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That sound you just heard was millions of Americans saying “WHAT?!?”
Keith Olbermann just signed off MSNBC for good — and already folks are wondering if Comcast is behind this.
From the Guardian.co.uk: Keith Olbermann abruptly fired by NBC
Keith Olbermann, the controversial MSNBC cable news host, has his contract abruptly terminated by parent company NBC
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.
[...]
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.
From Business Insider: So Why Did MSNBC Just Dump Keith Olbermann? Hint: COMCAST
Why now?
Bill Carter reports at the NYT that Olbermann “came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down.”“Late this week” suggests yesterday or today.
[...]
Next question: Is Comcast cleaning house? And if so, will Olbermann enabler MSNBC president Phil Griffin be next? And if so who will replace him?
What do you think?
202 Comments
At least one report says it’s because Zucker left, but a lot of people are assuming it’s Comcast’s action.
pw!
Stinks of Comcast to me.
Its the Purge its the end of the liberal media, the Lefty blogs are next! Glenn Beck heck all the GOP conspiracy theories are really projection of what they want to do to us but they fear we will do it to them first.
They don’t seem to realize we react differently than they do.
However they won this one just at the likely cost of the whole MSNBC network. What will the media do if Lefties join independents in total distrust of the MSM/Propaganda channels?
Keith left for the same reason that Jack Paar did over 50 years ago.
He refused to eat shit and call it Chateaubriand.
‘What’ doesn’t even cut it, PW…! Wtf is more like it…! *gah*
Why, it’s… Comcastic!
Phoenix Person!
30 mil, huh? I’d walk away happy for a small fraction of that. No, seriously, folks. What?
Keith will be sorely missed, but I’m certain he’ll land on his feet somewhere else. He has been invaluable in cutting through all the right-wing crap of the Big Lie Republicans.
I was just as shocked as everyone else when he dropped the bombshell of his departure just before his final James Thurber segment. We’ll no doubt learn more about the reason(s) behind his departure in the following days, but I wondered if his choice of that specific James Thurber short story was done after he was informed by MSNBC management of his show being canceled, with the porcupine that the dog ran into being either MSNBC execs with “knives” or Comcast execs with “knives”?
Keith could be an instant success on YouTube by doing a “World’s Worst” segment every week or two, even sitting at home in front of a hand-held camera. I’d watch it. But maybe one of the other cable news networks (or even regular NBC news) will sign him on? Naaawww. His style of reporting, factual and hardnosed sometimes, probably turned off some of the so-called “main stream” outlets. Oh, wait, maybe Roger Ailes will offer him a time slot at Faux News, you know, to finally present some actual “fair and balanced” coverage? Naaawwww.
Oh, well, thank you Keith for a wild, yet fact-based reality-based ride over the past eight years, with humorous segments interspersed among hard-hitting news coverage and excellent interviews, combined with a healthy dose of compassion for other American citizens run over by Big Lie Republicans. God speed. good friend, God speed.
KO’s FB page has a comment from him it appears that says he just created another site, “Bring Back Keith Olbermann”…So..I guess he went unwillingly…
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keith-Olbermann/172337827656
I believe that Comcast had no more to do with the end of Countdown than gravity and the ground had to do with the demise of Humpty Dumpty.
Mrs. Dr. BC and I both hope someone picks up Olbermann, but can’t for the life of us figure out who will.
The funny thing is GE sold NBC because they had money trouble GE Capital had to get bank bailout money even though they are not a bank now their CEO is Obama’s new economic adviser.
Advising failure most likely
Thanks PW . . . this is insane, ugly, and does NOT portend well for the Comcast deal that pass muster this week.
I also does not portend well for Rachel . . . .
It also does not portend well for ANY free speech outlets including the internet.
We are SO screwed . . . wow.
What a phookin loss . . . . despite his muzzles lately, losing him off air (the hightest rated personality at MSNBC!) is the banging of the drum of doom.
LeSigh.
I think he should go hang out with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now. And/or come visit us here. Being that the terms of his firing have pretty much ended his network TV career.
“Good night, and good luck” – to us all :(
He can’t do network TV any more — the terms of his firing preclude him from that.
pw, i heard that he can’t work for another network for one year
oh, fer gawd’s sake, demi. You don’t really believe that.
Olbermann was cut out because of the merger, and the tiny little dicks that thought he might remain/become a problem to the corporate image.
Everyone at MSNBC should resign.
They trusted their presidential election coverage to him, but NOW he’s too controversial?
Smells green to me.
I bet he could write a book that would curl peoples’ toes…but he probably can’t do that either…
The ratings numbers are here. Olbermann was the ratings leader. Rachel was neck-and-neck. They each had a million viewers.
If a network gets rid of the people who make them the most money, then clearly their firing is not about making money.
Let’s look at some facts:
1)Olbermann said that the terms of his buyout mean that he won’t be going to another network “for a good long time”.
2) Obama just hired Immelt.
3) Obama is looking for a new press secretary.
Wild but not unreasonable speculation that Olbermann’s next stop might be the White House.
How long does the non-compete clause last?
You can sing that in church. We’re gonna need it.
Thanks to the bought-and-paid-for FCC and Eric Fucking Holder’s “Justice” department for this… I guess between Fox and Comcast we’ll be watching republicans until the sun blows the fuck up. I needed a reason to cancel cable, now I have one.
Fuck off, Obama and your lame-ass corporatist bullshit. Fuck the fuck off.
wow, i had not thought of that… sorta a reverse bush’s p/s who was former fox kinda thing???
depends on the lawyering.
And if the same idiots that agreed to his non-compete clause had their now in it – I’d say he’s fucked.
Maybe. I’d vote for him, for sure.
If he thinks a facebook campaign is going to get him his job back at msnbc, he prolly should take a long vacation. Just cause.
Hmmmm…not a bad analysis…
omg!! KO conducting the WH pressers?! That would be something…
Mrs. Tiger and I pay Comcast 60 bucks a month for basic cable. Lately I’ve wondered whether we’d be better off canceling our service. Their dismissal of Olbermann makes it much easier to pull the plug.
Time to hurt Comcast its time for cable choice Americans deserve the free market choice of what cable channels to pay for its sad that in America Lefties, African Americans, Gays, Hispanics have to pay for Fox News just because they want basic cable.
Lets tell Comcast their days of selling Hate TV are numbered.
Aw, it’s OK… after all, we have Teh Internet!
(mumblebuzz)
Oh wait, I’m being told that because of the recent failure of Net Neutrality, we do not, in fact, any longer have Teh Internet.
(mumblebuzz)
I am being told that we are, in fact, now quite thoroughly Rogered.
Olbermann was getting some people past the Left v Right fight, and TPTB couldn’t have that. He also re allied people and supported liberal views and made people aware of how awful things are getting in this country, esp with this health clinics.
He took on both Bush and Obama and, I’m sure made some vicious enemies.
The establishment HAD to get rid of the “Last Real Journalist” before Obama makes his pitch in the SOTU for gutting our last safety nets.
I was concerned this might happen. the it happened so fast really worries me.
Olbermann was FIRED. You could tell from his comments about ESPN.
I wonder how cowed the rest of them will be.
Note the prison porn running now on the channel.
I intend to find a wireless broadband provider for my home PC ASAP….get rid of the TEEVEE and pay the diference
Fair and Balanced is gone with KO the MSM is now worse than the Nazi Party Hitler never made Jews buy the Nazi Parties Newspaper.
Think about it. I have nothing to base it on except that it makes perfect sense. they are always whining about not getting the messaging right and hiring a famous and well liked cable news anchor even has a precedent.
But, he’s a rich fucked.
He has been invaluable in cutting through all the right-wing crap of the Big Lie Republicans.
Which is exactly why I don’t think he’s landing anywhere.
Gimme a name of where KO ends up…
Snow man, right?
I doubt FOX would get called on much….
Al Franken’s looking pretty damned sharp right about now, isn’t he? Funny how his concerns were ignored. Except, hello, he worked in TV for a very long time before becoming a senator.
Wow. That is wild.
But can you see KO speaking for someone else? Spinning? I really can’t.
I really hate these non-compete clauses – it’s us who will be deprived for the length of time he’s kept off the air.
Someone earlier tonight…PW? Was that you? suggested he go to Comedy Central.
I’ll really, really miss him, even tho’ sometimes politics/hatefulness overload kept me from watching. But it was nearly always worth it.
Exactly.
I’m thinking. It’s not making sense to me.
i just remembered his name.. tony snow…. wasn’t he a former fox news dood?
So, someone must know. Is there any relationship betwixt DirecTV and KableTown?
heh! ;-)
I’m drinking Talisker, dear lady.
So the powers-that-be have now silenced KO.
Gee – that’s encouraging….
Dare to think outside the box. I respect your opinion. I agree with you most of the time. This time, not so much.
Olberman got cleaned out by the PTB – which are right wing by default. Obama is right wing by default.
No way will that right wing trojan condom we call President hire Olberman.
yes he was
Nope. Olbermann said too many things Obama didn’t like and the Bushes sure don’t like him. He made a HUGE “mistake” in thinking he could speak truth to power………. this is a message.
sorry, didn’t see it due to the nested comments thingie which i have trouble following — i’m sliding one down to ya.. hope it doesn’t get caught in one of them nests….
Sure. Olbermann is an establishment Democrats with some progressive bona fides. Obama’s team can’t be so stupid as to believe that the progressive base still likes him. And Olbermann isn’t likely to suggest we get drug tested, is he? Come on. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance in hell in 2012 without us.
Comcast why is cable tv so much cheaper in France? Free Market innovation requires cash? Nope when the first I-Phone came out it did not sell well in Europe because it was set to run on the Slower American cell phone speed.
Cell phones, Cable tv, internet access all cost less in France why Government Regulation.
Your a failed business model that exists on captive consumers.
Thanks, Suze. I figured it was sumfin’ like that. I really prefer the auld style. We could read the the thing being responded to and didn’t have to do the yo-yo-yo-yo thing.
No I don’t think so.
I’m checking out Sprint for internet, esp of Comcast takes it over. I don’t want to pay them another nickel AND they have terrible customer service
Hey, it’s just speculation. I’m probably wrong but amid all of the speculation I’ve seen on this thread and last, I haven’t seen this possibility brought up yet and it seems rather obvious from my point of view. That’s all I’ll say about it tonight but remember where you heard it if by some chance it happens.
Al Franken, prescient as he may be, has proven himself to be a whore. Fuck him. Next.
thanks bct — i try to avoid nesting and just type the name of the person i’m responding to and type it as a fresh comment in the box instead of hitting reply.
old habits are hard to change tho and i forget
I don’t agree with much of anything Olbermann says or stands for, but I have no objection to a network putting on shows that have a certain lean to them.
Comcast should have allowed Keith to stay.
There are too many people out there who can’t stand to hear something they don’t agree with trying to dictate what gets on the air. Comcast doesn’t need to begin a similar thing regarding left leaning shows.
Politics!
love ya demi – maybe we’ll just agree to disagree on this one….
It’s very clear at this point that the country is being pulled out from under us. More than ever, we need to fight back. This is fascism — heck, the FCC may as well have been the one to fire him. The acceptance of that buyout made this a done deal.
Oh, well, expertise – all the more reason *not* to listen to him, don’t ya know. After all, Virginia Foxx heading the education subcomittee, Louie Gohmert on climate change (or something equally horrible, I forget exactly).
And that’s the idea of runaway capitalism.
I’m suspecting that in my town DSL and cable have the town divvied up so you can’t get a choice in a lot of areas
Oh, and for the record, I’ve deleted my MSNBC link. I’ll restore it if Olbermann does wind up going to the White House….maybe.
Sad shit hoss . . . truly a foretelling of the media biz, it’s future, and the obvious fate of the internet to come . . .
Fascism hath reared it’s ugly head and revealed itself, fully.
There has been, and now can be, NO doubt we live in a fascist state getting worse . . . n Olbie wasn’t even a real proggy . . . O’Donnell?
A pure corporate fascist whore . . . apparently ratings have NO basis as to who stays or goes in this game, as Olbie was MSNBC’s highest rated personality as I read today . . . is that correct?
These fuckers at comcast fired MSNZBC’s highest rated personality? Killed revenue? Risked viewer blowback and soon to come advertiser boycotts the like of what Spocko generated on Beck?
Blood’s boiling, minds raging, I’m seething . . . and yet, it’s all to be expected on this road to hell we are all locked into . . .
Arrgh, N Lesigh, both.
I GUESS, an emphatic HARUMPH is called for, but it seems so feeble anymore on these national issues . . . I offer my raised middle finger on both hands to Comcast, the elites, and our elected offals . . .
N a white hot poker all the way up, too.
Yup. It was almost like they bought NBC just for this
I’m on DTV, and I’ve been thinking about giving it up. I’ve got 300 channels and I used to watch 5 of them. Now I watch 4…
Yup. There is no antitrust enforcement anymore. Surprise.
My friends with ComCrap don’t call it that for nuffink, y’know.
Does this look like a man who willingly retired?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Just how will Rush and Glen spin this as anything other than an Obama approved Corporate Deal that silenced the biggest thing like a Lefty on TV?
The Prosecution Complex Conspiracy Nuts all were swearing that it would be them that Obama takes out.
Guess what GOPers we are the only real enemy both you and Obama have.
Jay, she’s got a point, he got a $30 mil fire and buyout.
Now, what he DOES with that $30 mil . . . let’s see just how proggy he is . . .
Fuck it, I look on the bright side. One more step in the Lie Screen Complex irrelevantizing itself. While imagining itself one further step in ruling the world.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You can be sure Bill O’Reilly is dancing on KO’s “grave.”
Paranoia, much, Kassandra? BTW, were you formerly here under a similar but slightly different name?
GREAT links Charles!@
Thanks!
This is bookmark material . . .
*bows*
Ain’t it the truth.
I fell for a discounted digital package in November when I was ill and down…gradually discovering a few shows worth watching, but not much.
Even BBCAmerica isn’t as good as I was expecting, although I found Law and Order UK last week, and that was fun.
But when the discount period runs out, I won’t have any trouble cancelling.
I also love you too Margaret.
But the WH wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.
No guts.
Maybe he’ll slip and break an ankle.
Obama likes crapping on his own supporters. This is just the latest example. He is bafflingly politically lame. I just do not get him.
Margaret, Shirley yer kidding?
Not a chance in hades . . .
Olbie was just fired from Comcast for being not a corporate toadie, and yer suggesting our corporate toadie prez is gonna employ him?
What am I missing in yer messaging?
Too true…! Aloha, MM…! It’s been awhile…! *g*
I sincerely hope Olberman wouldn’t be dumb enough to take the WH gig if it were offered.
Olbermann’s public persona is built on the image of independence he exhibited in his Special Comments. There is no way that reputation would survive shilling for the WH. At the end of the administration (2-6 years from now), Olbermann would never get another news job again. Ever.
Of course, maybe Olbermann would want to move on to something new… or return to sports… but if he still wants to pursue broadcast news in the future, the WH would be the end of that.
Oh, exactly.
I am so sad about this. I loved his show. I watch MSNBC Mon-Fri from the Ed show through Lawrence O’Donnell and then i would watch the repeats. I am really upset because one of the most powerful liberal voices has been taken off the air. I hope he lands on his feet with a new gig SOON and i hope he gets back on TV as soon as the terms of his contract allows
From your keyboard to doG’s screen.
wow. can’t see it, though
Thanks to ISIS for this — it’s KO’s new Facebook page “Bring Keith Olbermann Back!”
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_123973654338634&ap=1
Latest FaBlog: Fait Diver — Keith Canned By Comcast
I visited clicked I like:)
For those speculating that Olberamnn may be Obama’s new press secretary, you’re dreaming. Obama would never hire someone like KO, who is independent, fiercely intelligent, and not afraid to speak his mind.
Obama may hire a Republican for his spokesperson, perhaps Lanny Davis. Never KO.
I’m on the Mainland for a few days (Tucson).
Aloha.
We had snow on Haleakala before I left . Looked like Colorado!
Hack, I fully agree with yer posit . . .
N all it implies of other elected offals . . .
The Comcast approval by FCC along with Citizens v United are the two big indicators of how truly corrupted our nation and society has become.
Class war, fascism, hand in hand.
N we the people are losing bad . . . we’re dying more by the day, too . . . from it all.
Living longer in some cases, but being squashed down and dying sooner than we need to without what we all thought we boomers had coming to us in our elder years.
me too. can’t stand this format.
To be clear, it’s Adam Smith Johnson’s group page. Olbermann didn’t make it.
I do understand why people are shocked; I am. Sure didn’t see this coming.
What I do not understand is this end-of-journalism/internet thing as well as nefarious speculation. People are just filling knowledge/info gaps since the mind abhors a vacuum, I guess.
But some of what I’m reading here is just bizarre.
Sure, it’s all corporate owned media . .
What the hayall would an educated man like yerself expect?
It’s all censored . . . . you know that . . .
Spot on and BINGO Tej . . . .
And very likely filled with virulent subliminals
Nope and even paranoids have enemies.
You may be thinking of snarkassandra. I was here first or she would have gotten my user name ;^)
Margaret, a very inspired thought but I don’t think Barry likes lefties all that much.
Ah, c’mon, Kelly. People are bizarre, and speculation rapidly fills informational vacuums. That’s why treating people like mushrooms is a really short-sighted management tool.
…and choke on his falafel.
“He is bafflingly politically corrupt”.
fixed it for ya
over at the Great Orange, Seneca Doane has a post up, looking at it as a plaintiff’s employment lawyer. He’s saying it’s a contract buyout with confidentiality and non-compete clauses. Also, probably, a hefty chunk of change, since there were two years left on the contract.
totally agree
I’ll agree. But verging on paranoid and delusional ranting is in the power of the commenter to make, or not.
I’m thinking of retiring my cable. Hell, the only station I watch with any pride is TCM. Even IFC is now showing commercials (along with horrendous original programming that’s supposed to be “edgy”).
Any WH that hires Immelt isn’t going to hire Olbermann also.
Just because you don’t see the writing on the wall for the last 10+ years doesn’t mean it ain’t there, Sunny Jim
Wow,is this an example of GE’s Jeff Immelt’s influence as a jobs advisor for Obama?
I could totally see Lanny Davis as Obama’s spokesperson. He’s a Clintonite, DLC, liberal hating, Fox News Democrat.
End of Journalism thing refers to Newpapers and TV news getting less viewers and readers to the point that NBC is sold, Newsweek sold for a dollar, the New York Times having to go to Mexico to find deep pockets and the only network besides Comedy Central that could get young viewers interested in the news again takes out their ratings star?
GE, Seeking New Engine and NBC Deal, Was Top Spender
7 hours ago ..Under the deal, Comcast will own 51 percent of a joint venture. GE acquired the NBC network in 1986 when it bought RCA Corp. GE is the world’s biggest …Bloomberg – 394 related articles
►GE, Comcast announce NBC Universal joint venture deal – Dec. 3, 2009Dec 3, 2009 … General Electric is close to clearing a major hurdle in its path to sell control of entertainment giant NBC Universal to Comcast, …
money.cnn.com/2009/…/comcast…/index.htm – Cached – Similar -
G.E. Makes It Official – It Will Sell NBC to Comcast – NYTimes.comDec 3, 2009 … Shortly after news of the deal leaked in September, G.E. and Comcast signed a standstill agreement, which effectively blocked other bidders …
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/business/…/04nbc.html -
Winners and losers in the GE/ NBC Universal/ Comcast deal – The …Dec 2, 2009 … Let’s walk through my logic — A few weeks ago, GE owned 80% of NBC Universal with all its cable channels and NBC and movie production and …
blogs.marketwatch.com/…/winners-and-losers-in-the-ge-nbc-universal- comcast-deal/ – Cached -
I totally expected it when the merger was approved.
Yes that and Jack lets create GE Capital it will make us tons of money Welch GR’s last CEO who stuck Jeff with having to beg for bank bailout money. Jeff is a Bush type Capitalist like Welch big risks but government not Daddy bailed out his company.
Crony Capitalism is safe with him at Obama’s side.
As in another laid off American? ; )
This reminds of when Karl Rove resigned:)
Comcast has been a den of thieves & criminals from its very inception, if my memory serves me. Wasn’t it started by a father son team that were indicted and forced out?
Well Obama INC! Doesn’t have to worry about criticism from from a major tv (actual) journalist anymore! How convenient for that sniveling DLC imposter and his gang of incompetents, stealth and actual Cants & fascists as he hands “job (off-shoring) creation” to one of the very thugs that enoy windfall profits from the death & destruction of bloody unending wars. That would be that GE bitch I refuse to bother to name out of disgust.
Maybe Obama INC! Will hire nutsack crazy Glen Beck for the next Corporate House Press Secretary. He would fit right in. The DEM PRTY leadership has been infiltrated by DLC scum. Purge them from the party NOW!
Dude, one of my FAV online dude’s I’ll add . .
You know general history as good as any.
You also have proven you know cultures, language, and modern history more so than many.
So SHIRLEY, you understand there are well discussed, documented and published treatsies regarding the patterns of fascism and abuse of the masses that are self evident in our country?
In the dismissal of Olbie?
And what that portends with Citizen’s v. United and with Comcast’s FCC approval to buyout NBC?
And Obama’s statements this week about deregulation where it might save or create jobs (which is pure bullshit and I know you know it)?
SO, yeah, it IS the end of the world as we know it, as much as any other signs in the past 40 years of our lives.
You quibble with that, hoss?
*G*
Any bets the Late Late nite threads reach 400 easy :)
Keith Olbermann — Fired By MSNBC
Keith Olbermann was fired by MSNBC sources tell TMZ, and we’re told it had everything to do with Comcast’s acquisition of NBC.
“Sources connected with the network tell us … Comcast honchos did not like Keith’s defiance and the way he played in the sandbox.
Our sources say Keith has around two years left on his contract, and he’ll be paid his salary — around $7 million a year.
We don’t know if Comcast will let Keith make a deal with another network as part of an exit agreement, but it’s a good bet he’ll be benched for a minimum of 6 months, and probably longer.”
http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/21/keith-olbermann-fired-comcast-countdown-msnbc-contract-cable-news-network-pay-or-play/
They got him off the paying field entirely, hoping to shut him up. with the Amerikan people’s attention span, it may well work
There. SOME people can put 2+2 together , Bean Counter
Sigh, my comment directed to my dearest blogging pal Kelly.
Sorry that wasn’t clear . . .
Assuming you have a southern exposure, you can get cheaper service from Dish, whose management isn’t as insane as either Comcast or Direct.
On the other hand, you could probably do better just getting a subscription to the Financial Times and doing without electronic media.
Bingo!
Much smaller megaphone; I’m betting.
Good night folks.
Olbermann will not shill for Obama. what on earth gives you the idea that the man who hired Immelt would hire someone Immelt fired?
they don’t get the message right because they have the wrong message (see the hiring of Immelt as just the latest example)
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/01/201112117259507109.html The 19 muslim is released from prison and is back in USA with family and law team!
I’ve tried to watch Countdown a few times over the years, but he always struck me as more of an entertainer than a journalist.
I’ll try this again.
Good night, folks.
g’nite bct
I’m not going to embarrass individuals, but there are people on this very thread who have called Olbermann (and Maddow) “Corporate shills who serve their masters” and are now claiming it’s all a fascist-or-whatever plot.
Can’t have it both ways. All I’m saying is have some intellectual consistency.
Shit. Bad news. Very bad news for us all. Shit. Goodnight and good luck to us all, indeed. Thanks to Mr. Olbermann for a very fine job. Your voice will be sorely missed. The silencing of KO’s voice by the PTB is chilling.
Yeah. Funny how that goes!
Happily, my memory’s not that good anymore, and I don’t feel like looking it up. I’m pretty sure I’m not one of those folks, but who knows?
You’re right, Kelly. But still the PTB are silencing a powerful voice that is certainly more left than rightwing. Bad news.
They were but they were the closet thing to the Left the MSM would let on tv. They were day old oatmeal but now we don’t even get that so yes we are pissed.
The GOP screams government censorship but corporate censorship nope? The Nazi’s were described as Corporations and government working together silencing KO is Corporate Censorship.
Anyway, Keith is an actual journalist, not a lapdog.
According to CNN, he can do internet and radio. KO will not be silenced. Judging from the firestorm over his departure, he can write his own ticket. If CNN, for instance, wants him, I am sure terms could be worked out to rework his exit agreement.
They need the ratings help heck Koz will give him a platform and no strings.
thanks, cassie
You know, when the collapse comes for this country, it’ll come FAST. I suspect this is just the start.
One thing bugs me, though. How is it that Comcast gets to fire him AND enforce a non-compete clause???
Olbermann will replace Gibbs as soon as James Galbraith replaces Larry Summers and Simon Johnson replaces Tim Geithner.
Agreed firing KO is a sign the powers that be can’t tolerate a free press for much longer. That means they expect trouble soon.
We didn’t need any more proof that Phil Griffin et al at MSNBC have their heads up their asses, but we got it all the same. Other than to watch Keith, I haven’t bothered to tune in to watch anyone at MSNBC in a while now. Rachel stopped being interesting a long time ago. LoDoh is a waste of time. The odd and awkward tantrums he throws at his guests from time to time are simply unwatchable. By the end of the week, the morons running MSNBC will see that LoDoh’s 8pm slot will turn viewers off, that it will cost Rachel a lot of viewers, and that there will be no one left to watch Ed by 10pm.
CNN had the 90s. Fox got the 00s. MSNBC could have had the 10s had they found the courage to take on Obama for his many failures to deliver the hope and change he promised. Instead, the 10s will probably go to the bloggers. We need thoughtful people who aren’t bound by corporate interests!
I’d love to see him on al-jazeera english or Russia Today where Thom Hartmann can be seen. Dave Marsh from WCBS-NY 2 in the 60s and 70s is currently at al-jazeera.
Wouldn’t that be a kick in the teeth?
Good luck. The fact that I found out through the internet will tell you exactly how much I’ve been watching MSNBC lately… exactly zero % of the time.
On O’Donnell:
The odd and awkward tantrums he throws at his guests from time to time are simply unwatchable. By the end of the week, the morons running MSNBC will see that LoDoh’s 8pm slot will turn viewers off, that it will cost Rachel a lot of viewers, and that there will be no one left to watch Ed by 10pm.
Bingo.
I don’t think Larry is entirely worthless, but that isn’t saying very much. He was a much better screenwriter than he is an examiner of the political condition of the Republic.
Can’t we agree that Obama’s both bafflingly politically lame and bafflingly politically corrupt?
Sad. He could have been a great president.
He probably had an editor to screen his tantrums.
Well I am sad and mad .. a man with both a heart AND soul has lost his podium .. I hope enough folks make Comcast pay thru lost revenue that they at least feel some pain .. or would that just qualify them for a govt. hand/bailout? .. what a fucking travesty!! ..
What do I think? Well, Comcastrophe’s CEO Brian Roberts had his company pay homeless people to occupy the seats at the FCC during the net neutrality boggle. Comcastrophe charges too much for two little. Keith Olbermann is the first firing of many.
What am I wondering? Did Comcastrophe’s CEO Brian Roberts promise some politicians that Olbermann would be out if they supported his buying of NBC? Will MSNBC will soon try to outfox Fox or will they become the DLC’s Third Way? And lastly, who watches NBC anyway?
I think 20 years from now this will be seen a mortal blow to cable TV and Comcast. This is gonna be the pivot point where lots of viewers start ditching cable television en masse.
Netflix and Hulu really look like great options to replace cable if you aren’t very concerned about missing live local news coverage. All those money crunched people that understand computers well enough to stream movies and TV shows on Netflix and hulu.com are going to do just that.
Just relocated to PDX and really wanted, for some reason, to avoid Comcast for Internet, which I did by going through a small indigenous ISP. Now after this, I am really glad I did so.
You should too.
Yeah… the guys at Comcast aren’t terribly bright. They’re so cheap they’ve managed to re-create Soviet Union-like bureaucracy here in the United States.
I’m very serious. Go check out a Comcast customer service office.
Comcast Sports Northwest put roller derby re-runs from the 50′s on as prime time programming. They’re too cheap to pay for even putting on extreme sports. Too cheap to put on Australian Rules Football.
Qwest has been pretty good to me here in Portland. My DSL is reasonable, and the customer service is pretty good.
Qwest was the only major telecom corporation to say no to Dick Cheney’s wiretap demands. They didn’t do for the right reasons (afraid of customer lawsuits) but they did refuse.
With roku, why would you need cable? I believe the time is now to ditch. The antennas have gotten better, and with a booster, I now get all 4 networks, CW, MyNetwork, ThisTV, Viper weather and 4 different PBS for free. Netflix gives me movies, documentaries, Starz, National Geographic, etc for $10 and one dvd at a time. Roku gives me podcasts of Maddow, Democracy Now, Olberman, BBC World News Radio, Current TV for free.
I was shocked when I started realizing how much I was paying. Was able to move than half the amount I pay for phone, internet, TV and DVD rental.
Cable is old technology.
I think the time to act was before STOU.
Now that GE and jp morgue are running the $ side of the white house.
It is a little bizarre to ‘fire’ someone because the old regime ‘thinks’ the new regime won’t like them. It seems like the picked scab of bad blood.
It is also interesting that one of the donations KO was suspended for was for Gabrielle Giffords.
Well, let’s consider that some proggies are desperate.
I know I am.
Then, lets consider that I and others may have called out Keith and Rachel for not BEING proggy enuff . . . after all, they work for the man, who is a fascist.
N they have certainly been muzzled in the past few years.
You and I can agree to that, yes?
N let’s then just give that, the silencing of any of the voices that were CLOSE to being proggy on the man’s fascist networks . . . is still a loss of sorts.
SO, if ya WERE tawkin about me and my kind, I hope you would appreciate where I and others might be comin from . . .
‘N as sharp as you are, I know you know all of this.
*G*
Fascism, democracy, and an informed electorate are not compatible.
A society structured on lies can no more survive provable truth, forcefully expressed than a sugar house can survive a rainstorm.
Dissent must be marginalized and delegitimized, (step one) then silenced completely. (step two)
Step one began with the end of the fairness doctrine (which has few supporters these days even among progressives). The rise of the leftest blogosphere screwed up the timetable, but step one is nearly complete.
Step two ain’t gonna be fun.
I’m not her, but as you can see from my comment just above, your thinking mirrors my own.
Well said.
Is every TV station in America going to be lying Republicans? I am so sick of the neo-con facists that clutter our airwaves with garbage.
I think the world is better off without that gas bag Olbermann being able to vent his spleen every night.
Is Rachel Madcow next?
This may sound crazy but it may be time to adopt a survivalist mentality in terms of getting information. Clearly, the corporations are in control and does anyone believe the internet is not on the radar as a target?
Jane should have a sign-up list for a potential newsletter should this thing all fall apart. There should be a way for true progressives to keep in contact and obtain honest information on the day that they come for places like Firedoglake.
As always George Carlin said it best. An interview with Ko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co0BlBKEgUA
That sound you just heard was millions of Americans saying “WHAT?!?”
And I am saying, “Thank goodness, it’s about time..”
I think Karl Rove will get the press secretary position – for the sake of bipartisanship, and in the hope that the GOP will also love the President of all corporations, local and global.
Comcast owner is even more conservative than GE.
KO thanks for the good times my friend!
Sounds like the Neo-Cons in the White House wanted KO to carry
some Neo-Con water, and he said no.
GE CEO who sends jobs overseas, just got hired as OBAMA new JOB guy.
Read between the lines people, KO can’t really attack his bosses,
can he?
On the one hand you have KO fighting for working americans
on the other hand you have Obama and GE sending jobs out of america
something got to give.
Come on people, everyone on TV is not a MORON, a lot of people in the
media know OBAMA is a trojan horse and a very bad one to boot.
We will see KO again! :)
Seriously. If O wants to complete his fake transparency of government Lanny Davis would be the perfect choice. No one would watch.
It’s not about Olbermann. It is about the segment of the country that had no voice before he went on MSNBC. This is a slap in the face to his audience as much as it is to Keith. MSNBC has a pretty good stable of liberals now, so there will be some representation even in his abscence. However, so far the others appear to be keeping mum about this, probably because they knew who signs their paychecks.
MSNBC is now owned by Comcast, not GE, so not sure how valid your statement is. Having big corporations own news networks creates a fundamental problem when one of the biggest problems we have is the power and influence of corporations. However, not sure that Comcast would be any worse than GE considering all GE’s defense contracts and their role in nuclear power and pollution
Our so called free press is as free as the our corporate overloads want it to be.
I think Comcast had much to do about Keith leaving or forced out, whatever. He will be missed by me and other MSNBC viewers who rely
on the truth. I watch Thom Hartmann on Free speech tv. I’m telling you that Thom and Keith could carry the airwaves!!!
Do geckos chuck wood?
I say we get a petition together. Comcast seems reasonable. If enough people sign it, they’ll feel compelled to beg Keith to come back. And even if they don’t, we can get Keith’s attorney to deliver the petition to him and it will show Keith that we really care.
That’s all the MSM is anymore. It’s why I don’t watch it.
Dems are getting their asses kicked right now. Once they take over the lefts media ..thats it..the new republicans in government are raising a ton of cash now.Obama has taken a ‘conservative moderate’ position and is leaning a bit more to the right these days.The left had better get some tall boots and a heavy rain coat because the ‘shits coming down’.It was a bad time to have a Dem be president black or white and a bad time for Dems stay at home during an election.
Of course Comcast Corp. is behind it. America has ended as a first world country. Resign yourselves to the fact that you are either whores or servants of our corporate masters.
My advice: Kill your TVs and get rid of Comcast cable. I access the internet via AT&T/DSL line. You don’t have to have a land line, but you do have to be wired for phone service with a phone jack. AT&T supplies the wireless internet router and phone cord that pugs into the jack. My high speed DSL internet connection is faster than the Comcast cable connection in my area.
Pricewise, AT&T is offering a base fee of $35/month for a combination of a landline phone service and the DSL internet access.
I’m not pushing it. Just saying that it’s an option that I know about. I’m paying a $43 base fee per month without a land line, which I don’t need because my wife and I each have cell phones.
If anyone knows something cheaper for a fast and reliable internet hookup, let us know.
Oh, and more thing.
Kill Your TV And Create New Pathways In Your Brain.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I wished that they would have fired Chris Mathews instead of Keith. Chris is more interested in listening to himself talk then the guests.
As for Keith, he filled in with dignity and was always being the best to us. From Sports to Politics is quite a shift and we admired him to bring us reality when it came to his mother and father, while the country argued for better care.
We also saw him help raise millions for those in need at the free health clinics or those dying in the Gov. Brewer’s “DEATH PANEL” state. Then expose after the shootings in AZ how more hideous Gov. Brewer is becoming – the GOP message.
Health and happiness to you, your family and friends. We will miss you Keith!
Even
Comcast is not reasonable!
How about this for a pathway:
http://www.pornolize.com/translate/?lang=en&url=http://glennbeck.com
“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.”
BULLSHIT!
I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last two election seasons without Olbermann’s wit, cynicism, dignity, and honesty. Others try to have balls. Keith has them. Let’s hope someone else in the cable news world thinks so, too.
I’m reading all of these comments of niceties and wishing Keith well, and while I wish Keith well, where’s the damned anger in this move. Why the hell aren’t people pissed off at what just happened? When the hell will we get mad enough in this country to begin to organize and fight back against this corporate takeover, and further entrenchment of corporate power by our governing bodies. The FCC can say they didn’t see this coming, or they can say they can’t get involved in corporate personnel decisions, but their damned jobs is to ensure a free, open, expressive press. What we have and what see happeneing more and more everyday, is a media structure increasingly in the control of fewer and fewer hands, and with that comes a more homogenized right wing media narrative. Where the freedom of expression in that?
Were those his last exact words? I wanted to see but the video on line doesn’t have the end.
I second that.
Well as they say, we have to actually (more than are now anyway) be hungry to get in the streets. But no worries, Barry ZERO and his team of “economic” advisers are working on that. We have no representation anymore and as I noted last night when I missed this Olbermann firing-on another post here we continue to be caught up in the theater what Palin or Bachman or Boehner or whatever the “other” side is saying. Who gives a shit?
Look what our “Democratic” president is DOING. Haven’t we figured out he’s not really a Democrat at all and needs to be replaced? I know it’s a pipe dream but do we stand by and pretend he’s a lesser evil when he’s the same shade of evil? Stop pretending.
I agree with you about the Comcast merger not being the reason for KO’s departure. It is far more likely he got the boot for calling LIEberman a “delusional liar.” Here is an article from HuffPo about what KO said about LIEberman two days before his final show.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/keith-olbermann-on-lieberman_n_811450.html?ir=Politics
Exactly. Until people resign themselves to that fact, nothing will change and the same bullshit tactics that have failed them thus far will continue to fail them now and in the future. You can’t save this thing because this thing shouldn’t be saved. Work towards a new way, to replace this piece of crap we’ve been told is so great our whole lives.
Do you understand satire?
Yep.
Yes, Keith, and if we could ask you a small favor, it would be most appreciated. If you wouldn’t mind donating to keep Margaret from being thrown out in the street, it would be a wonderful gesture. She and others here at FDL have supported you zealously over the years, so the least you could do is pay them back from the tens of millions you have stashed away to keep them from going cold and hungry.
Good day and good luck, sir.
“Agreed firing KO is a sign the powers that be can’t tolerate a free press for much longer. That means they expect trouble soon.”
Great insight. Whattya bet that what they fear is the backlash when they ram through the gutting of SS with a combination of GOPers and Blue Dog Dems? The polls show overwhelming opposition to what Obama is going to propose. The Tea Party types will go batshit if the GOP — which has lately pretended to be a protector of SS — goes turncoat. Get those on the left, those on the far right, and a big enough cluster of those in the middle all on the same side, throw in 10% unemployment, and the fireworks won’t just be on the 4th of July.
Funny thing just occurred to me: KO’s exit deal says he can’t do TV for a year but can do radio and internet. What if he does a radio show and broadcasts in on the net the way Limbaugh does? Would that be a nice little sneaky work-around during the period when he’s supposed to stay on the TV sidelines?
Can’t you see people using Comcast’s broadband to access KO’s internet show? (Of course, with the end of net neutrality, I’m guessing any KO internet show is going to be on the very, very, very slooooow tier.)
Let’s hope that Keith wasn’t blindsided by all of this. Maybe, just maybe, he saw it as inevitable that he would someday soon have to leave MSNBC, and he may have made plans to get his voice right back out to the people, just by another means.
Yup, we’re expected to believe it’s a coincidence that they ditched Keith and put Larry in his chair right before Obama plays Nixon at the SOTU.
We can blame MSNBC and Comcast but I gotta wonder if they didn’t get a wink from the White House. They’re as intent on shutting up the left and foreclosing any primary challenge as anything. All we’re going to hear for the next two years is what swell Republican Obama is and how much he just luvs anything and everything corporate America tells him to luv.
I do wonder what this does to Rachel. She’s really exposed now and you know all we’re going to get from Chris and Larry is what the White House wants them to DINOS want them to say.
I agree wholeheartedly with greenbell. Don’t forget that GE head, Imvelt, was appointed by Obama only yesterday to head his corporate committee. Obama could have stopped this with one word, or he could have started it. Keith didn’t care where he confronted lies, including with the president. That’s what we loved about him. And that’s why I will completely BOYCOTT MSNBC, no matter who loses ratings. I used to watch Rachel and Ed, but no more. I will not support this right wing network and its corporate owners, for one more minute. Hopefully, now a liberal candidate will run against Obama in the presidential primary. Everything has now changed.