Keith Olbermann calls it quits

[Cephalopod]

Olbermann Leaves ‘Countdown’ on MSNBC (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/olbermann-hosts-last-countdown-on-msnbc/?src=twrhp)

Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he is leaving “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” immediately.

The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down.

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion, the show had become too much for him.

Mr. Olbermann thanked his viewers for their enthusiastic support of a show that had “gradually established its position as anti-establishment.”

In a statement, MSNBC said : “MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”


Huh. Pretty sudden.

Can we get Glenn Beck to sign off in solidarity?

[Cephalopod]

The only commentary that matters on this (from Andy Borowitz (http://twitter.com/#!/BorowitzReport), via Twitter):



MSNBC's new slogan is "Lean Forward... So We Can Kick Your Ass Out the Door."

Official #Comcast statement: "Keith #Olbermann was not a good fit for @MSNBC's new corporate-fascist format."

BREAKING: #Comcast Replaces Rachel Maddow with Carrie Prejean

BREAKING #Olbermann Issues 'Special Comment' About #Comcast Bosses: 'You, Sirs, Are Cocksuckers'

Official #Comcast statement: "Until future notice, @MSNBC at 8 PM will broadcast the live feed of #Fox News."

Terms of #Olbermann's settlement say he has to stay off TV for awhile. I guess that means he can go to @CNN

[Warriorbird]

I'm glad.

[Parkbandit]

Comcast probably wanted to make MSNBC a profitable newschannel. According to the ratings, MSNBC has been an abysmal failure.

THURS. JAN. 20, 2011

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,918,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,079,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 1,940,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,786,000
FOXNEWS BECK 1,780,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,460,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,106,000
CNN PIERS 1,025,000
MSNBC MADDOW 976,000
MSNBC O'DONNELL 855,000
MSNBC SCHULTZ 760,000
CNN COOPER 740,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 700,000

[sst]

I doubt Glen beck is going anywhere, you see... he has ratings and makes FOX money... Olbermann couldn't even break 1 million viewers most of the time

[Cephalopod]

Comcast probably wanted to make MSNBC a profitable newschannel. According to the ratings, MSNBC has been an abysmal failure.

THURS. JAN. 20, 2011

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,918,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,079,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 1,940,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,786,000
FOXNEWS BECK 1,780,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,460,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,106,000
CNN PIERS 1,025,000
MSNBC MADDOW 976,000
MSNBC O'DONNELL 855,000
MSNBC SCHULTZ 760,000
CNN COOPER 740,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 700,000

Probably should have started with the lower-performing Maddow, O'Donnell, Schultz and Matthews, then... (I had to look up who O'Donnell and Schultz even were)



“Here Mr. O’Reilly has a point. You and Fox get great ratings. It is so awesome how great your ratings are. Here’s the score card from last night. It is in TV ratings speak, but I think it will be clear enough. Here’s Mr. O’Reilly, that 757 would be him at 8:00, and that 245 would be me at 9:00, different hour, but you know same point, and don’t tell Susan’s mom whose actually pretty sensitive about these kinds of things, but we’re actually outrated by all kinds of shows. “Deadliest Catch,” that’s about fishing. We get killed by a show called “The Closer” about which I know nothing about except it kills us in the ratings, and we get smaller ratings than WWE wrestling…. Of course, all of those shows also kill Mr. O’Reilly’s show in the ratings as well as everything else on Fox, as do Sponge Bob, reruns of NCIS, and Hannah Montana, Forever, which is totally understandable. They are all more watched than The O’Reilly Factor which is totally irrelevant.”

[Androidpk]

I had to look up Olbermann to see who he was.

[Gan]

I'm glad Olbermann leaned forward.

[Parkbandit]

Probably should have started with the lower-performing Maddow, O'Donnell, Schultz and Matthews, then... (I had to look up who O'Donnell and Schultz even were)

Why? Olbermann had a terrible show.. it was only because it was in the middle of prime time that it did as "well" as it did. Glenn Beck on Fox comes on at 5pm EST.. and he outperformed Olbermann.

But hey... all we have to do is get Congress to pass the Fairness Doctrine and failed shows like this can be forced back on the air, supported by our tax dollars........

[crb]

Olbermann was always very... how to say... mean spirited. Maybe he just didn't fit in our new world of civil discourse.

I mean, look at O'Reilly, he'll call someone a pinhead, but he does it with a wink and a smile. He saves righteous anger for actual bad people, like that doctor in pennsylvania.

Olbermann never did it with a wink and a smile, he did it with a red face and smoke out the ears.

[Warriorbird]

Republicans should mourn this. They might get an actually effective replacement.

[Parkbandit]

Republicans should mourn this. They might get an actually effective replacement.

Name a liberal that has been "effective"...

[Kembal]

It's not the first time he left MSNBC. He's incredibly hard to manage, and MSNBC probably figured they had enough good hosts to take the hit.

I haven't watched him in years. He anchored the 2010 election coverage for MSNBC, and it was damn near unwatchable, it was that bad. I ended up watching CNN, which I didn't like that much either, but at least it wasn't horrifically bad.

[Warriorbird]

Name a liberal that has been "effective"...

In that arena? Once again, Stewart and Colbert come closest.

[IorakeWarhammer]

despite being disgustingly liberal, he was extremely talented and I'm glad he's not lending his expertise to the propaganda machine any longer. although, he was fairly anti-establishment which was nice.

[Parkbandit]

Liberals want Keith Olbermann to run for retiring Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) seat.

The ploy to coax the former MSNBC host into the Democratic Senate primary was hatched by activists attending a conference in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Facebook and Twitter pages are already active and a website is expected to go up in the coming days.

"We’re using our full set of campaign tools but they won’t go active until we get a little downtime while we’re in D.C.," a blogger by the name of Stranded Wind wrote on the liberal website Daily Kos.

Olbermann left his show "Countdown" on Friday. He revealed over the weekend that he would return to his blog on MLB.com, Baseball Nerd, but has remained quiet about any other plans.

Should Olbermann decide to forgo a return to television, he could be eligible to run for Lieberman's seat, Stranded Wind notes. "He used to live in Connecticut and could easily return and establish residency."

Olbermann was suspended from his job for two days after the 2010 election for making donations to Arizona Democrats Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords, and to Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway (D).

Lieberman announced last Wednesday he would not see reelection in 2012. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has already entered the race for the Democratic nomination.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/139677-movement-underway-to-draft-olbermann-for-senate-

A-w-e-s-o-m-e

[Parkbandit]

The New York Times' Media Decoder column is reporting that former MSNBC "Countdown" host and liberal firebrand Keith Olbermann will announce his next career move on Tuesday, and speculation is running high he'll be joining public affairs channel, Current TV.

"Neither Mr. Olbermann, his representatives, or executives from Current TV would comment on the move, but they did not deny that the channel, which counts former Vice President Al Gore as one of its founders, will become at least one partner in Mr. Olbermann's future media plans," wrote Bill Carter and Brian Stelter.

Olbermann reportedly would receive an equity share in the 5-year-old company. Media Decoder described Current TV as a low-profile channel that now runs series such as "This American Life." Before that, it relied on submissions from video journalists.

Access to Current TV is limited to about 60 million homes and is available only on the digital tier of cable channel systems. At MSNBC, which Olbermann left in January after a storm relationship, his nightly audience numbered 1 million.
Carter and Stelter conclude that "the addition of Mr. Olbermann, the former sports anchor who made himself a progressive star at MSNBC, would surely elevate the channel, bringing it attention it has never before received. The channel also wears its liberal politics on its sleeve."

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/07/report-keith-olbermann-is-likely-to-join-current-tv/

Good to see Olbermann landed on his "feet"... and got a gig at a public affairs channel.

http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/12/7/128731548717283888.jpg

[Cephalopod]

Never even heard of this channel before.



Olbermann reportedly would receive an equity share in the 5-year-old company. Media Decoder described Current TV as a low-profile channel that now runs series such as "This American Life." Before that, it relied on submissions from video journalists.


It's pretty sad that their claim to fame is RE-AIRING a TV show of an NPR radio program. (An NPR program I happen to love, but that's not relevant.)

[Rinualdo]

Al Gore owns it. <insert joke here>

[Parkbandit]

And Keith already wore out his welcome on a station no one cares about:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/current-tv-dismisses-keith-olbermann/

[Lord Orbstar]

Good. Fuck him and all that believe as he does. for reals.

[Tgo01]

"Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it."

They really thought Olbermann was going to respect those values at all? I think Olbermann's lawsuit should be an open and shut case in his favor, just replay some of his old shows and say "See? I've always been a douche, they knew what they were getting into when they hired me."