Bill O'Reilly Calls Himself 'T-Warrior'

ByABC News
September 19, 2006, 6:32 PM

Sept. 20, 2006 — -- For 10 years, five nights a week, Bill O'Reilly's "No-Spin Zone" -- has perfected a formula of confrontation, taking no prisoners along the way.

Watch "20/20," Friday Night at 10

O'Reilly's provocative opinions have helped his show draw cable TV's biggest audience.

Although his viewers are a fraction of those that watch network newscasts, they're committed and responsive.

O'Reilly invented his nightly program after tours of duty in the more conventional news departments of CBS and ABC.

But conventional was never his style, and his views and loyal listeners have helped him grow into a media icon.

Besides the "Factor" on TV, he hosts a daily two-hour radio program, "The Radio Factor."

He has written six books, the most recent entitled, "Culture Warrior."

In an interview with Barbara Walters at his waterfront home in Long Island, N.Y., O'Reilly explained the "culture of war," the crux of his new book.

He said it was a war pitting traditional Americans -- those who believe the United States is noble -- against those who are secular progressives and believe the country is fundamentally flawed.

"It's the traditionalists who really want to keep the country pretty much the way it is," O'Reilly said. "Against the secular progressives who want drastic change. They control the media." .

O'Reilly comes from a blue-collar background and lives with his wife and two young children in an upscale community.

Standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, he can resemble a formidable culture warrior at times.

He even calls himself, "T-Warrior," short for "traditional warrior."

When "20/20" pointed out that he had one of the loudest voices in the media, O'Reilly said he and his fellow traditionalists were outnumbered and had been since the days of Walter Cronkite.