NBC suits kneecap Olbermann
September 8th 2008 23:33
According to the NY Times, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have been demoted from their anchor positions for the remainder of the election season. This was an obvious move that had to be done and it was a long time in coming. Although MSNBC did the right thing by redeploying those anchors, it was a correction of a mistake that should never have happened.
For a while now, MSNBC has been moving further and further left and positioning itself as the liberal mirror of Fox News. In terms of viewers, it has been a marginally successful strategy, but mainly for Keith Olbermann's show. Through his sarcastic and caustic commentaries, Olbermann became something of a hero to liberals around the country. His year-over-year numbers increased pretty dramatically, particularly in the 25-54 demographic. However, the other MSNBC shows didn't improve much, if at all. Also, Olbermann's improvement, while impressive, still leaves him with less than half as many viewers as Bill O'Reilly. And MSNBC, as a whole, is a distant third place amongst the big three cable networks in terms of ratings. So, MSNBC's dash to the left has helped its ratings, but only a little. And third place is still third (and last) place.
In terms of the election, however, MSNBC's suits made a big mistake by moving Olbermann and Matthews to the anchor chairs. They are the two most partisan commentators on NBC/MSNBC. That's the equivalent of Fox News letting Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity anchor its coverage. Fox had enough discretion not to do that. MSNBC didn't possess or exercise such discretion, though. On top of that, Olbermann has been a slowly growing cancer at NBC. He has always held non-NBC news shows/commentators in contempt. However, he has recently been bickering with folks on his own network. He allegedly had a hand in getting Dan Abrams (whose show he would never introduce) replaced with Rachel Maddow. He has led to a crisis of conscience with seasoned journalists like Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. And during the Democratic Convention coverage, he had on-camera tiffs with Chris Matthews and Joe Scarborough. The week of that convention was an ugly week for NBC/MSNBC as they became more of a soap opera than a news network. Now, though, it appears that the suits have had enough. Olbermann and Matthews have been voted off the island. They'll still be around, but they will be on the periphery.
What will happen next? Here's my prediction: Olbermann will be gone from MSNBC soon. I suspect that he won't take kindly to being exiled. And, if history repeats itself, he will start taking shots at the NBC execs who dared to put him on a leash. At that point, it'll just be a matter of time before he's gone (either through a resignation or a firing). Olbermann does not play well with others and he'll self-destruct soon. I just want to be ready so I can grab a bag of popcorn and watch the Network-style meltdown. That will DEFINITELY be must-see TV.
For a while now, MSNBC has been moving further and further left and positioning itself as the liberal mirror of Fox News. In terms of viewers, it has been a marginally successful strategy, but mainly for Keith Olbermann's show. Through his sarcastic and caustic commentaries, Olbermann became something of a hero to liberals around the country. His year-over-year numbers increased pretty dramatically, particularly in the 25-54 demographic. However, the other MSNBC shows didn't improve much, if at all. Also, Olbermann's improvement, while impressive, still leaves him with less than half as many viewers as Bill O'Reilly. And MSNBC, as a whole, is a distant third place amongst the big three cable networks in terms of ratings. So, MSNBC's dash to the left has helped its ratings, but only a little. And third place is still third (and last) place.
In terms of the election, however, MSNBC's suits made a big mistake by moving Olbermann and Matthews to the anchor chairs. They are the two most partisan commentators on NBC/MSNBC. That's the equivalent of Fox News letting Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity anchor its coverage. Fox had enough discretion not to do that. MSNBC didn't possess or exercise such discretion, though. On top of that, Olbermann has been a slowly growing cancer at NBC. He has always held non-NBC news shows/commentators in contempt. However, he has recently been bickering with folks on his own network. He allegedly had a hand in getting Dan Abrams (whose show he would never introduce) replaced with Rachel Maddow. He has led to a crisis of conscience with seasoned journalists like Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. And during the Democratic Convention coverage, he had on-camera tiffs with Chris Matthews and Joe Scarborough. The week of that convention was an ugly week for NBC/MSNBC as they became more of a soap opera than a news network. Now, though, it appears that the suits have had enough. Olbermann and Matthews have been voted off the island. They'll still be around, but they will be on the periphery.
What will happen next? Here's my prediction: Olbermann will be gone from MSNBC soon. I suspect that he won't take kindly to being exiled. And, if history repeats itself, he will start taking shots at the NBC execs who dared to put him on a leash. At that point, it'll just be a matter of time before he's gone (either through a resignation or a firing). Olbermann does not play well with others and he'll self-destruct soon. I just want to be ready so I can grab a bag of popcorn and watch the Network-style meltdown. That will DEFINITELY be must-see TV.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
Before Russert's death, there were rumors of Russert and Brokaw being stressed over the partisanship of MSNBC. When Russert died, that was the first thing I thought of. I wouldn't be surprised if it contributed to his heart attack. Stress is stress, regardless of how you get it.
I think they will continue to lean left, but they went overboard when they pushed Olbermann. Being liberal is one thing. Using your show to take juvenile cheap shots at the president is quite another. There probably is a market (even if it's limited) for liberal news perspectives on cable TV. However, Olbermann is a ticking time bomb. If they dump him and keep the lines between news and editorialism fairly separate, I think they'd be okay. I actually like their straight news coverage. It's just when they start talking politics that they lose their scruples.
I could see Olbermann quitting and then getting a big deal to do a radio show on Sirius radio. He'd definitely have a (small but rabid) following.
Comment by NoaIzumi
Fine Politics
Anime Bottle
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate