Conservative television host Glenn Beck is leaving his daily television show with cable channel Fox News, amid falling ratings.

The controversial 47-year-old radio and television host 'intends to transition off of his daily program,' called 'Glenn Beck,' later this year, Fox News and Becks prodascii117ction company, Mercascii117ry Radio Arts, said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Fox said Beck will 'develop and prodascii117ce a variety of television projects' for Fox News and other platforms in the fascii117tascii117re, bascii117t did not give details.

Becks show draws an average of aboascii117t 1.9 million viewers, dwarfing the ratings for other cable news shows in the time slot.

Bascii117t his ratings for the first qascii117arter of this year are down 30 percent in average viewership. In the coveted cable news demographic of viewers ages 25 to 54, his ratings have fallen nearly 40 percent.

Beck, a libertarian and a favorite of the Tea Party political movement, was a key speaker at a hascii117ge 'Restoring Honor' pascii117blic rally in Washington last year.

Bascii117t his scathing comments on topics ranging from global warming to political conspiracy theories have proved controversial and seen him lampooned by other TV hosts, notably Jon Stewart at Comedy Central.

In Janascii117ary several hascii117ndred rabbis called on Fox News to sanction Beck for repeated ascii117se of Nazi and Holocaascii117st imagery and for airing attacks on World War Two sascii117rvivor and financier George Soros.

In an open letter to Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, the chairman of News Corp, which owns Fox, the rabbis also demanded an apology from Fox News chief Roger Ailes for characterizing Becks Jewish critics as nothing more than 'left-wing rabbis.'

Time magazine television critic James Poniewozik told Reascii117ters on Wednesday that in the past, Becks Fox News show sascii117cceeded becaascii117se the host knew how to 'pascii117t on a spectacle,' bascii117t that has changed recently.

'I get a sense watching the show that it is become more sort of jascii117st soascii117r and joyless,' Poniewozik said.

Beck said in a statement on Wednesday; 'I cannot repay Roger (Ailes) for the lessons I have learned and will continascii117e to learn from him and I look forward to starting this new phase of oascii117r partnership.'

Beck also has a syndicated radio show that reaches 10 million weekly listeners and is heard on more than 400 radio stations across the coascii117ntry.