Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 8:13 pm Post subject: Keith Olbermann suspended
Keith Olbermann suspended
MSNBC have suspended Keith Olbermann indefinitely and without pay for having donated to the political funds of three Democratic candidates in this week's elections. This apparently breaks MSNBC's 'ethical guidelines'.
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How can a private company be allowed to make such a condition? The very idea that they could be seen as neutral is laughable - they are all pro-capitalist, by definition, in working for such a company after all.
I think it's because he's considered a "journalist", though he isn't really. He has an opinion show, just like all the evening Fox News shows with O'Reilly, Hannity, and Beck, it's all opinion, not journalists. Journalists are supposed to just report the news, the facts at hand. It's kind of bullshit if you ask me. On one hand, It's great, because he's a wanking douchebag, but on the other hand, I think it's unfair.
Yeah, I don't usually like his bombastic style myself (because it was like something off Fox) but I think it's pretty obvious where his loyalties are, so I can't see why he was chucked.
its not because he's considered a journalist; like you say - he isn't, he's a commentator. it's because nbc requires employees to obtain approval before making any donation - which i think is bang out of order. whats it got to do with whoever you work for if you donate to this or that?
if he used his platform on nbc to publicise his doing so and to encourage others to do the same, then you'd have an issue - but he didn't, so i can't really understand why they'd do it.
I'm no a fan of him myself and I honestly never considered him a journalist, I think it's unfair for sure. That being said, if he has a clause in his contract, that's his own fault.
he's back at work tomorrow anyway, he just had a long weekend!
like sky says, it was his own fault - he'd have known that he had to get approval before making a donation. but i agree with face, i don't think employers shouldn't be able to make such a demand in the first place - its got nothing to do with them.
Keith Olbermann dropped by NBC Keith Olbermann, the controversial MSNBC cable news host, has his contract abruptly terminated by parent company NBC
Keith Olbermann, the liberal, outspoken anchor of MSNBC's Countdown show, had his contract dramatically terminated by the US cable news network's parent company NBC on Friday night.
Olbermann had two years of a four year contract remaining, worth an estimated $30m, and was the network's highest-rated personality, responsible in large part for MSNBC's orientation as a liberal, Democratic-leaning channel.
Abruptly announcing in a lengthy farewell that the current show would be his last, Olbermann said: "This may be the only television programme wherein the host was much more in awe of the audience than vice versa. You will always be in my heart for that."
Giving no reason for the departure, Olbermann ended by calmly reading aloud a piece by James Thurber before signing off with the words: "Good night and good luck."
While Olbermann was live on-air, NBC issued a statement reading:
Statement regarding Keith Olbermann
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.
The Associated Press reported that Phil Griffin, MSNBC's president, would not comment on Olbermann's sudden departure. But a spokesman did say that the acquistion of NBC Universal by cable and telecoms giant Comcast, which received regulatory approval this week, had nothing to do with the decision.
As speculation swirled about the timing, Comcast later put out a statement denying any connection:
"Comcast has not closed the transaction for [NBC-Universal] and has no operational 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 and we will not."
Olbermann had a stormy relationship with management and had been suspended from hosting the nightly show by the network last November after violating station rules by making donations to three Democratic candidates. He was reinstated the following week. (One of the three candidates was Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswomen attacked in Tucson.)
Olbermann's show Countdown, which screened at 8pm and repeated at 11pm, was the network's top-rated programme. On Thursday the show attracted 1.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, far ahead of CNN's Parker-Spitzer, which managed just 520,000 in the same time slot. Fox News's Bill O'Reilly – a frequent target of Olbermann's ire – dominated the hour with 2.9 million viewers.
Olbermann's departure leaves Rachel Maddow as the network's biggest name. Appearing on the Bill Maher show on HBO last night, Maddow said: "All I know is that it was between Keith and the company."
MSNBC later announced that Lawrence O'Donnell, host of the channel's 10pm output, will take over the 8pm slot, with Ed Schultz's show moving from 6pm to 10pm.
Media commentator Dan Kennedy summed up Olbermann's value to MSNBC:
MSNBC executives tonight should be thanking their stars that Olbermann came along when he did. It was he who led the way toward transforming the operation into a liberal alternative to Fox News — a profitable network that, though still far behind Fox, kicks CNN's tail in the ratings.
Piers Morgan, finishing his first week as host of CNN's 9pm interview slot, tweeted:
American TV needs a @KeithOlbermann - whether you agree with him or not, he's got passion. And that's always a good thing.
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