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Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Keith Millea - 22-01-2011

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways

Jan 21, 2011 9:33 PM

David Bauder
AP

NEW YORK -- Keith Olbermann was MSNBC's most popular personality and single-handedly led its transformation to an outspoken, left-leaning cable news network in prime time. Despite that, he often seemed to be walking on a tightrope with his job. Friday night, it snapped.

Olbermann returned from one last commercial break on "Countdown" to tell viewers it was his last broadcast, and read a James Thurber short story in a three-minute exit statement. Simultaneously, MSNBC e-mailed a statement that "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract." The network thanked him and said, "we wish him well in his future endeavors."


Neither MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Olbermann nor his manager responded to requests to explain an exit so abrupt that Olbermann's face was still being featured on an MSNBC promotional ad 30 minutes after he had said goodbye.

Olbermann was nearly fired in November, but instead was suspended two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns, including the congressional campaign of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He returned and apologized to his fans, but not the network.

MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines insisted Olbermann's exit had nothing to do with the acquisition of parent company NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval last week. That deal marked the exit of NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who saw Olbermann's value in turning around a once-unprofitable network, despite headaches the mercurial personality could sometimes cause his bosses.

"There were many occasions, particularly in the last 2½ years, where all that surrounded the show - but never the show itself - was just too much for me," Olbermann said in his exit statement. "But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required that I keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless."

Olbermann's father, Theodore, who was often cited when his son discussed problems in the health care system, died last March. His mother died the year before.

"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not," said Adam Green, co-founder of BoldProgressives.org, which collected thousands of petition signatures urging Olbermann's reinstatement following last fall's suspension.

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After Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, Olbermann took to the air with an emotional editorial that night saying politicians and talk show personalities - including himself - need to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting.

Olbermann's peripatetic career landed him at MSNBC eight years ago - his second prime-time stint on the network - with a humorous show counting down the day's top stories. That changed on Aug. 30, 2006, when Olbermann aired the first of a series of densely-worded and blistering "special comments," this time expressing anger at then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of opponents to the war in Iraq.

More anti-Bush administration commentary followed. Olbermann dropped any pretense of journalistic objectivity, and he became a hero to liberals battered by the popularity of Fox News Channel and its conservative commentators. Olbermann openly feuded with Fox, often naming personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck one of his "worst persons in the world" for some of their statements.

"Countdown" became MSNBC's most popular show. Instantly, a network that had often floundered in seeking a direction molded itself after Olbermann. Opinion was in, and MSNBC's prime-time lineup was filled out with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, who both had been subs for Olbermann when he was away.

Olbermann, before leaving the show with a final signature toss of his script toward the camera on Friday, thanked his audience for sticking with him. As was often his habit on Friday nights, he read a Thurber short story, this one titled "Scottie Who Knew Too Much" and published in 1940.

The story's final line: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers."

He thanked several people, including the late Tim Russert, but pointedly not Griffin or NBC News President Steve Capus.

He said he was grateful to the network that he was given time to sign off, noting that when he left ESPN in the 1990s, he was given 30 seconds - cut in half at the last minute to get in tennis results.

David Brock, founder and CEO of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, said Olbermann "led the charge" against "conservative misinformation in prime time."

"Keith is an innovator and extremely talented broadcaster who showed there was a market for progressive views on cable news," Brock said. "I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him soon, and I eagerly await hearing of his next move."

The mood was different at Newsbusters, a website operated by the conservative Media Research Center: "You guys at Newsbusters should really break out the champagne and party," wrote one reader about Olbermann.

The Cornell graduate first became known for his work on ESPN's "Sportscenter," where he also cultivated a reputation for being talented but difficult to work with. His first MSNBC stint ended in the late 1990s when he quit, complaining his bosses were telling him to talk too much about President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal.

MSNBC announced that O'Donnell, who had frequently filled in for Olbermann before starting his own 10 p.m. show, will take over Olbermann's time slot starting Monday. "The Ed Show," with Ed Schultz, will move to 10 p.m. Cenk Uygur of the Web show "The Young Turks" will fill Schultz's vacated 6 p.m. time slot.

Olbermann's plans are unclear. He signed a four-year contract with MSNBC two years ago; contract buyouts typically include noncompete clauses that keep a personality off TV for a period of time.

CNN has continued to struggle in prime time, most recently with a program in Olbermann's time slot hosted by Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker. Bringing Olbermann on, however, would mean a dramatic shift in the network's determined nonpartisan stance, and there was no indication such a change was imminent.

Keith Olbermanns farewell comment below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KonL7ZOYJCA

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/21/keith-olbermann-leaving-msnbc-ends-countdown/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C196727

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Dawn Meredith - 22-01-2011

It seems clear to me he has been fired. Why is the question. I will really miss his special comment. (Tho I have been avoiding the news of late and watching movies in the evening). But he was one of the best on tv.

Dawn

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Ed Jewett - 23-01-2011

One opinion on why he was fired:

Did Lyin Joe Lieberman Use His White House Connections to Get Keith Olbermann Fired?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by willyloman
by Scott Creighton
[Image: lieberman-obama.jpg?w=270&h=180]UPDATE: The liberal blog-o-sphere is a buzz this morning and it appears the spin is to blame it all on the Comcast merger. No one is talking about what Keith O said about Lyin Joe less than 24 hours before he got sacked. "don't let the delusional liar door hit you in the delusional liar butt on the way out." "goodbye, Joe Lieberman, and good riddance." he accused Lieberman of "lying even on the way out the door."
"The bizarre timing of the announcement has raised a number of speculations, from Olbermann's suspension last November to the departure of NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker in light of the network's recent acquisition by Comcast." Huffington Post
You see? Not a word about the obvious friction between Lieberman and Olbermann. Not even on the fake "progressive" sites. Don't buy into the "Comcast did it" crap. That's just there to protect Lyin Joe. Well, actually, if Lyin Joe got Olbermann fired, he did it through his White House connections… which means… Obama did it. And THAT is why you won't hear a peep about this connection from the fake "progressive" left. They don't want to do anything that might hurt the great one's all important approval rating even if that means turning their backs on their hero, Keith Olbermann.
No corporation is going to come in with a new investment and kick out the big star just because they want to end net neutrality. That's just stupid. The following is Comcast's statement on the matter.
" "Comcast has not closed the transactio*n for NBCU and has no operationa*l control at any of its properties including MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was announced that we would not interfere with NBCU's news operations*. We have not & we will not."
Olbermann brought up MSNBC from the doldrums and his fan base is extremely loyal. This is going to hurt MSNBC's ratings which will hurt Comcast's new investment. If anything, Comcast is pissed off right now. They paid for a #2 news network and right before they took ownership, someone at that network canned their star anchor. There are 6 thousand comments on the MSNBC article about this and it's just 6:25am the morning after. The majority of those comments are similar to this one.
"A huge mistake for MSNBC to lose Keith. I am finished with their shenanigans. I will follow Keith wherever he goes." ex-MSNBC viewer
If anyone tries to tell you this was done by Comcast, don't buy it. That's just PR guys trying to fix the story. This is all about Lyin Joe Lieberman throwing a hissy-fit and GE's CEO taking a new job at the White House.
This came on so suddenly, a promo for Olbermann's show ran at the halfway point of Rachel Maddow's show which comes on after Keith's. Had this been Comcast, they would have seen it coming. No, this is about Lyin Joe calling a marker with the Obama White House, so really, this is about Obama getting Olbermann fired. It wouldn't be the first time the White House got MSNBC's star personality fired… Phil Donahue?

It's hard to say what happened right now but as far as I know, Keith Olbermann, who had signed a 4 year contract extension in 2008, did his last Countdown show tonight.
"Mr. Olbermann had signed a four-year contract extension in 2008 for an estimated $30 million. He hosted "Countdown" at 8 p.m. since 2003 and it became the foundation of the channel's surge to status as the second-ranked news channel on cable television, after Fox News, surpassing the one-time leader CNN." New York Times
Keith had recently done a piece about Joe Lieberman in which he called him a liar, flat-out.
And he is a liar.
And a traitor in some people's eyes.
There isn't a piece of fascist legislation that Joe Lieberman doesn't drool over at night when he rocks himself to sleep while dressed up in his peasant girl costume.
The IDF could line up 50 blind kids against a wall and shoot them with bullets that we paid for and Lyin Joe would swear on his mother's life with tears in his eyes, that Hamas had used them as human shields and that Israel was the real victim.
Because Joe Lieberman is a delusional… and pathological… liar. Period.
He would lie about just about anything as long as it advanced his career. He is the personification of the used car salesman politician.
Sorry. I shouldn't insult used car salesmen that way. At least they work for a living.
"In one of them, he said, "don't let the delusional liar door hit you in the delusional liar butt on the way out." In another, he said, "goodbye, Joe Lieberman, and good riddance." And in still another, he accused Lieberman of "lying even on the way out the door." Huffington Post
In his press conference, Lying Joe praised himself over and over again for all the great things he has done for us. Keith ran with a piece in his show last night picking apart Lieberman's delusional farewell speech. Lieberman will remain in office for 2 more years so I don't know why he chose to honor himself with such a melodramatic masturbatory celebration of self, but that's Lyin Joe for you.
Today, Obama announced General Electric's CEO will be heading up an important advisory council in the White House. This shit can't be unrelated. GE owns 87% of MSNBC which means Olbermann's ex-boss, Jeffrey Immelt, will be the man advising the president on policies that MSNBC will be reporting on. Even after the transition to Comcast slated for the end of this month, GE will still own 49% of NBC Universal which owns MSNBC.
I wonder how tough MSNBC's journalists will be on Obama's domestic policies, now that they know their boss (the guy who literally signs their paychecks) is the one who actually wrote those policies.
I hope, in my heart of hearts, that Keith O quit today because he just couldn't bring himself to work in a situation like that. I really do. I used to like Keith Olbermann. Yeah, he did some things I really didn't like; he carried water for the Obama regime when he damn sure shouldn't have. But overall, I think he may have had some integrity at some point. I really hope he quit on his own over this Immelt fiasco. I do.
But something tells me that is just more fantastical thinking on my part. More than likely, a smarmy little weasel, Lyin Joe Lieberman, called up his connections in the White House and got them to pressure Immelt into shit-canning Keith Olbermann because he had the audacity to call out Lyin Joe for his pathetic display of a self-serving good-bye speech. People like Lyin Joe can't stand it when the entire country is laughing at them.
Because deep down inside, Lyin Joe knows he's lying and he can't stand knowing that he isn't as convincing as he thinks he is.
My guess is, Lyin Joe is leaving the senate so that he can be in some other position like secretary of defense or some other cushy government paycheck. I mean, where else is he going to get a fat paycheck for behaving like a raving fascist? Haiti? They already got Baby Doc. What do they need with Lyin Joe and his peasant girl costume?
Having Keith's ridicule go unanswered would besmirch Joe's reputation and possibly even embolden more criticism. So of course, Lyin Joe probably put in a call to his fellow fascists in DC and now Keith O is out.
Somewhere Lyin Joe is sitting around, patting himself on the back again, sipping $400 a bottle scotch (that we paid for), and telling everybody that will listen about all the power he wields. In a couple of drinks, with his audience bored and gone, he might even start believing his own bullshit again… and then all will be right in the world of Lyin Joe Lieberman.
Keith O gave Lyin Joe a painful glimpse of reality… and Joe didn't like it. Delusions are so much more comfortable these days.
Olbermann is better off anyway.
If you think MSNBC was the "all Obama" channel before, now that Barack has hired their CEO, you can expect them to turn up the Ministry of Truth act full throttle. No self-respecting journalist should stay at MSNBC. Talent flight should be the next migration pattern over there, that is, if there are any journalists left.
I hope this breaks MSNBC for good. Then all we got to work on is Fox and CNN.
Filed under: Scott Creighton

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - David Healy - 23-01-2011

Aaron Brown and now Keith Olbermann... those 2 should start their own damn cable news network....

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Paul Rigby - 23-01-2011

Dawn Meredith Wrote:It seems clear to me he has been fired. Why is the question. I will really miss his special comment. (Tho I have been avoiding the news of late and watching movies in the evening). But he was one of the best on tv.

Dawn

To drive Dems onto the internet - and into the arms of very, very radical peeps like those found at The Huffington Post and, er, other CIA sites?

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Dawn Meredith - 23-01-2011

Scott Creighton's piece sounds like the most plausible explanation I have heard.

I have also read that he quit over money but do not believe that.

Dawn.

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Keith Millea - 23-01-2011

My thoughts:

RUN KEITH RUN

FREE AT LAST-FREE AT LAST

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC Abruptly Part Ways - Keith Millea - 10-02-2011

Published on Thursday, February 10, 2011 by The San Francisco Chronicle

Olbermann Gets Prime-Time Show on Current TV

by Joe Garofoli

When former MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann starts a new prime-time show at Current TV in San Francisco this spring, he will bring the 5-year-old network two things it has never had much of: viewers and buzz.
The liberal host had 1 million prime-time viewers when he abruptly left MSNBC last month after eight years, with neither party offering a reason. Current TV, despite being available in 60 million U.S. homes, has 23,000 prime-time viewers for its mix of user-generated and scripted entertainment and news.
But analysts said Tuesday's announcement of the arrival of the witty, acerbic Olbermann - a three-time winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award - could give Current currency. It intends to rebuild around Olbermann, much as MSNBC did by surrounding the anchor with fellow liberals such as Rachel Maddow.
To date, Current has been best known for its co-founder, former Vice President Al Gore, and for two of its reporters being detained for 4 1/2 months by the North Korean government in 2009 before former President Bill Clinton helped secure their release.
Under the leadership of a former MTV executive during the past year, the network has moved away from the short-form, user-generated work that was its staple. Now it programs more half-hour and hourlong shows.
"That was my first question: Who's watching it?" said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media, a media industry analytical and research firm.
Adgate's second question? "What channel is (Current) on?"
Rough few years

Current is available in 25 million fewer homes than MSNBC, as it is less likely to be included in a basic cable package. While Current won an Emmy Award in 2007 for Best Interactive Television Service, it rarely generates cultural buzz.
In addition, the past few years have been difficult economically. The network has laid off 140 employees since 2008 and now has a staff of 250 to 300. In April 2009, Current canceled a planned IPO as the economy sagged. It had been on the market for a $400 million-plus asking price.
Still, Gore said Tuesday that the privately held Current is "profitable." Current gets fees from cable providers and had low programming costs - until Tuesday's announcement that it hired Olbermann.
"We are delighted to provide Keith with the independent platform and freedom that Current can and does uniquely offer," Gore said Tuesday.
Olbermann offered few specifics other than say his new show, to originate in New York, will be "an improved, and we hope amplified and stronger, version of the show that I just did."
He will receive an undisclosed ownership stake in Current, though one not believed to be larger than Gore's or that of co-founder Joel Hyatt.
Mutual antipathy

Since he began at MSNBC, Olbermann's biting commentary helped to nearly quadruple his audience there. But he bristled at management - and the feeling was mutual.
In November, MSNBC suspended Olbermann for making campaign contributions of $2,400 to each of three Democratic candidates who appeared on his show.
"I don't want to imply that there were massive corporate forces working against individual stories," Olbermann said Tuesday. "We're talking about the industry as a whole.
"None of this should be directed at my nine previous employers. ... Without getting too high-falutin', we're talking about a larger purpose," Olbermann said in explaining his move to Current.
Gore said Olbermann would be allowed to contribute to political candidates, but the network would disclose them to viewers.
When he founded Current, Gore assured audiences that he would not create a liberal TV network. He addressed that Tuesday by saying audiences would be well-served by hearing from Olbermann.
Serving the audience

"You do what you have to do to get viewers," said Larry Gerbrandt, a veteran media analyst who has also worked at the Nielsen Co. "Has Obama kept every promise he made? Necessity makes you do things."
Many liberals, including Eden James, director of organizing at Change.org, a leading progressive online hub, were thrilled.
"At a time when the corporate consolidation of mass media has raised troubling questions about the future of independent media, Keith Olbermann's voice has become a progressive institution," James said. "His core progressive audience will gravitate (with him) over time."
Where to watch

Here are the channels carrying San Francisco's Current TV:
Comcast Digital - Channel 107
AT&T U-Verse - Channel 189
DIRECTV - Channel 358
DISH Network - Channel 196
Source: Current TV


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