Keith Olbermann's ratings plunged 44%

[apples and oranges]

We have to support him guys.

Ratings for Olbermann's Countdown have been soft recently, and the 8 p.m. shows on CNN and HLN have narrowed the gap. In the important demographic of adults 25 to 54 -- the group advertisers are looking to reach -- Countdown was down 44% year-over-year in January. It averaged 268,000 viewers in that demo, only 3,000 more than Nancy Grace's show on HLN, and 12,000 more than CNN's Campbell Brown. Fox News's O'Reilly Factor dominated the hour with 964,000 viewers age 25 to 54, and was the only cable news show in the time period to increase its audience, by 55%.

But there are also more subjective signs that Olbermann's stridency and lack of proportion are alienating some of his natural allies. Quite a few eyebrows elevated last week when Jon Stewart, in a parody of one of Olbermann's "Special Comment" segments, called out the newsman for going way over the top in his denunciations of Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts. The criticism was all the more remarkable, given that Stewart and Olbermann usually take the same side on most issues, especially when it comes to Fox News and the Republicans.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/is-america-getting-over-keith-olbermann/19337944

[spanone]

1. now isn't that special

[bullwinkle428]

2. So apparently that Daily Show comment went completely over the head

of this columnist!

[Bluzmann57]

3. Maybe he shouldn't take so much time off

For a while, he was hardly on his own show. It probably caused quite a number of people to tune out. Plus,a lot of the demographic the networks are looking for tuned into bowl games during December.

[CatWoman]

9. Keith's father is very sick

which accounts for his numerous absences.

[xultar]

24. Seriously? Boy, don't you feel silly.

[dem629]

37. Why should they feel silly?

Who keeps up with the Olbermann family's health issues?

Most people don't.

[Bluzmann57]

54. No not at all

People tune in to see Keith Olbermann, not Lawrence O'Donnell or whomever is replacing Olbermann.

[WCGreen]

60. O'Donnell has the charisma of a sack of flour....

He just doesn't pull it off for me...

[bdamomma]

64. O'Donnell is rather dull.

[blondeatlast]

4. Objective reporting at its finest.

Not Olbermann, whom I only occasionally watch, but this just-short-of-obvious-editorial piece.

[kentuck]

5. I think Keith has been away from the show a lot the last 2 or 3 months...

And there have been a lot of guest hosts. That may have something to do with it?

[Deep13]

14. yes. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. His father has been sick

[gleaner]

84. He has been off a lot ...

His mother died recently, and they were very close. He talked about it on his show. I didn't know that his father was sick, but even one parent is like being punched in the gut. Two parents require time to mend.

I rather like his style. He's funny, and I need funny. He understands that he is overboard, but I think it is an effect he is striving for. Like Walter Winchell for the right during his day. Only he wasn't trying to be funny. He was quite serious.

[devilgrrl]

6. Yawn!

:boring:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. Probably the same reason FOX is up

Cable news consumers want to be pissed off all the time.

It's more fun to be pissed off from the outside looking in.

When Olberman (and John Stewart) voted for Obama they were voting against career self-interest.

And when FOX promoted McCain they were promoting ratings suicide.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

8. And Foxnoise is still on most cable basic packages...

[havocmom]

128. BINGO

And being on Basic Cable Packages means being on in businesses all over the nation. One has heard that FOX has provided cable or tvs to many businesses with the agreement that tvs will be on FOX.

[blondeatlast]

10. Why do we have to support him? Did I miss a memo? nt

[apples and oranges]

13. So that MSNBC doesn't go the way of Air America?

Do you want all the media to be right wing again?

[blondeatlast]

16. You're kidding, right? What part of MS (Microsoft) and NBC (GE) passed you by? nt

[KharmaTrain]

17. There's No MS Money In MSNBC Any Longer...

They bailed almost 10 years ago. It's all GE money these days. And things could change if Comcast is able to take over NBC.

[Statistical]

25. Yeah Comcast that is a left leaning organization if I ever heard one.

So ownership passed from MS (right wing) + GE (righter wing) to GE (righter wing) to Comcast (WTF?).

[ourbluenation]

30. BECAUSE HE IS A VOICE FOR THE LEFT IN A SEA OF RIGHT WING TV NOISE!

duh.

If his ratings drop enough, he, and his voice, will be dropped from the airwaves. He is one of the very few, purely left wing talking heads.

[mzmolly]

53. Hear hear!

:hi:

[lumberjack_jeff]

61. YOU, SIR, ARE A SHRILL, STRIDENT... NAY, HYSTERICAL VOICE FOR THE LEFT!

Maybe his style carries a risk of overdose.

I was glad to see his response to Jon Stewart. I hope he dials it back a bit.

[AndyA]

11. Olbermann has always had the disadvantage, since MSNBC isn't carried

as a basic channel on many cable networks. Faux is.

When you deduct the people who don't pay extra for MSNBC, that's a big chunk of potential viewers right there.

Keith has been gone a lot due to his Father's ill health as well. He'll bounce back.

[johnaries]

15. That's true. If I could pay a little bit extra just to get MSNBC I would.

But I'm not doubling my bill just to get it along with a bunch of channels I don't care about. Well, actually, the only shows on MSNBC I care about are Keith and Rachel.

[Irishonly]

67. We don't have cable

I took it out over a year ago. I still watch Keith and Rachel on my computer as well as the Daily Show and Colbert.

[suffragette]

39. When I decided to reduce my package to limited cable

because of their eliminating expanded basic, the CS rep asked if I wanted Digital Economy instead. She started rattling off the channels on it, and sure enough Fox is on it, but MSNBC isn't. Told her I don't watch FOX, but might have gone with it if it had MSNBC.

Went with limited and between PBS and Netflix through ROKU am fine. The two main shows I miss are Keith and Rachel on live.

[Overseas]

88. How convenient for the right -- cable drops MSNBC and they say Keith's popularity is down.

Way to skew the news, fellas! Pretending it is because he's strident and not because a lot of his viewers can't afford to pay extra!

[Lisa0825]

122. I had to downgrade my service last year and no longer get MSNBC. :-( nt

[johnaries]

12. Did anyone catch Keith's response to Stewart?

He was humorous and played the entire Daily Show segment. He acted like he was going to "blast" Stewart and then admitted that Jon was right - he had been "over the top", apologized, and begged Jon to invite him on.

I thought it was pretty classy.

[lonestarnot]

19. Keith is a class act if you're into class.

[grasswire]

18. welcome to DU

I wouldn't worry too much.

Daily Finance is merely a blog owned by AOL. The writer of the story is a youngster. The spin is thick.

[optimator]

20. MSNBC should have news

instead of 5 hours straight of editorial/opinion during prime time.
I don't watch Olberman or Maddow because its like listening to myself.
I want NEWS.

[Towlie]

21. Yes, MSNBC is on our side, but they really don't deserve much respect as a news station.

If you set political leanings aside, and you disqualify Fox News as not really a news station and totally unworthy of consideration, MSNBC doesn't really rank very high among television news stations.

Far too often they appear to get their material directly from the Internet, which means that we already know about those stories because we saw them the day before on Digg or Reddit. Also, there are the weekends, where most of the times you tune them in you see jail bars. All they seem to show on Saturday and Sunday are prerecorded programs about life in prison, or if not that, shows about riding around in cop cars and watching cops in action. Apparently their entire staff, except for the one guy who plays the jail and cop videos, takes weekends off. Do they think nothing newsworthy ever happens on weekends?

Contrast that with CNN, which reports current news on Saturday and Sunday, and has reporters and camera crews on the scene around the world, actually gathering and recording the stories that they present.

We can help as viewers by supporting anchors like Ed, Tweety, Keith, and Rachel, but what they really need is a better news-gathering organization behind them that takes their task seriously.

[kjackson227]

22. I watch Keith EVERY night, but I have to admit...

I do switch over periodically to see what Nancy Grace and Campbell Brown are showing. Grace has tabloid fodder that attracts me, and sometimes Brown has good guests (even though I can't stand her as host). Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this happens when there are two moderate to liberal news organizations siphoning and sharing viewers from each other.

[Berry Cool]

26. Yeah, like this article is sooooo unbiased...not.

The title is "Is America Getting Over Keith Olbermann?" and the web page is titled "Is Keith Olbermann's Shtick Getting Stale?"

Obviously, that's what the author wants you to believe.

He quotes "Olbermann's stridency and lack of proportion" and "overheated rhetoric" as fact. He also says that "Joe Scarborough, MSNBC's house conservative...called his fellow host's attack on Brown 'reckless' and 'sad.' The exchange (and a few earlier, similar incidents) inspired network president Phil Griffin to issue a stern memo admonishing his charges: 'We do not publicly criticize our colleagues. This kind of behavior is unprofessional and will not be tolerated.'"

"Admonishing his chargeS"???? No, Griffin didn't admonish his "chargeS" (both Olbermann and Scarborough), he admonished SCARBOROUGH--for publicly criticizing KO. Period!

Apparently Keith knows and follows the rules about not publicly criticizing his colleagues--and Joey Scar does not.

I remember when Don Imus got into trouble and KO was still doing Dan Patrick's radio show with him, and he was oh-so-careful not to say anything about the situation or his opinion of it that might go over the line, until Imus was finally fired. THEN he talked a lot more about the situation...but it was only after the firing.

This is once again a case of the vultures flocking over KO's head to start circling the second it looks as if he's had a ratings drop--hoping that merely by doing so, they can hasten his demise.

No sale.

[Sebastian Doyle]

27. Probably has to do with all the Comcast markets that have cut off MSNBC from their subscribers

and that was before they bought the network. I'd still watch Keith & Rachel if I had the channel. Not so sure about Tweety or Ed though.

[Cetacea]

29. Excellent point!

[Fla Dem]

36. I have Comcast, but had to go to their digital tier to get MSNBC.

Fox and CNN are in their standard package. This has always been the little fact that is never disclosed when the ratings are compared. I'm hoping that now Comcast has a 51% interest in NBC it will make sure MSNBC is one of its standard tiers channels and drop Fox to an upper tier package.

[quiller4]

40. I have the cheapest digital Comcast package and that includes

MSNBC in my market. The competing cable company CLICK! also has MSNBC is ints basic pack.

[lse7581011]

137. My Thoughts Exactly!

if we want to see it we have to pay extra for it!

[dem629]

28. I helped that number plunge.

Cable TV babbling heads are nothing more than sensationalistic news-readers who engage in spats with their competitors. Fox is a mouthpiece for the right, MSNBC for the left, and anyone who watches either is simply going there to have their views reinforced.

The great news is that, according to the ratings, only 1.6% of the population watches that crap on any of those channels.

I'm glad to now be in the 98.4% who don't watch cable "news" shows.

[kctim]

51. Finally, a voice of truth and reason.

[Uzybone]

58. +1000000

[The Gunslinger]

65. MSNBC is not a "mouthpiece for the left"

When people are saying that, they are doing the right wing MSM's work for them. Three shows does not make a network left. Also, Morning Joe is on three hours a day and he is a republican. they have both sides. What liberal show does fox news have...........None. I even hear liberal talk show hosts like Stephanie Miller say..."Well they have fox and we have MSNBC." Bullshit!! I wish the left had a 24 hour on basic cable propaganda machine to counter Fox.

[dem629]

72. Riiiiight. It's just a coincidence that liberals who like cable talk like MSNBC.

Just like it's a coincidence that cons who like cable talk like Fox.

Sure.

Seriously, you can't watch their prime-time shows and figure out who they're pandering to? Hmmm.

[The Gunslinger]

86. sigh

I've had the same argument many teabaggers. Fox does not have the equivalent of Joe Scarboro or Cris Matthews. MSNBC is not an arm of the Democratic party. Keep their talking points alive.....

[dem629]

119. Highest rated shows at night.

When you tune in at night, are you watching conservatives?

Just askin'....

[Berry Cool]

96. And the morning panders to conservatives.

So?

At least the evening shows use facts.

[dem629]

120. The ratings are at night. That's when they put on their bread and butter shows.

"Facts" on the babble-head shows are the ones they choose that fit their agenda, and their viewers' agenda.

That goes for the Fox shows and the MSNBC shows.

If someone thinks either is objectively analyzing agreed-upon facts, they're just kidding themselves.

[Brickbat]

69. Is that 1.6 percent for real?

Because if it is, my faith in humanity has been restored a little bit. Whew.

[dem629]

73. Yes.

By the actual numbers, the ratings show that a total of around 5 million Americans watch those shows.

[rcrush]

94. Same here

I miss the days when the guy on TV would just report news. In a boring monotone voice with no crazed yelling or opinions.


The only time I want the news guy to be funny or opinionated is when I watch The Daily Show online!

[cowman]

132. I watch

MSNBC and Fox to get both sides and then I figure that somewhere in the middle is the truth

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

134. And you'd be wrong.

[cowman]

136. Wrong according

to who? You?
well I have my own opinion and it works for me so i think i will stick to it but you are free to disagree with me which makes this site great. BTW i mean no disrespect to you

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

142. Truth is (almost) NEVER in the middle.

:hi:

[Berry Cool]

95. Well, aren't YOU precious.

We all bow to your intellectual superiority. :rofl:

[dem629]

121. Thanks.

Guess I hit a nerve.

[branders seine]

31. truth is not marketable

in America

[w8liftinglady]

32. my cable co(Charter) doesn't carry MSNBC

[lpbk2713]

33. Nice concern post.

:eyes:

[SOS]

34. In reality, Olbermann has returned to pre-election levels

http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/2010.01.31-8pm-P2+-590x455.png

He gets a million a night in a non-election period.
Doubles during election.

Does anyone recall any doomsday reporting when O'Reilly lost one million viewers between 11/08 and 1/09?

[Jennicut]

35. Exactly. No one can maintain the election levels.

Plus, Comcast cut tons of people off, being the assholes that they are. I don't even get MSNBC anymore. :(

[bvar22]

38. Keith is getting squeezed.

Rachael following, Big Ed on at 5.
We have stopped watching Keith...not because we don't like him, but because my wife and I made a deal to bring other things into our lives to replace some of the 24 hr/day "outrage" we lived in under Bush the Lesser.

If not for Rachael and Big Ed, Keith would still be our MSNBC Left Leaning News/Commentary "Fix"....
Now, not so much.

[newspeak]

41. the whole family watches KO and Rachel every night

we pay extra on our cable just to get KO--my FIL loves him!!!! If they take off KO-we'll be saving money because we'd cancel the extra package.

I still don't understand how viewers in the one poll TRUST faux news. After putting a (D) after Foley's name about three times, then putting a (D) on Craig's name and I think they did it once with McCain, when they were bad mouthing him. It seems at Faux, if they're going to badmouth a politician, especially if it's a repuke, just put a (D) behind the name. And how many of their followers realize they won a case, basically, stating that faux can lie to them? Yet, the totally clueless trust Faux? So, can you fool most of the people most of the time?

[Zomby Woof]

42. His popularity went to his head

His ego, which was quite large even when he was a sportscaster here in L.A. many years ago, has gotten even more massive as 'Countdown' grew in popularity. He has become overbearing, pompous, and yes, strident. People watch him for the same reason the dittoheads listen to Rush or imbeciles watch Fox News: they want their prejudices and biases validated and echoed. An ideological echo-chamber is an ideological echo chamber, whether left or right. It ceases to be news - as we all know from years of exposing the fraudulency of Fox, et al.

[crazyjoe]

44. +1 on the overbearing and pompus !!!

[Berry Cool]

99. Oh, here we go again.

Some of us like and enjoy Keith and his ego. We don't agree with you at all and we don't watch him for the same reasons dittoheads and imbeciles do what they do. We watch him for facts and for news and, yes, for entertainment.

The difference is, we can do it without acting as if we're somehow intellectually superior to other people because we do, unlike some people who like to act as if they're intellectually superior to us because they don't.

[blueworld]

43. I've always liked KO BUT...

I'm one of those who got tired of his windbag pontificating. He's an intelligent, insightful & courageous pundit, but I do frankly think he's gotten too full of himself over the last few months. I felt like I was watching him turn into a progressive version of Glenn Beck. Keith is too good for that.

So, if he grounds himself in a little reality & doesn't take himself so seriously, I'll be glad to support him.

[Dappleganger]

45. Rachel makes me think, Keith makes me angry.

He does embody a lot of our current angst, but for the long haul I'm going to continue watching Rachel because it's important for me to learn something new. I still watch him about once a week, however.

[LatteLibertine]

46. If KO and Rachel

get down to one viewer, I'll be that guy.

[dem629]

75. Give it time....

Maybe a year.

[Eric Condon]

83. You'd like that, wouldn't you?

It's the same as with Michael Moore. People can disagree with some of their methods, but I really don't understand WHY some liberals feel compelled to crap all over the few voices they have in the media. What good does it do? Who benefits? (Other than the right, of course, since divide and conquer has worked for them for years.)

[Berry Cool]

100. The motivation is easy to understand.

They need to believe they're the smartest people in the room, and one easy way to do it is to eschew all forms of "teevee." Well, la-di-dah.

[dem629]

127. Not all forms on TV.

In fact, you responded to another post in which I said Anderson Cooper offered the most objective and fair news on cable.

So, wrong again.

[dem629]

126. If propagandists were off the air?

Yeah, I would.

I don't want them forced off the air or anything, though.

I guess that 1.6% of the population (total number of viewers of night-time cable-talk viewers) thinks they're getting informed by Hannity, Rachel, Greta and Keith, well, no one's stopping them.

[ginnyinWI]

130. this is how I look at it:

For an appetizer I watch NBC Nightly news. Then PBS Newshour is my meal, and Keith or Rachael or Jon Stewart is my dessert. :)

[Eric Condon]

143. The fact that you're willing to lump Keith and Rachel in with HANNITY says more about you than them.

They're the same, just like Bush and Gore were the same, right?

[Zywiec]

90. LOL

:rofl:

[Desertrose]

47. Ever since DST went off...its right at supper hour here.

So when everyone else in the US goes back on DST I'll be able to actually watch Keith.

AZ...we never change our clocks...we just try to adjust to everyone else doing it.;)

[bluestateguy]

48. I am down to watching him once a week on average now

I hear enough Obama bashing on this board every day. I don't need to see it on MSNBC.

[Cleita]

49. About the Daily Show take down of KO, Keith agreed with JS and apologized to him.

I guess the article in your OP neglected to mention that. Talk about fair and balanced but I guess you can't expect anything but biased reporting from finance reporter, who probably is a card holding Republican or Libertarian just to keep his job. I wonder where he got that 44% figure from anyway. He seems to neglect to mention that as well.

[Berry Cool]

101. KO mentioned on his show tonight that the columnist's Web site is a conservative one.

As if we couldn't guess! He then proceeded to rip apart the stats given on his ratings as having been false.

[Freddie Stubbs]

50. And Limbaugh's ratings are probably up

Limbaugh had high ratings when Clinton was in office, but those declined after Bush was elected.

Olbermann did well due to anger toward Bush. Now that Bush is gone the left isn't as riled up as it was two years ago. A Republican in the White House in 2013 would be the best thing for Olbermann's ratings.

[AngryOldDem]

52. It's the same old, same old with him.

Bash Rush. Bash Glenn Beck. Bash the stoopid-GOPer-du-jour. Rehash the same issues night after night after night after... with the same panel. It's become a classic circle jerk.

I still tune in, but not religiously, because I've heard it all before. But I do prefer his commentary after events such as the SOTU.

[Berry Cool]

102. If you don't watch it all the time, you don't know it's the same old same old.

You can't possibly know.

[mzmolly]

55. MSNBC attributes the drop to Haiti taking over the news cycle

for a while. KO is more popular when domestic issues are highlighted.

[Mopar151]

71. OK, my wife is a contrarian, maybe I'm just wacked

My wife will not watch political news - she has a hearing loss which makes following the talking heads difficult. Also, she is a recovering Catholic, and much of the political news makes her angry and upset, which does'nt go well with Fibromialgia.
We've aided a Haitian family before, so we watched the coverage, largely with Kieth and Rachel, "The news for grown-ups". They both have much to reccomend them as newsreaders - Their diction and elocution is excellent, and they both go for reporting in depth rather than hyperbole. We would both, I think, like to see a national news segment within the shows - maybe a govt./corporate waste & corruption slant for one, an enviromental slant for the other.

[Mudoria]

56. I like Keith, always have

That said, I rarely watch anymore unless I know one of his "Special Comments" are on the way. Keith's shows have turned into the "Yes, Keith I fully agree with you" type of guests. That's OK on occasion but after awhile it just gets old. I'd much rather watch Rachel or Ed and see them get into it with people of opposing viewpoints and lay the smack down on them. In my mind you learn a lot more and keep yourself better informed in seeing the discussions from all viewpoints even with the ones you disagree with.

[dem629]

77. Regarding the issue of guests, Olbermann is a lot like Limbaugh.

Neither will have guests who disagree with them.

It's a sign of weakness.

[Berry Cool]

103. False equivalency.

KO like Rush???? Don't get me started...

[dem629]

124. How so?

They are the only two mouthpieces that won't have guests on who disagree with them.

That's cowardice and proves that if they had to face opposition on the air, they'd fall flat on their faces.

[JI7]

57. CNN ratings went up because they had better reporting on the Haiti Earthquake

[bdamomma]

66. Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta very good team there.

[JI7]

70. yeah, but they suck at reporting national politics and CNN will go down

when they start focusing on that again. it's probably already started.

[marmar]

59. Daily Finance.com? I'm sure there's no agenda attached to this piece of.....journalism.

nt

[AngryAmish]

62. I blame Bush.

[bdamomma]

63. I always watch Keith and Rachel, I can go without Matthews,

but Keith and Rachel need our support.

[Vinca]

68. I never miss Countdown, but I have to admit I'm not terribly fond of his new segments

of mini comments. I think there's a fine line between commenting and being preachy.

[LTR]

74. This article is horseshit

First, it compares January 2009 to January 2010. A year ago was the inauguration, which was heavily political. This January, the big news story was Haiti, in which political shows mostly took a backseat. The writer is essentially comparing apples and oranges.

[proud patriot]

76. I watch Keith every night

[laureloak]

78. Sorry, I want an unbiased news program.

Sick of slants and angles. Sick of being manipulated by the media. I've always liked Keith but I'm weary of rants that accomplish nothing.

Here's an idea for the next big talk show: Discuss political issues like adults - no games - no debates - just discuss problems and explore solutions. Make me feel good for my country when I watch it.

[dem629]

81. Anderson Cooper's show is the closest you'll get to that on cable talk.

[Berry Cool]

104. Are you kidding?

I watch Keith for the truth. Thing is, the truth has that liberal bias.

[dem629]

123. No.

Keith's followers are just like Limbaugh's followers, in that they both believe they're getting the truth, yet they never stop to wonder why, if their preferred host/propagandist has the truth, why are both afraid to face guests with whom they disagree?

Limbaugh and Olbermann host echo-chamber shows.

If that makes you feel secure, as if you are receiving the unvarnished truth, so be it.

[ginnyinWI]

131. That show already exists on PBS.

The Newshour is adult with no games, no shtick, no funny hats. They have serious people on and talk for ten minutes at a time. Sometimes that is too long for me on certain topics, but that is what the fast forward button is for (DVR's are heaven-sent).

Jim Lehrer, in particular, usually asks exactly the questions I would like to ask. And the others are good, too.

Then I go and watch something on cable, but I don't use it as my main news.

[inna]

79. Wow, that's crazy! O'Lielly gets three times as many viewers, and he doubled the # of viewers within

the last year??? :wtf:

It makes no intuitive sense whatsoever.

I thought KO was growing, not shrinking.

I personally like him as much as ever.

[LaydeeBug]

106. consider the source. Not the OP, but the SOURCE of the ratings? This is bs. nt

[goldcanyonaz]

80. I don't watch him or any other opinion "news" shows. I can't stand them.

I like to form my own opinion and got sick of watching the 24/7 bullshit the cable channels were peddling.

My life is much better without watching too.

[dem629]

82. Exactly, life is much better without them. It's really interesting, though to tune in after

a few weeks or months and hear what they're complaining about on these shows.

It's something that they present as some end-of-the-world issue, but you realize you've been living your life quite the same, the only difference is you weren't walking around stressed out about something these hosts tell you to worry about. So, in other words, their "crises" are manufactured for TV.

It's tabloid. All inflated for sensationalism. Pure crap.

[B Calm]

85. Oh yeah, just manufactured sensationalism. Like that Supreme Court decision

last week. . .

sarcasm. . .

[dem629]

135. Good thing you put the "sarcasm" word in there.

None of us would have ever gotten it!

(This is where some people might put the word "sarcasm" whereas some will let it speak for itself.)

Anyway, did you really get fumed over that court decision? I didn't. I read about it, figured it will be like any other political issue: A minority on each side will rant and rave about it (in favor or in opposition) and sooner or later another bill will be passed in Congress or there will be another court case (as there almost always are) that changes it, to one degree or another. So why let it affect my ability to enjoy my daily life and the things that really matter?

People who are in favor of that ruling felt just the way you feel before they got "their" ruling. They ranted and raved about "free speech" and declared McCain/Feingold to be the end of it....but it wasn't. So why did they waste all that time and emotional energy fretting over it?

The pendulum swings again. Let yourself off the hook.

Seriously, do you realize how many of these "outrageous" (as defined by the right or left talkers) issues there are, and how little they really affect your life?

Yawn.

And THAT is just for that one issue. Shall we discuss the "outrage" over a word someone said? Eeek! Or how about some obscure bill proposed by a state senator from a state that has one US congressman? OMG! Look what HE wants! Outrage!

It's stuff like that which gets people worked up in a lather. I see it on those shows. Then I see it here in threads. And almost as quickly as the issue arises, it disappears to make room for The Next Major Outrageous Story!

[B Calm]

140. Did you know you put a lobster into cold water and gradually turn up the heat

until it is boiling, the lobster adapts to the change in temperature and will be boiled alive without trying to escape.

NO SARACASM THIS TIME! Hopefully you'll get it!

[Berry Cool]

105. It isn't all bullshit, and some people are perfectly capable of forming their own opinions

and watching these programs, too. Some of them, anyway.

[Raine]

87. CNN has done a great job with the earthquake in Haiti

I think that has hurt MSNBC along with nothing but "doc-block" (yuck) on the weekends.. I watch KO everyday but I wish he would cover some different issues like the environment etc.

[HipChick]

89. I DVR almost everything...how they include that in ratings..

[Confusious]

91. They don't

That's why a lot of those rating are bull. They also don't take into account the internet. I have no cable, so I watch all the clips online. That's the breaks for being smart and using a DVR or being online, they don't count you.

[inna]

109. excellent point. nt

[Garbo 2004]

116. "Nielsen to combine TV, online ratings"

There are caveats based on how the content providers currently present the material (has to do with the commercials used online vs commercials on live broadcast), as noted in the article, but it's something they want to do. Right now limited to Comcast's new online service. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118014214.html?categoryid=1275&cs=1

[DiverDave]

93. I DVR his and Rachels shows

every night.
Getting up at 3am I cant stay up that late.

[Garbo 2004]

115. "Nielsen Includes DVR TV Ratings"

Published: December 22, 2005
Nielsen Includes DVR TV Ratings
By Roger Park


Nielsen Media Research announced that it will provide national TV audience estimates that include viewing from Digital Video Recorders (DVRs).

All programs will now receive three separate ratings: Live Ratings, Live+Same Day (SD) Ratings and Live+7 Day Ratings.

"The good news is that DVR households have not been heretofore included in the Nielsen sample and now they will be. This should improve the overall ratings reliability," says Dave Smith, president, Mediasmith, and iMedia contributor.

Nielsen says that the first national overnight ratings reflecting timeshifted viewing will be available on December 28, 2005.

(Full article at http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/7652.asp )

[RamboLiberal]

92. Reasons why KO was down in January from a year ago

1 - Haiti Earthquake dominated coverage for a week+. While MSNBC after the first night of the quake did great work covering, people tend to go to CNN for news over MSNBC.

2 - Last year January was a big political month with the waning days of the Bush Admin & Obama Admin taking the office. Hence great ratings last January.

But one big criticism of KO's show I have is that it is getting stale. I'm getting tired of seeing the same analysts night after night. He needs to get some fresh faces on and not necessarily in the analyst/news positions. And I know he doesn't like to have the opposition on, but take a clue from Obama Keith - it would be great to occasionally see your superior intellect skewer these cretins in person.

Rachel IMHO is doing a better job of at least interviewing different people and covering other angles of stories.

[Berry Cool]

107. I've actually seen some different faces on.

But what do I know? I only watch his show, is all. It's so much easier to critcize when you've never seen it, or don't watch it anymore because you "know" what it's all about and you don't like it.

[RamboLiberal]

138. I watch his show every night

And if I don't get a chance to watch I bring the DVD down to my office and listen while I work.

I like the new short 2 comments nearly every night - but it's still my opinion he has too much of the same analysts on every night.

You gotta keep things fresh in broadcasting.

One compliment I have of both KO and Rachel is they are not afraid to rip Obama and Dems when they deserve it. They don't walk in lockstep like Faux Snooze.

I get a little ticked at DU'ers who don't watch & criticize as well. I remember 9 years ago when it was a wildnerness and there were almost no liberal/progressive political leaning shows.

[dem629]

129. Agreed. Rachel does a better job.

But she's still as biased to the left as Hannity is to the right. At least those two have the courage to face opposing views on the air.

Olbermann's guest list gets old: Howard Fineman, Gene Robinson, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jonathan Alter, Margaret Carlson, Chris Hayes, blah blah blah.

Why even have segments? Just have the same people every night (as it is) sit around a table for an hour and pose the question: What does everyone think about what happened in the last 24 hours? Go!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[lonestarnot]

97. Well I watch him every night and could give a fuck about this lie about his ratings.

Glad to see this with too many unrecs to make a difference. :D

[slipslidingaway]

98. Stopped watching him during the primaries. n/t

[marshall]

108. Olbermann doesn't give a damn about ratings

He wants to give his opinion to those who want to listen.

[bridgit]

110. O'Reilly says, "You're a pin-head! Get off my show!" KO has yet to say, "Harrumph!!" once...

Even if that may be the only other interpretation to a matrix of media styling and political allegory that have been getting longer and longer, more strident, wordier and wordier so as to constitute bombast for over a year now

[EmeraldCityGrl]

111. I'm a loyal watcher but,

I really got sick of listening to Olbermann mimic O'Reilly in that squeaky cartoon voice. It grated on my nerves and
there were times the segments were so long I would be better off to just turn on O'Reilly (not that I would). But what is
worse than watching FOX is listening to a bad imitation.

[Maru Kitteh]

112. KO is a joke - a cartoon of the left the way Hannity is a cartoon of the right.

I don't need a carnival barker to tell me what to be outraged about. Just deliver the news please, I can take it from there.

[FreedomRain]

113. I love Keith, but ..

the production is so painful to listen to. So many commercials, teasers, repetitions, silly "entertainment news." It's hard to take. I could edit that show to 7 minutes and it would be the best thing on TV.

[sfpcjock]

114. ...and this is incorrect

According to tonights show his ratings are up 10%.

[onehandle]

117. I watch every show. Nobody asks me. Who are they measuring? I've never been approached! nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

118. Nielson Families

[WI_DEM]

125. KO has to decide what he wants more--during football season he misses too much "Countdown"

he should pick one or the other. He also needs to vary his guests more. He often has the same people on night after night.

[Kingofalldems]

133. Freepers hate him-- he's too much of a Democrat

He regularly calls out Joe Lieberman--must be why Lieberman fans hate him so much. :shrug:

[BennyD]

139. Fox News is kicking everyones butt in ratings. What is wrong with this country??

Cable News Ratings for Monday, February 1
Posted on 02 February 2010 by Bill Gorman

Live + Same Day Cable News Daily Ratings for February 1, 2010

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 1,499,000 viewers (Fox News has 3x the number of viewers as their closest rival! Unbelievable!)
CNN – 465,000 viewers
MSNBC –362,000 viewers
CNBC – 225,000 viewers
HLN –347,000 viewers

[LatteLibertine]

141. Couldn't care less about ratings

as long as they have enough to stay on the air so I may watch them :)

There are pop stars out there who sell ungodly amounts of CDs and that doesn't mean I'm going to jump on their bandwagon either if I don't like the music.

I'm sure we've all encountered very popular shows we didn't like a bit.