NBC: Olbermann isn't going anywhere,"If you get ratings, there's no issue"

[sabra]

http://www.madison.com/tct/entertainment/index.php?ntid=102483&ntpid=1

<snip>

NBC News senior vice president Phil Griffin disputed interpretations that politics doomed former host Phil Donahue, who was fired, and that eventually Olbermann will have the same fate. While MSNBC could be faulted for giving up on Donahue too fast, the show never caught its rhythm and was extremely expensive, he said.

"People try to ascribe motives to us, that somehow we're trying to keep liberals off the air and it's all about ideology," said Griffin. "If you get ratings, there's no issue."

Early in his second tenure at MSNBC, Olbermann said he wanted to do a segment on whether some of the more heroic elements of former POW Jessica Lynch's rescue were exaggerated. He was told by NBC News executives that he had to balance it with a commentary by conservative radio host Michael Savage, and he refused. He was prepared to walk, he said, but it never came to that.

...

As for his hero worship on the left, Olbermann said, "I'd love to say it's totally irrelevant. I'd say it's 99 percent irrelevant."

More important to him was when he was approached by a Republican media operative on Sept. 11, who complimented him on the commentaries despite utterly disagreeing with them.

"The purpose of this is to get people to think and supply the marketplace of ideas with something at every fruit stand, something of every variety," he said. "As an industry, only half the fruit stand has been open the last four years."

[Ian David]

1. Tell that to Phil Donahue

Phil Donahue on his 2003 MSNBC firing: "We had to have two conservatives on for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals."



On the October 28 edition of FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, veteran talk show host Phil Donahue remarked on being fired from MSNBC in February 2003. As The New York Times reported at the time, when Donahue's MSNBC show, Donahue, was cancelled, "he was actually attracting more viewers than any other show on MSNBC."

SEAN HANNITY (co-host): What happened at MSNBC?

DONAHUE: Well, we were the only antiwar voice that had a show, and that, I think, made them very nervous. I mean, from the top down, they were just terrified. We had to have two conservatives on for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals.

HANNITY: You have the force of two liberals.

DONAHUE: I mean, you know, it's a shame, you know? Now, we were replaced by Michael Savage, and now they have Chuck Scarborough. And by the way, I wish them all well. A lot of the people who worked for me, incidentally, a wonderful crowd of very young, bright people who worked for me, some of whom have now matriculated to other programs on MSNBC. So I want them to do well, but I certainly wasn't -- it was a very, very unhappy time for me.

More:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200410290004


(Yes, I know... that's a picture of Leslie Nielsen. Heh heh).

[Human Torch]

4. Hey Look! It's Enrico Pallazzo!

:evilgrin:

"And the rockets' red glare...lots of bombs in the air...gave proof to the night, that we still had a flag...Oh say, does that spangled banner wave, over all that is free...In the home of the land, and the land of the free..."

:toast:

[confludemocrat]

13. Goofy dude, Phil calls Joe Scarborough "Chuck Scarborough"

and his show was expensive to produce? From what i can see, reading this kind of stuff you hang your head in shame at the liars and nincompoops who make up television now: the MSNBC exec is a liar, Phil can't keep anyone straight and he is giving an interview to Sean Hannity, a boring, twisted disgrace.

[kskiska]

25. Understandable mistake

Another NBC guy.

[Warpy]

2. They dumped Donohue DESPITE high ratings

and they can't say the show was expensive, either. Talking head shows are the cheapest format out there, especially with a host who'd been out of work for a decade or more.

They axed Donohue because he asked too many uncomfortable questions of sacred GOP cows. Olberman is equally vulnerable. He can have the highest ratings in the country, and a call from some flunky in the White House or Congress will get him canceled.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. K&R. This has been my concern the more Keith speaks out.

Look what happened to Greg Palast, targeted by Homeland Security, even though he does not have a national audience, like Olbermann...:scared:

I remember when MSNBC suddenly dumped Donahue. Notice the date: February 2003. "Shock and Awe" was only days away and it's always been my impression that they couldn't continue to have Phil raising questions about the Iraq war on the air... :-(

[Buzz Clik]

6. I find it absolutely amazing that anyone watched Donohue.

He was shrill and closed minded. Despite sharing his basic views, I found him intolerable.

[Cha]

20. "Closed minded" about going

to War On Iraq? GOOD!

[butterfly77]

32. His show was good...

informative, and they fired him because he was telling the truth about Dumbya and the war... He was closed minded I guess if you worship Dumbya...

[Bake]

5. The difference between Donahue and KO

The difference is simple: when Donahue got the axe, the Pukes were much more popular than they are now. It was not acceptable to criticize the Pukes ("watch what you say ..."). Now, though, it's fair game to criticize BushCo and the Pukes.

As long as KO's ratings are growing he'll be safe. On the air, at least. I wouldn't fly in any small planes if I were him though.

Bake

[Buzz Clik]

8. You make an important point, but there's more.

Donohue was running on pure emotion -- shout downs, intimidation, argumentation. Olberman is more entertaining, more diverse in his presentation, and one helluva lot more thought provoking. KO's commentaries are worthy of awe. Olberman would have navigated those dangerous waters much more successfully.

[roguevalley]

10. I couldn't watch Donahue. I wanted to but I couldn't.

[butterfly77]

33. Truthtelling,welcoming ,he had the guts to stand up...

and tell the truth without backing down and you just don't like him...

[librechik]

7. what liars--ratings, it's the prez's poll numbers that allow

KO to keep on keepin on-- (altho it helps that Keith's #s are good, I'm sure!)

[maseman]

9. You are joking right?`

Not about the ratings? Tell that to the ad agencies that spend billions on advertising. I work in the ratings and ad business. It is 100% about ratings. Ratings generate revenue. Revenue generates high stocks. Higher stocks generate happy and more more stockholders. More stockholders means solid bonuses for top executives.

It is ALL about ratings and revenue performance. Just because Donahue was getting ratings higher then anyone else on MSNBC doesn't mean anything. If 20 shows had 0.1 ratings then one show with a 0.2 rating doesn't mean much. If they were paying Donahue 10 times more then anyone else on the network including producing the show, then that 0.2 rating didn't nearly make up what they were losing to overhead.

My guess is that Olberman's show is fairly low cost. There really isn't much to it besides himself. My guess is he writes most of his commentary. His ratings are much higher then anything else on MSNBC. It is making money and they like that.

[librechik]

27. if it were REALLY about ratings, then Donahue would still be on the air

and Tucker and Glenn Beck and Scarborough would all be looking for radio jobs. Donahue's show was shoestring also, and execs are caught on record admitting it was his lack of support for the war that got him canned.

Don't believe their bullshit. Politics is important too, esp. when you are running at a loss anyway, as the news dept for an entertainment company.

I used to believe the line about liberal shows not being profitable, so that was why you never see any. I just don't believe it anymore. Too much evidence to the contrary.

[patricia92243]

28. I believe it was KO that said "they don't care what you say as long as the

ratings are high."

I love Donahue as a person, but his show was boring. The format of mainly talking to the audience doesn't always work. KO does not even have guests. His talking is HIM. Big difference in format.

[cui bono]

11. You guys all miss the crucial point of this story...

KO said we're 99% irrelevant. :(

;)

[LaurenG]

12. Look at it this way

1 of every 100 of us are relevant and you could be the one.

[cui bono]

30. Sweet! I think I'll believe that, it'll help me make it through the day.

I'm glad someone "got" my post. :)

[Rosemary2205]

15. Hero worshippers SHOULD be irrelevant.

KO is a human being. He's not a HERO. He does the job the knows how to do, does it well and I deeply appreciate that in a world where sloth seems to be the norm for reporting. But a HERO? I don't think so.

[Ryano42]

16. He knows...and appreciates

I assure you. He has to appear "above the fray".

The groundswell of support (and ratings ;)) after his first "Special Comment" has surely brought on many more...and if anything emboldened him.

And rating are CASH...lucky for him he doesn't have a single sponsor like Murrow had with Alcoa!

Oh Keith... :patriot:

[hvn_nbr_2]

17. Well, he didn't say we're irrelevant.

He said the hero worship is irrelevant. I took it to mean, "I'm a journalist and will continue to do journalism, whether they love me or hate me for it."

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Very Good!

You are 100% correct. He basically was saying that he doesn't do what he does in order to be worshipped. He does it because that's what he does. And, he is right: Unless one is among the lunatic right demagogues, who base entire careers around megaphoning to the choir, being worshipped shouldn't be the point.
The Professor

[gkhouston]

24. exactly. 'sides, hero worship is probably wearing on the nerves

and maybe even a little creepy. I'll let you know just as soon as my cape arrives. ;-)

[Hugin]

26. That's how I understood what he said as well...

The Journalists I respect are those who earn my viewership every day.

I think that is what KO is saying here as well.

It's the old story of marriage... Impressing people for one day isn't so
special, impressing them for a lifetime is.

[cui bono]

29. okay, clearly you guys missed the little winky dink. lol...

[Cha]

22. I read that wrong the first time..

I thought it was 99% that we were Relevant..ooops.

I'd say we were at least 50% relevant whether anyone cares to acknowledge or not.

Edit~ Okay..I get it! "Hero worship is 99% irrelevant"..:) Good one KO.

[mcscajun]

31. We're irrelevant, but not unimportant.

Keith doesn't do what he does to preach to the choir. It's the rest of America he's trying to reach. Don't feel bad (I know you don't really) that we're just the choir. We sing pretty well most days. :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. Yeah, that saddened me, unless Keith accts for the 1% and the rest is

from NBC higher-ups.

[Hugin]

14. Phil Donahue was canceled because there was a war scheduled in two weeks.

Anybody who says otherwise... Is lying.

[Cha]

18. THen what happened to Phil Donahue..

leading up to big WAR ON IRAQ..says a fan?

I understand Phil's ratings were UP.

[Cha]

19. A world Better than having "idol worship"

from the right..:)

[MagickMuffin]

21. Keith is squeezing the Truth Out of Mad king Boy George

and his MisAdministration Court Jesters...