Buh-bye, Keith

[LongTimeListener]

We're here again.

Keith Olbermann, ESPN to Part Ways Once Again - Hollywood Reporter - The Hollywood Reporter

Sources say that ESPN management made Olbermann an offer to take his show to the network's headquarters in Bristol or to the Los Angeles facility but was rebuffed. This was a cost-saving measure, with Olbermann's show produced out of the network's Times Square studio.

Not having that show being produced in Times Square will save the network roughly $40 million, say sources.

Olbermann's impending departure follows a THR report on July 1 detailing the anchor's "commentary" in his segments as a point of contention in his contract negotiation with the network.

 

[DanOregon]

And they'll throw away another $7 mil on the ESPYs next week.

Olbermann was brought in to blunt Fox Sports 1 and I'm guessing ESPN figures FS1 isn't suddenly going to overtake ESPN anytime soon. I kind of liked the idea of Olbermann's show, a summation of the day's events, some highlights, some interviews, some commentary. It was like watching a day's worth of ESPN in 30 minutes.

Then they started moving it around all over the place.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Is it just me, or did the WWL begin to phase out Olbermann's presence as he began to stick his foot in his mouth again?

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

 

[Vombatus]

Is it just me, or did the WWL begin to phase out Olbermann's presence as he began to stick his foot in his mouth again?

Keith suffers from ass-to-mouth or mouth-to-ass disease. Depending on your frame of reference.

And it's his own ass.

 

[Starman]

ESPN already owns/controls the Times Square studios anyway, right?

Why the hell would it be $40 million cheaper to produce it in Bristol or LA?

 

[YankeeFan]

ESPN already owns/controls the Times Square studios anyway, right?

Why the hell would it be $40 million cheaper to produce it in Bristol or LA?

Local 1 of the stagehand union?

 

[Starman]

Of course. ****ing unions.

 

[BDC99]

Why the hell would it be $40 million cheaper to produce it in Bristol or LA?

That was my thought as well. $40 million?

 

[YankeeFan]

Hmm. They own the building.

The cost of turning on the lights and running the air couldn't cost too much.

Even paying for Keith's black car service wouldn't add up to a lot.

It's almost like the union labor costs are the only other possible reason it could cost so much.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Olbermann fired is like Billy Martin fired as far as shock value goes. Truth to tell, although I like Keith as a viewer, he needs a foil/partner to be of real value. My guess is they hired him in the fond if ridiculous hope he could lure Patrick back to the Empire.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

PS: If they still have the studio, the union guys are still making just as much money to sit around waiting for the Sports Reporters on Sunday morning.

 

[YankeeFan]

BTW, this is clearly discrimination.

Keith famously doesn't drive, and they tell him he has to move to BFE Connecticut, or Los Angeles? I see an ADA lawsuit.

 

[Starman]

Hmm. They own the building.

The cost of turning on the lights and running the air couldn't cost too much.

Even paying for Keith's black car service wouldn't add up to a lot.

It's almost like the union labor costs are the only other possible reason it could cost so much.

Or maybe it's just a bull**** ploy by a corporation trying to cover its own ass?

 

[YankeeFan]

 

[petewevurski]

Sad to hear. I've always liked Keith, even when I disagreed with him. His hour-long 11 p.m. show was must-see TV for me -- particularly the opening 7 minutes BECAUSE of his commentaries. In his own way, KO is his generation's Howard Cosell because of their unique perspectives and approaches. Regrettably, as with Cosell, his work might not be appreciated until years down the road. Godspeed his return to some other network's studio.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

The way I interpreted it was that they wanted to save some money, not $40 million, by moving the show. He said no, so they save $40 million by cutting the show all together.

 

[YankeeFan]

Sad to hear. I've always liked Keith, even when I disagreed with him. His hour-long 11 p.m. show was must-see TV for me -- particularly the opening 7 minutes BECAUSE of his commentaries. In his own way, KO is his generation's Howard Cosell because of their unique perspectives and approaches. Regrettably, as with Cosell, his work might not be appreciated until years down the road. Godspeed his return to some other network's studio.

By the time Cosell went off the air, his appreciation was on the decline.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

By the time Cosell went off the air, his appreciation was on the decline.

Writing a book that ****s on everyone he worked with did him no favors.

 

[petewevurski]

No argument here. But remember, Cosell held concurrent titles as the best sportscaster and the worst sportscaster in at least one significant poll. I interpret that those results differentiated between what he did (best) and how he did it (worst). He was pretty much reviled in his final years but appreciation for his body of work has grown since he died. And I'm not suggesting that Keith's contributions to the artform are as profound as Howard's, just that appreciation for Olbermann's work may follow the same timeline trajectory.