Olbermann quits/is fired? Where's the thread?

This move has to be about the ratings. The problem MSNBC may have in two years if there is a big Republican victory will be the total isolation of the network.

Then look for moderate hosts to head their programs.
 
NoCoPilot said:
It's obvious Olbermann either was fired by his new boss (of 3 days) Brian Roberts of Comcast -- rather famously a Republican agenda supporter -- or he decided to quit ahead of the axe.

Countdown was MSNBC's most popular show. It'll hurt their bottom line quite substantially to lose Olbermann.

But I suspect that isn't why Comcast bought MSNBC.

They bought NBC to gain access to the studio's catalog of movies, but also to squelch the fact-checking and counterbalance that kept making the Republican propaganda harder to force down the public's throat. Right-wing media moguls (like Roberts and Murdoch) are quietly buying up the airwaves (with FCC complicity) and soon -- if not right now -- "fair and balanced" will be nothing but a slogan.

The easily-brainwashed may see this as a good thing, but I see it as the end of democracy.
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Comcast buying GE/NBC brings total Jewish control to the network.
 
Brown said:
Keith and I are about the same age and we like a lot of the same things (except for sports, which he likes and to which I say meh). I "got" nearly every pop culture reference he made. He quoted Monty Python in serious commentary, which is something I have been known to do, too. His heroes in the world of journalism were my heroes in the world of journalism, too. He and I both recognized Sarah Palin for what she is--I called her an "imbecile" and Keith called her an "idiot"--and we were both disgusted to have to point out repeatedly that that the former beauty queen had no clothes (by which I mean, intellect).

We both adopted the sign off of "Goodnight and good luck" (or sometimes simply, "Good luck") from Ed Murrow.

I liked the fact that he usually put his brain in gear before engaging his mouth, and that he tried to be faithful to the facts. If the evidence said one thing and his political leanings said another, he tended to go with the evidence.

That said, he was sometimes short with people, when he should have been more polite. His questions were often compound and asked quickly--which many TV reporters see as a necessity due to time constraints, but which makes the questions inherently difficult to answer. Some of his guests were of questionable value and some of his frequent guests were redundant. Perhaps that reflected not Keith, but the reality that it can be tough to find a good variety of guests.

My suspicion, like that of others, is that the ownership of his network played a role. I have let it be known that there are certain companies for whom I would not work, and it would not be a surprise to learn if Keith had a similar list of his own.

Was he fired? Highly unlikely, I think. More probable is that some pressure was being brought to bear with respect to editorial content--a tale that has happened literally thousands of times since the emergence of television--and Keith said that he would not bow to it.

I expect Keith will emerge elsewhere on the news and political commentary scene, but until then, so long Keith, and good luck.
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Democracy Now! and Pacifica Radio would be a good place for him.
 
Olowkow said:
I'm a fan of Cenk, but he can get a little over the top at times. I'm wondering if MSNBC and this time slot can handle his energy. I noticed a greatly subdued Cenk when he was filling in on MSNBC lately. How long can he hold back? Between him and Rachel, we will hopefully have some real investigative reporting for a change.

I was very enthusiastic about Keith for quite a while, but got very tired of his playing Beck and O'Reilly clips all the time, and seemingly endless Fox News references. He is an excellent writer and announcer, but he got stuck on his disdain for certain people to the extent that he seemed to become identified with these images.
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Yeah, his feud with O'Reilly became really, really, tired a long time ago.
 
MaGZ said:
I think Chris Matthews hates being born White.
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Actually, I think he grew up in an Irish family that had seen some rather stuff in its history, so he can have empathy for minorities.

Nah, you're probably right, it certainly sounds better . . .
 
deepatrax said:
Let's hope he now seeks that urgent psychiatric medical help he so desperately needs!

In fact, stick him and Beck in a room, lock the doors...winner take all
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Two men enter, one man leaves... actually, if it's Olbermann and Beck we're talking about, I wouldn't be upset if neither one of them left that room.
 
I'm a big fan of headphones. You can get a lot of earth-shattering sound in a small package. You don't need to spend A whole lot of money to get truly great sound.

The thing is, though, there is a wide variety of headphones on the market. There are lots of discussion boards about high fidelity, and very few people agree on much. Everybody has their favorite headphones and everything else sucks.

As a headphone connoisseur I have heard a fairly broad spectrum of the offerings out there, and all I can say is there's a headphone for every taste. You like big booming bass? Get Dr. Dres. You like sizzling high ends? Get Sennheisers. Any distortion of the sound that you like, you can find it.

The BEST headphones though, to my ears, don't sound like anything at all.

I have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones which are so absolutely neutral that you immediately realize you are listening to the MUSIC instead of the headphone. They weren't cheap but they have remained my listening standard for a couple decades.

What does this have to do with Keith Olbermann? I would like my news delivered the same way, neutrally so I can make up my own mind about events and their significance. Keith was often too focused on calling out the Right, just as O'Reilly/Palin/Hannity/Beck are too often focused on calling out the Left.

Where is the Stax Headphones of news reporting?
 
If Olbermann were to join FOX News with a hosting spot opposite Beck or O'Reilly...just imagine the ratings and insanity!!
 
Thunder said:
that's exactly why they are frauds. they run on "smaller, more honest government", but I bet these pricks will be the first to get charged with fraud, money-laundering, theft, and embezzlement.
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In other words "they're frauds, because I bet they're frauds"?
 
PS13 said:
I'm kinda with ya on Keith, cornsail, it seemed like it was time for him to move on.

However, just an FYI, Cenk Uygur isn't taking the 8pm. slot, he's taking the 6pm. slot (Ed Shultz old time slot) ... Ed is moving to the 10pm. slot & Lawrence O'Donnell is moving to Keith's old 8pm. slot. Just wanted to clear that up in case you thought Cenk was Keith's replacement.

So, the new line-up should be (all eastern time):

5pm. Matthews
6pm. Uygur (hey look... a "non-white guy" for Deepatrax, He's Turkish :D)
7pm. Matthews (replay)
8pm. O'Donnell
9pm. Maddow
10pm. Shultz


PS. I wish Dylan Ratigan would get moved from 4pm. to prime-time. I like that guys show. Not sure why we need a double dose of Matthews every night. :boggled:
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Yeah I'm aware of that. It's a step up for Cenk though. As for Ed I really have no opinion of him.
 
deepatrax said:
If Olbermann were to join FOX News with a hosting spot opposite Beck or O'Reilly...just imagine the ratings and insanity!!
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Olbermann's journalistic integrity would not allow him to join Fox -- just as their politically-motivated disregard for facts would not be served by hiring a real reporter.
 
I know this is off topic since it concerns the OP, but I'm a liberal (I know that probably comes as a shock after my posting in this forum), and Olbermann--while his points are often sound--almost always made his points in such a hyperbolic and confrontational manner that it damaged his message and I ended up disliking him as a result.

That said, he was one of the few commentators to take on the "both sides do it" equivalency that the media often engages in, and I respected that.
 
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