Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
-based journalist and blogger who contributes to national publications, radio and television.
Work
From 2001 to 2008. Beck authored ''
Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
''Willame ...
'' "Queer Window" column. Around 2009, Beck started his own blog, which has been describes as a "go-to source for Portland entertainment nuggets" and earned him the reputation of being a "celebrity spotter". He was the first to report several stories using his blog, including
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's visit to the Adidas Village in October 2012 and ''
Just Out
''Just Out'' was an LGBTQ publication in Portland, Oregon founded in 1983 by Jay Brown and Renee LaChance.
It ceased publication as a semimonthly newspaper in December 2011. In February 2012, Glenn-Kipp Publishing, Inc purchased the Just Out bra ...
'' publication ending in February 2013.
In 2012, ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...
'' profiled Beck as one of their fifty "community blog partners". Beck expressed his satisfaction's with the blog's growth over three years, described himself as "relentless", and summarized Portland with the single word "magic". He mentioned his work as host of the Earth2World.com television talk show ''Have You Heard?'' and teased about an upcoming radio project. Scheduled to launch in February 2014 was a two-hour talk show co-hosted with DJ Bombshel Bailey and producer Zak Kindrachuk called ''Bailey and Beck'' for Portland's
KXL-FM
KXL-FM (101.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Alpha Media and broadcasts a news/ talk radio format. The studios are on SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland. KXL-FM is the flagship station for the national ...
. Beck said of the program: "It's a talk show that's just going to be a little bit different than what KXL has done before—more culture and less politics. It's a new direction for the company. I mean, come on, from Glenn Beck to Byron Beck? I think that's a huge leap forward." However, the show never came to fruition. Beck did, however, co-host a show with Zak Burns called ''Beck and Burns''. ''PQ Monthly'' called the show "an ideal blend of the comedic and the serious, of politics and celebrity gossip — the stuff of perfect radio".
In August 2014, he became a contributor to GoLocalPDX, a local news website and offshoot of GoLocal24.
In October 2014, Beck took over emcee duties for Phil Olsen, show organizer and planned host of the World Beard and Moustache Championships. Beck was criticized for reportedly "rushing and even belittling" contestants in an effort to quicken the pace. ''The Oregonian'' said, "Being short on time is understandable, but his loud and manic energy made the second half unbearable, taking away from the fun and giving way to an unruly crowd that began to shout and boo through the partial beards." Marjorie Skinner, a competition judge and ''Portland Mercury'' contributor, responded by writing, " 'The Oregonian''kind of slayed Beck on his emcee duties, but he was being thrown a lot of direction behind the scenes to variously slow down and speed up the proceedings, including the occasional request that he "tell some jokes" and otherwise fill time while the next round of contestants were being lined up... in Beck's defense, it was a long, unscripted gig in front of a rowdy audience. I didn't envy him."
Personal life
Beck and his partner Juan Martinez were plaintiffs in ''Martinez v. Kulongoski'', the lawsuit challenging Measure 36's inclusion on the 2004 ballot. On January 14, 2009, the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The couple were married by Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum
Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Oregon Attorney General since 2012. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously was a judge on the Oreg ...
on May 30, 2015.
For more than a dozen years, Beck has attended the Harvest Dinner, an annual event which provides food and medical and hygiene services to homeless and underserved residents. Beck competed in the Celebrity Crab Cracking competition at the Portland Seafood & Wine Festival in 2013 and 2014 and was runner-up in 2014.
See also
*
List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon has a large LGBT community for its size. Notable LGBT people from the city include:
* Sam Adams – first openly gay mayor of a large U.S. city
* Matt Alber – singer-songwriter
* Terry Bean – gay rights activist and ...
KGW
KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city' ...