Liberals Upset Because Glenn Beck Promotes A Product He’s Paid To Endorse

I’m not really seeing what the controversy is here:

Yet another controversy appears to be brewing around Fox News host Glenn Beck. Some are accusing him of a blatant conflict of interest concerning his frequent on-air promotion of an investment sold by one of his main advertisers: Gold.
For some time Beck critics have cried foul over his relationship with Goldline International, a precious metals vendor that features the TV and radio host’s endorsement prominently on their website. Critics charge that Beck is guilty of misleading his audience by often advising them to purchase gold in advance of the potential collapse of the value of the dollar on the world currency market, without disclosing that he is in fact a “paid spokesman” for Goldline. Beck’s on-air promotion of gold, which includes advising viewers to construct “fruit cellars” and to rely on a “three G system” of “God, Gold, and Guns” in the event of America’s collapse, dates back to his time as a host for CNN Headline News.

Beck, like a lot of libertarians/conservatives (including myself), thinks that gold is a good investment in uncertain times. This is hardly breaking news. And not only is gold thought of as a good store of value on the right, but belief that America’s currency should be re-attached to a gold standard is common as well.
So a company that caters to people looking to invest in gold and other precious metals advertises heavily on the programs of a political and social commentator who himself is an advocate of gold as a wise investment. That doesn’t sound like a crime or anything unethical to me. That sounds like a good marketing strategy.
The only part that would be unethical is if Beck didn’t actually think that gold was a good investment and was telling his listeners/viewers otherwise because he was being paid to. But I hardly think that’s the case.
I’ve heard these Goldline ads on Beck’s shows before. I’ve always just taken it for granted that it was a natural partnership. I’m sure that most of Beck’s listeners/viewers feel the same way. I don’t think the public is stupid, and I don’t think anyone is being fooled here.
This sounds like a bogus controversy likely ginned up more by Beck’s detractors than anyone actually concerned about broadcast ethics.