Keith Olbermann and Countdown GONE from MSNBC

[Ultimajock]

Wanna bet CNN will be trying its hardest to bring Keith to their network, or to HLN?

My vote is for the (Al Gore-owned) cable channel Current. That's as far left on cable as you can get.

...no bloody way. Comcast is a minority partner in Current...

 

[LKellerIII]

Timing is interesting. As soon as the FCC and Anti-trust people sign-off, Keith disappears. The Roberts', long known as the "Cable Nazis" (No sports channel for you!) with a penchant for anti-competitive practices, terrible customer service, frequent price increases and a reluctance to upgrade systems are now on their next slash and burn move: They are going to purge progressive talk from MSNBC. Now, we will have ANOTHER wing-nut cable vitriol-fest.

People have to realize that the political leaning of corporate executives (they're pro-business, and Republican - duh!) has little to do with programming decisions. MSNBC has been positioning its evening programming as the liberal antidote to Fox News. If it becomes a Fox News clone, it will lose ratings. There's no room for 2 Fox News channels.

 

[kilamanjero]

All I have to say is this is a sign of why this country is so screwed up, if you are going to allow FNC continue to be a beacon of misinformation and conspiracy theories on unsubstantiated grounds then allow MSNBC be the counter to the idiocy there.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Timing is interesting. As soon as the FCC and Anti-trust people sign-off, Keith disappears. The Roberts', long known as the "Cable Nazis" (No sports channel for you!) with a penchant for anti-competitive practices, terrible customer service, frequent price increases and a reluctance to upgrade systems are now on their next slash and burn move: They are going to purge progressive talk from MSNBC. Now, we will have ANOTHER wing-nut cable vitriol-fest.

People have to realize that the political leaning of corporate executives (they're pro-business, and Republican - duh!) has little to do with programming decisions. MSNBC has been positioning its evening programming as the liberal antidote to Fox News. If it becomes a Fox News clone, it will lose ratings. There's no room for 2 Fox News channels.

Exactly. Does going after Fox News Channel make sense? No. It's like building a second shopping mall right next door to a successful one – eventual failure certain.

 

[TheBigA]

Exactly. Does going after Fox News Channel make sense? No. It's like building a second shopping mall right next door to a successful one – eventual failure certain.

And yet radio stations quite often challenge format leaders. Who can forget all those great Top 40 battles of the 60s? Fast food places often set up near each other to offer the customers a choice. Sure they want a burger, but do they want it fried or broiled?

I'm not saying that's MSNBC will do here. But the possibility of failure shouldn't be the reason. There are lots of options, and any successful channel should be more than one single personality. Otherwise the channel itself isn't a success.

 

[kilamanjero]

Here's some of what deadline.com had to say about it......

"He's been very problematic," an NBCU source told Deadline about Comcast's attitude to Olbermann. Officially, the Comcast takeover is next week. But word has been circulating for months now that the new owners have wanted to "tinker" with MSNBC and had many changes in store, including a right turn for the left-wing cable channel so that it represents both political points of view more evenly. .

I think that you're right about this. Rachel Maddow actually interviewed former Republican chairman Michael Steele on her show Thursday. Who ever thought we would see that? Olbermann quit MSNBC once before (in the late '90s) because he didn't like covering Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings. I'm thinking that since the Arizona shootings, MSNBC wanted Olbermann to tone down. And he didn't like that.

Maddow has always attempted to reach out to have guests on all sides of the political spectrum. It was only until Rand Paul having his Freudian slip on the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act did those on those on the right stop going on her show on the regular basis.

 

[FightingIrish]

Exactly. Does going after Fox News Channel make sense? No. It's like building a second shopping mall right next door to a successful one – eventual failure certain.

And yet radio stations quite often challenge format leaders. Who can forget all those great Top 40 battles of the 60s? Fast food places often set up near each other to offer the customers a choice. Sure they want a burger, but do they want it fried or broiled?

I'm not saying that's MSNBC will do here. But the possibility of failure shouldn't be the reason. There are lots of options, and any successful channel should be more than one single personality. Otherwise the channel itself isn't a success.

MSNBC already tried the right-wing talk model earlier last decade (when Michael Savage had his ill-fated show). Ratings were beyond terrible. When Olbermann picked up steam, they built their primetime lineup around him and went after a niche. Ratings went way up. That's why they do it.

Personally, I'd rather see a real honest-to-goodness cable news operation. MSNBC, FOX and CNN have gotten way too lazy and frugal in their news operations, and spend too much time emphasizing screaming pundits rather than honest-to-goodness news reporting. I admit, I rarely watch cable news anymore. It's become a pathetic joke.

 

[TVWorldwide]

Here is an intreresting article from Salon:

Is Keith Olbermann the vistim of his own success?

http://www.salon.com/news/keith_olbermann/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/21/countdown_rip

 

[FreddyE1977]

Personally I will miss him for the entertainment value at times like the evening Scott Brown
won the Kennedy Senate seat, or after the GOP took back control of the House in November.
If they had taken the Senate too I swear his head would have exploded.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

Earlier in the week, Keith veered away from format just a little bit to note the famous people born on January TWENTY-SEVENTH, a week later! The list included Mozart and Keith himself. I thought it was kind of odd, but it appears he did so because HE KNEW IN ADVANCE HE WOULDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY WHEN THE 27th ROLLED AROUND!

 

[gregg75]

Now part of his exit is that he keep his mouth shut and not divulge anything about why or
what went down. Clearly there must be something MSNBC is strying to stop or delay from
reaching the public.

 

[TheBigA]

The gag order is pretty common. They're usually a part of celebrity divorces too.

Bill Carter of the New York Times has done great reporting on this:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/olbermanns-msnbc-exit-was-weeks-in-the-making/?hp

 

[TheFonz]

I'm thinking that since the Arizona shootings, MSNBC wanted Olbermann to tone down. And he didn't like that.

...on the night of the Tucson Massacre, Olbermann himself was on MSNBC calling on the Faux Noise Channel twerps to "tone down." They haven't. Why the hell should Olby have had to?...

Because, obviously, his job depended on it.

 

[DToTheJ]

MSNBC already tried the right-wing talk model earlier last decade (when Michael Savage had his ill-fated show). Ratings were beyond terrible...

Yeah, the sky's the limit when your show is buried, er, scheduled for Saturday afternoons.

Look on the bright side... At least a wide audience wasn't treated to this gem that eventually led to the cancellation of his "Savage Nation" TV show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAA2KxgqVvk

 

[gregg75]

As the dust settles it's starting to sound more like he was PUSHED out.

SCENE ONE AT MSNBC
We're expectin' a new sheriff in Dodge next week and he wants you out of town Olbey.
He wants us to take care of this before he gets here so that it looks like he had nothing
to do with it. We'll give you some time to gather your things and say goodbye, but that's
about it. Now you get on the next stage out and keep your mouth shut about the whole thing.
............or else.

The new sheriff don't want no lip from your kind. He rules with a stiff hand and wants any sign
of opposition GONE before sun-up. He knows you're the most popular man in this town, but
with you out of the picture, he can hand pick your replacement and THE SHERIFF WILL BE
THE NEW #1 to the fat cats in Washington and that's all that really matters. Now be gone now.
Be gone....AND DON'T YOU COME BACK.

...........we'll be right back.........after this Comcast infomercial............

 

[ropertex]

Wanna bet CNN will be trying its hardest to bring Keith to their network, or to HLN?

My vote is for the (Al Gore-owned) cable channel Current. That's as far left on cable as you can get.

You have obviously never viewed Current TV.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Liberals need not fret. They can still get their fill of socialism from Rachel Madcow and Chris (let me interrupt you) Matthews.

Comcast executives hinted some changes would be made once they purchased NBC and MSNBC.

So hoist up the guillotine and let's see whose neck is next to be chopped off.

 

[MattParker]

Comcast says now they had nothing to do with firing Keith.

They also say they will be at your house tomorrow between 8am and noon. They lie about that, why should anybody believe what they say about anything?

 

[TheBigA]

They lie about that, why should anybody believe what they say about anything?

Wow...what a stretch.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

I live in Tampa, but stay in Pittsburgh sometimes. Bright House almost always answers the phone and you can often get same day service. Comcast is just a busy signal.