[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KonL7ZOYJCA[/youtube]
Word is that a deal was cut, and may have been mutual:
Keith Olbermann saw the handwriting on the wall with the new owner of NBC and cut a deal for his exit that will give him money and options — sources tell TMZ.
Here’s how it went down. Sources familiar with the situation tell us that Olbermann’s agent recently went to NBC complaining that Keith — who has the most popular show on MSNBC — was underpaid at $7 million per year. NBC execs told Olbermann’s agent they would not cough up anymore money.
Network execs were well aware that Comcast wanted Keith gone because he was “a loose cannon that could not be controlled.” It became clear to both sides that Olbermann’s days were numbered and they began negotiating an exit.
We’re told the exit deal wasn’t completed until just before airtime Friday night.
Under the deal, sources say Olbermann will get money but cannot appear on television for a certain period time — we don’t know how long.
Our sources say Olbermann will, however, reappear soon with a presence on the Internet.
That’s a pretty cool sign-off. He’ll land on his feet somewhere.
Oh yeah, you can tell by his chesire grin, he cut a bad-ass deal.
He will land on his feet but we lose one more liberal who would take on the right wingers. I am not happy. Scarborough donated money to republicans, he didn’t get fired, he is on 3 hrs. a day and has a radio show also. Not even close to equal.
Helga – You also forgot to mention that Joe is an idiot.
kieth who?
So maybe MSNBC wills start drifting towards the center a little more instead of being out in the far, far left. That would be a good thing, because it is always better to have impartial and fair journalism than opinionated editorializing made to look like journalism.
Just because “the other guys” are doing it, doesn’t mean they should to. That is a pretty weak response. Sort of like suggesting because Chris Rock uses the “N-word” that we should all be able to say it. Sorry, but that doesn’t equalize the playing field, it just makes everyone look like an idiot.
And maybe at the same time FOX will start drifting towards the center a little more instead of being out in the far, far right. That would be a good thing, because it is always better to have impartial and fair journalism than opinionated editorializing made to look like journalism.
@Scott: It’d be nice if FOX were less biased but they won’t because they actually have viewers unlike msnbc.
Scott – that was sort of my exact point. Just because Fox does it should not mean that MSNBC should do the same.
I feel true independant and investigative journalism should always prevail over ratings, but since ratings drive profit and profit is the one and only motive (aside from PBS / NPR perhaps)… we continue to have biased and inflamatory commentary.
So what if Fox wins the rating war? I don’t think CNN or MSNBC or anyone else should engage in that game if it requires them to become partisan hacks who filter the news at will and influence politics and the nation rather than simply reporting on the issues or investigating the real story.
Popularity isn’t everything, and it surely doesn’t make someone “right”. Hell… Justin Bieber is popular, and I don’t want to watch him either.
The fact that MSNBC lurched to the left on KO’s cue is pretty good inidication that Liberals indeed ran that network. He was consistently in the toilet, ratings wise..so one wonders why the drama queen would even think he’s in a position to command more $$. His biggest ratings was the week he was suspended for pete’s sake:
http://www.politicususa.com/en/suspended-countdown-ratings
Comcast is taking over and I doubt they would sacrifice profits to make a statement. KO got somewhere between 800K and 1.1 million viewers a night on average, so you tell me why that would be worth $7 million a year?
I’m just being a smartass. Personally, I hate all cable news cuz it’s heels versus faces. Olberman stinks, just as O’Reilly does. Talking heads battling their party’s daily scripts is not news.
Yeah, Olberman never really turned my crank, Rachel is much better.
BTW, if you want to see some really good journalism when it comes to politics, I suggest you watch these two:
http://www.democracynow.org/
Here is the problem for Olberman. He’s not a really hot woman able to show off his cleavage in GQ Magazine.
http://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/201012/megyn-kelly-fox-news
You ever notice Fox News only hires hot women? Olberman is a dog as a man and his sarcastic wit isn’t funny. John Stewart is funny.
To take a different stance, I generally get my news direct from AP and Reuters. Not without their problems but without the medium of tv it strikes me as less crap.
Oh, I think Olbermann was funny, and Rachel is even funnier, but Colbert is fucking hilarious.
Helga – You also forgot to mention that Joe is an idiot.
That goes without saying.
And Sy MSNBC is not liberal. If you will take a look at who is on from early morning until evening you will notice they are not liberals. The liberal bent only starts in the evening. And to say it is too liberal is laughable. I wish they were. Rather amazing how telling the truth, using real facts makes them too liberal. And to compare ratings numbers with Fox one has to take into account that Fox is on far more cable systems then is MSNBC.
Helga – Facts make conservatives nervous, better knock it off.