Posted on 01/21/2011 9:18:45 PM PST by FTJM
Sources tell Mediaite Keith Olbermann and MSNBC were headed for a breakup long before Comcast’s rise to power, but clearly something set the divorce into motion quickly today, with network promos set to run touting Olbermann’s role in MSNBC’s coverage of next week’s State of the Union address–and, notably, a Keith Olbermann promo running on MSNBC in the hour after the host signed off and left the network.
MSNBC executives have long planned for the day the network’s star might be sent packing, and the rise of Rachel Maddow at MSNBC–along with the grooming of Lawrence O’Donnell as a potential replacement for Olbermann–appears to have hastened the host’s departure.
While Olbermann and his iconic Countdown have been immensely important in the resurgence of MSNBC, Olbermann’s friction with management has been a sticking point. At many points–including the recent suspension over political contributions–tensions rose so high as to lead to serious discussions inside MSNBC about firing their star.
With Maddow enjoying both immense popularity inside MSNBC and very strong ratings for her Rachel Maddow Show, Olbermann’s invincibility as the heart and soul of MSNBC’s brand became softer. In recent weeks, sources tell Mediaite there have been meetings on the topic of Keith Olbermann and his future at the network. Did Comcast–as many Countdown viewers seem to suspect–order Olbermann out? It appears that the end of the Olbermann era at MSNBC was not “ordered” by Comcast, nor was it a move to tone down the network’s politics. Instead, sources inside the network say it came down to the more mundane world of office politics–Olbermann was a difficult employee, who clashed with bosses, colleagues and underlings alike, and with the Comcast-related departure of Jeff Zucker, and the rise of Maddow and O’Donnell, the landscape shifted, making an Olbermann exit suddenly seem well-timed.
(Excerpt) Read more at mediaite.com ...
O’Donnell strikes me as being as unwatchable as Keith, only more boring.
Yep, he’s awful.
I guess Maddow was so immensely popular, that Olbermann couldn’t lick her at MSNBC. So he was sent packing.
Compared to what? Batman reruns?
Quote: “While Olbermann and his iconic Countdown have been immensely important in the resurgence of MSNBC. . .”
Stopped reading right there. “Resurgence at MSNBC” LOL!!!
Well I was wrong. It seems MSNBC hasn’t seen the light. They’ll ride their left wing political coverage all the way to the poor house. The sooner the better.
Translation: Olbermann is a complete a-hole.
Maddow is unwatchable.
Leapfrog0202 wrote:
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He’s known to be an a-hole. He must have be intolerable there.
and tied up...
The real reason Olbermann was fired? Blame Sarah Palin.
Don’t believe it. Comcast knows they’re going to lose cable customers over the left wing crap at msnbc. That and his refusal to “tone it down”.
Looks like they paid out his contract.
All 6 of Olbermann’s fans slowly got up and walked away...
Ewwww ...
Yes that is much better. Thanx for correcting.
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