Olbermann resigning right now!

[Dick Whitman]

On the air. Live.

 

[HejiraHenry]

A mighty leap forward in the effort to regain civility in the public debate, I'd say.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

A mighty leap forward in the effort to regain civility in the public debate, I'd say.

Your turn Beck.

 

[Stitch]

Howard Kurtz wrote on Twitter that Olbermann's contract was up. When Beck's contract is up, he can quit his show as well.

 

[JimmyHoward33]

AP story I read said Keith signed a 4 year contract 2 years ago

 

[inthesuburbs]

**** Whitman seems to be incorrect. He said Olbermann was resigning on air. No. What Olbermann actually said was that he had been told that this was his last show. (That has a somewhat different ring to it, no?)

The New York Times describes it as a mutual decision: "The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down."

He's off the air. But he didn't resign on air, no.

 

[bigbadeagle]

Man ... the damage this will do to MSNBC's ratings....
Oh, wait. As Billy Preston sang, "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing...."

I watched Olbermann in the early days on Countdown. But that hard left turn and the utter vitriol he spewed out in spasmodic behavior led to the off button getting hit.

 

[Mark2010]

I used to really like Olbermann. But he was to the far left what Rush Limbaugh is to the far right.

 

[terrier]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a big corporate media merger. Comcast is cleaning out the libbyruls from MSNBC. And I suspect it will not end with KO.
Kurtz was on CNN this morning - he says this has been in the works, and that Comcast essentially paid off the rest of his contract to get rid of him. At least Comcast had to pay.
O'Donnell is being moved into Keith's spot for now, but I'd bet you there will be no more promotion of his, Maddow's or Schultz' shows until they get whacked.
I'd say the biggest loser right now is Elliot Spitzer. There's supposedly a six-month noncompete in Keith's settlement, but CNN has to grab him.

 

[Dick Whitman]

**** Whitman seems to be incorrect. He said Olbermann was resigning on air. No. What Olbermann actually said was that he had been told that this was his last show. (That has a somewhat different ring to it, no?)

The New York Times describes it as a mutual decision: "The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down."

He's off the air. But he didn't resign on air, no.

You are correct.

My wife caught the same thing you did when we watched the sequence a second time. She said, "He just said, 'I have been told that this is my last show. Sounds like he was fired!'"

When I posted originally, it was all happening in real time, and came out of nowhere, so I think I just assumed "resignation."

But good catch on the precise wording.

 

[Azrael]

NYT:

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/olbermann-hosts-last-countdown-on-msnbc/?hp

 

[Schottey]

I'm not sure that Comcast is cleaning up the "libbyruls"...from what I've heard (mostly speculation) is that they wanted him to clean up the rhetoric. Maddow, O'Donnell might be liberal, but they're not as in-your-face, shouting and virulent.

If anyone is next to go, it's Ed Schultz.

 

[Boom_70]

I'm not sure that Comcast is cleaning up the "libbyruls"...from what I've heard (mostly speculation) is that they wanted him to clean up the rhetoric. Maddow, O'Donnell might be liberal, but they're not as in-your-face, shouting and virulent.

If anyone is next to go, it's Ed Schultz.

Comcast is just doing their part to answer the call for civility.

 

[Joe Williams]

Man ... the damage this will do to MSNBC's ratings....
Oh, wait. As Billy Preston sang, "Nothing from nothing leaves nothing...."

I watched Olbermann in the early days on Countdown. But that hard left turn and the utter vitriol he spewed out in spasmodic behavior led to the off button getting hit.

This.