MSNBC should remember that Keith has walked before

[grasswire]

.....and I suppose he'd be willing to do it again. Maybe they think they can replace him with Maddow and she'll work cheaper.

[hlthe2b]

1. context???

:shrug:

[Newsjock]

3. 'White House In Crisis'

They made him talk day after day after day about the Clenis and the Blue Dress. He started having the dry heaves at night and eventually walked.

I'll find a link. Here it comes now, from the WaPo in 1998:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/olbermann091598.htm

Keith Olbermann, anchor of MSNBC's "White House in Crisis," isn't above poking fun at himself. He once described his program as "The White House Isn't in Crisis but We'll Keep Calling It That Because There's a Graphic."

... But his greatest moral eruption came during the address at Cornell, his alma mater, when he said MSNBC was overcovering the Lewinsky story: "I'm having the dry heaves in the bathroom because my moral sensor is going off, but I can't even hear it, I'm so seduced by these ratings that I go along with them when they say do this not just one hour a night but two. . . . I awakened from my stupor on this subject and told my employers that I simply could not continue doing this show about the endless investigation. . . . I had to choose what I felt in my heart was right over what I felt in my wallet was smart. . . . I await their answer."

[hlthe2b]

10. thanks, I do remember now... but, what are they doing to him now?

Is this in reference to him being told to stay in NY last week?


On edit...Never mind... I see the stories posted now...

[senseandsensibility]

2. Sadly, I don't think their decision was market or ratings driven

Liberals can compete on that field. But look what they did to Donahue. His show was the highest rated show on MSNBC during the run up to Iraq. They pulled him off for ideological reasons. We have to remember that the networks are corporations, and they profit from more than just ratings.

[grasswire]

4. yep, that's obvious

The execs have put the lid on, despite ratings. Brokaw and Williams are conservatives.

[WCGreen]

16. GE is, after all, one of the largest manufacturers ot War Products

in the world...

They love the war...

[high density]

26. Olbermann has said...

...that Donahue was pulled because of the cost of having a live audience.

[IndianaJones]

5. she's a lot better than he is. nt.

[davidinalameda]

7. I don't see that

the main criticism of him on here was that he didn't support hill and he called her on her crap during the primaries

Rachel is okay at best

[IndianaJones]

8. he's a highlight guy. doing well on NBC's NFL studio crew. nt.

[davidinalameda]

11. remember that he got his start on ESPN

doing sports but his commentaries are on spot

[IndianaJones]

12. I know...its where he will end up too. nt.

[NotThisTime]

20. Honestly, I think her morals are such, she wouldn't stand to just report RW bias all the time

I doubt she'll hold much back in her show either...

[madfloridian]

6. I wrote and called them tonight. I said they were afraid of the right wing.

They are cowards.

[Wapsie B]

13. They're afraid that one of them might end up like Gwatney in Arkansas.

[Me.]

9. Won't Walk, Is My Guess

I bet he does his show and makes them pay him out. I would further guess that contractually, given the past, KO pretty much has the say of what he does on his show, so he'll do that and make them pay him for it. If he walks they can skip paying him his deal.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Probably not...

But it would be a damned interesting experiment in webcasting/podcasting if he did.

Be interesting to find out if the hottest name in cable news could pull MORE viewers be being off cable than by being on it.

[regnaD kciN]

15. Where would he walk to???

Fox?

CNN? With their recent rightward tilt, I doubt very much they'd be interested.

All I can see if he leaves MSNBC would be a radio slot on Air America or something. Possibly fun for those of us with AAR stations nearby, but nowhere near as much exposure.

[creeksneakers2]

17. Its corporate now

The Times said the top corporate guys went all the way to the RNC to eat worms. The fix is in.

Keith Olberman brings in what? John McCain is planning to build 45 nuclear power plants at a cost of $5 to $8 billion each. General Electric builds, supplies and makes the fuel for nuclear power plants. We are talking about in excess of $100 billion in sales.

Plus McCain will by Lord knows how many jet engines.

I watch NBC Nightly News and write complaints to their blog, which usually don't get posted. Nightly News has Kelly O'Donnell on almost nightly with reports from the McCain campaign. Her reports are nothing but McCain talking points with "the campaign plans to say" or "McCain will argue" inserted in between. There are also shots of every McCain rally with gushing praise. With all that happened today, Nightly News was able to show footage of McCain and Palin buying salsa at a campaign stop.

The Kelly O'Donnell portion was bad but Obama got a segment too. But his had Andrea Mitchell, who spent about as much time bashing Obama as she did reporting on him.

Now, NBC is letting Kelly O'Donnell both gush the McCain talking points and bash Obama. Its obvious what little they did to provide fair coverage has been stripped away.

If the Republicans want to get rid of Keith he's gone. Just like Dan Rather was.

[Doctor_J]

18. Why do you watch and then complain every night?

Do you not realize that your complaints just confirm that you're watching?

:crazy:

[creeksneakers2]

21. There's a chance somebody at NBC might read them

I've heard them talk about what's on the blog so they might. They claim they always do.

I watch NBC because the other networks are worse. Its not enough to know what's going on by reading the web. What matters is what people are being told. That creates reality. So I watch to find out. I consider my blog posting to be my little contribution to the Democratic effort. (That and what money I can afford) About 1,000 people a day read the blog. Some of my stuff runs.

[Teacher in SC]

24. This is just unbelievable!

I really think everyone should go back and read the post from the guy from Texas and get a little perspective on what is happening in this country. I hope this link works out, but if it doesn't I'll go to the original and copy it in.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6965402&mesg_id=6965402

[lxlxlxl]

19. he would be right to do it.

t.v. anchor's and journos get old and grey in front of your eyes because they are careerists, not because they are particularly good
journalists. they are just a part of that dumb word..."brand". They are lil Ronald McDonald without the clown makeup.

[Teacher in SC]

22. Where has all this come from? Is there substance to any of this?

Keith is my hero. I even have a bumper sticker that reads, "Thanks, Keith Olbermann". Have had it on there a long time, but never worried about retaliation because I knew there were likely less than 5 people in my little SC city who would know who he was! They ALL watch FOX. I was attracted to his reporting when he began to have the Special Comments and had the courage to take on George Bush and his administration. I have never seen such courage. Maybe Ron Suskind's book "The Price of Loyalty" would compare.

There is no substitute for Keith. He's the real deal. If the guys at the top are after him due to pressure from the RW, it just gives new life to the comment on another thread where the person referenced "They Thought They Were Free", a book on how the Nazis were able to rise to power in Germany. He was suggesting this is what is happening right now to us in this country.

What in the world would attract anyone to MSNBC without Keith? They run endless crime shows, inside jails, predators. Do they want to be known for that? He is their only class act.

[Diamonique]

23. It's been reported in the NY Times. Here's a link.

MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat

[Teacher in SC]

29. What exactly did these guys think Keith's job was?

We all watched precisely for his honest commentary and his extraordinary intellect. Is anyone else aware of another anchor who could quote from anything in history to correlate with a piece of news being discussed without a moment's hesitation? Obviously he is too smart for these people, and they just can't take the pressure from the RW to tone him down. We don't want "Keith Lite".

Why would they be so stupid as to have him cover the Republican Convention when he'd been known and loved for his discernment? What else would they have expected him to say when these gratuitous shots of 9/11 were being used to generate fear in the country once again? (I did not watch the Republican Convention because these people nauseate me.) I was told about this reaction from Keith.

[YvonneCa]

25. ABSOLUTELY right! "He is their only class act." And...

...welcome to DU. :)

[Johonny]

27. he seemed happy tonight doing football

he's not going any where

[Berry Cool]

28. This garbage they're doing to Keith is unbelievable.

And it's part of a campaign to get him off the air for good. Make no mistake about that.

Thank you, Rupert Murdoch and John McCain. :rant:

[grasswire]

30. to those who wonder where he would go

He could start by churning out a quick expose book and going on lecture circuit. He'd make some money.

He could run for office.

He could join Phil Donahue and Michael Moore in documentary film making.