Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Shake Up At MSNBC: Olbermann and Matthews Demoted! But Is It Jeff Zucker--Or Jeff Immelt--Doing Damage Control?

Olbermann Watch, "persecuting" Keith since 2004

September 8, 2008

Shake Up At MSNBC: Olbermann and Matthews Demoted! But Is It Jeff Zucker--Or Jeff Immelt--Doing Damage Control?

Ace Cable Gamer Brian Stelter scoops in The New York Times that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews have been demoted:

MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel's coverage of the election.

That experiment appears to be over.

After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

Stelter presents this as an NBC-driven decision, overseen by MSNBC chief Phil Griffin, NBC News chief Steve Capus, and NBC overall prexy Jeff Zucker. Stelter has certainly done his reporting:

In interviews, 10 current and former staff members said that long-simmering tensions between MSNBC and NBC reached a boiling point during the conventions. "MSNBC is behaving like a heroin addict," one senior staff member observed. "They're living from fix to fix and swearing they'll go into rehab the next week."

And here's some more:

"They have banked the entirety of the network on Keith Olbermann," one employee said.

Yikes! Tell that to some GE exec trying to sell electrical equipment somewhere: Your cable-news subsidiary is dominated by someone who thinks that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a dangerous right-winger, and also writes for Daily Kos--you know, the wackoes who claimed, for example, that Sarah Palin was Trig Palin's grandmother, not mother.

And so this juice, too, from Stelter:

Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, the past and present anchors of "NBC Nightly News," have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division, even while they anchored daytime hours of convention coverage on MSNBC and contributed commentary each evening.

A little liberal bias is par for the MSM course, but MSNBC overdid it, casting its ideological shadow over NBC and CNBC, and making the issue of bias a concern for the general public, not just a few conservative media watchdogs. And that's he point where pension-fund managers, and other fiduciary types, get nervous about a company making enemies and perhaps generating boycotts.

Indeed, The Cable Gamer has it on good Wall Street authority that the MSNBC crisis goes higher than NBC. Zucker's boss, GE CEO Jeff Immelt, has become increasingly concerned about the MSNBC soap opera.

And well he should, since it's GE that's taking the hit; the stock price, which closed at $27.88 on Friday, got no lasting bounce from the Olympics; it is now basically back where it was in early August before its slight run-up during the Beijing games.

Meanwhile, here's a TCG prediction: Olbermann will not take this lying down. Yes, MSNBC pays him $4 million a year, but KO is a hothead. TCG predicts that he will quit, or arrange to get fired.

When all this ends, Immelt will be relieved to be rid of Olbermann. Of course, TCG continues to think that GE will be happy to be rid of NBC altogether.

Cross-posted from The Cable Game.

Posted by The Cable Gamer | Permalink | Comments (18) | | View blog reactions

18 Comments

By Castle

on September 8, 2008 8:25 AM

Long time fan of the site and first comment. First of all thank you guys for this great site. I just had to comment on this latest development. I can finally smell the blood in the water, KO is TOAST!!! Prediction in six months he will be doing the afternoon show on ERR AMERICA along side Al Franken desperate after his failed senate bid.

By Rick on September 8, 2008 9:10 AM

'Mr. Griffin, MSNBC’s president, denies that it has an ideology. “I think ideology means we think one way, and we don’t,” he said. Rather than label MSNBC’s prime time as left-leaning, he says it has passion and point of view."'

Guffaw!

Ladies and gentlemen, the comedy stylings of Mr. Phil Griffin!

By 10th Cavalry on September 8, 2008 10:20 AM

Have said it before. Immelt is a decent person. Stock price or not, there will come a point where the embarassment will become too much. Either Fatass will have to go, or perhaps the comment about GE being sick of the whole thing and peddling NBC will be the conclusion. NBC really doesn't fit their business model anyway.

By Katy Turic on September 8, 2008 10:23 AM

Credibility circles the drain
He'll flame out with the same sad refrain
Implosion pending
Keith's career ending
Code Pink slip if they had a brain

By CountDung on September 8, 2008 12:11 PM

Code Pink Slip

Brilliant!

By Mike C.

on September 8, 2008 12:11 PM

Welcome aboard, Castle.
I think the Cable Gamer is too optimistic. I'm pessimistic. NBC wants to extend Keith's contract through 2013. He isn't going anywhere. If Keith quits or tries to get fired and ends up getting fired, it would be an absolute miracle.

By 10th Cavalry on September 8, 2008 12:20 PM

Fatboy is not a complete fool. Whether he is just publicly lobbying for the 2013 contract or it is true, he will do what he has to in order to get it. Probably then, if they can him he has 5 years at $4mil plus per year for unemployment comp. I would rather see them lag a bit on getting rid of him. He has a lot to offer this election cycle in terms of turning people off and away from his Highness. Maybe late October would be just about perfect.

By Castle

on September 8, 2008 12:45 PM

If you want a good laugh and a step out of reality slip on over to the KOZ they are losing their minds and are in meltdown mode over this whole thing.

By spearule on September 8, 2008 1:25 PM

now that fatkeef is an "analyst", he can really feel free to lob the bombs. i think this attempt to reign the douche in will backfire. let the embarressment continue brokaw, stockholders, advertisers, et al!!! this is too effin funny! oh and the drooler gets shit-canned so keefy wont cry! oh my god, it doesnt get funnier!

By Mike C.

on September 8, 2008 2:10 PM

>If you want a good laugh and a step out of reality slip on over to the KOZ they are losing their minds and are in meltdown mode over this whole thing.
J$ (Johnny Dollar) linked to that Kos entry (known to normal people as a BLOG POST). It was pretty harsh. The far-left meme seems to be David Gregory is a right-winger. One of the examples for their false claim is David providing backup dancing to Karl Rove at last year's Radio & Television Correspondents' Dinner. Since the dinner featured improv actors Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, I watched it intently. Brad walked out to Rove's table and brought him up to the stage. Then, when looking for backup dancers to what would be an improv rap, Brad picked David Gregory and some other guy from the NBC table. The end result was "MC Rove." Rove's lone contribution was uttering "I'm MC Rove!" when Brad prompted him with the lyric: "tell me, what is your name?" Otherwise, Brad rapped, based on Rove's hobbies and occupation, and Colin beatboxed and imitated record scratching.
And for THAT, David Gregory is a right-winger? Or as one Kos Kommenter put it, "a GOP a** clown"?

By ramjet on September 8, 2008 2:28 PM

EdwardROlberman,

Patty, that is you! Heck, Man, how ya' been?

By Mike C.

on September 8, 2008 2:46 PM

You notice how he shows up when I say something. I'd ask which hound ordered him to go after me, but I think he does it on his own.

By Castle

on September 8, 2008 2:59 PM

Hey Edward, here is a test for Koz let us all know what your KOZ name is and then go ahead and post something positive about McCain or something negative about Obama(Or Olbyloon) and see if they have the guts to let it be posted. Wait and see you will be banned for all eternity.

By Wolverine on September 8, 2008 6:23 PM

Definition of a "Dooshbag"(according to EdwardROlbermann):

Someone with a masters who actually learned something in school... Someone who thinks clearly...Someone who hasn't an agenda...
Someone who doesn't cry to get attention...Someone who didn't act like an asshole by jumping on cars and breaking windows during the RNC...Someone with a strong character...Someone with knowledge of what they speak...Someone with a different opinion they he does...Someone who sticks to what they believe, as in "what are you anti-gay you homo"...Someone who doesn't lie...Someone who doesn't believe in being anti-establishment simply because they actually are up to the task of being competitive...Someone who is man enough to keep the same moniker instead of someone who needs to change it after he got his ass handed to him on a daily basis...Someone who doesn't lie...etc....

Well count me in Edward, Howard, Patty or whatever your name is now, I TOO want to be a "DOOSHBAG!"...

You're a piece of work bro..."Have mercy on them for they know not what they do"

By ramjet on September 8, 2008 6:53 PM

Wolverine,

You forgot one pertinent definition:

Someone who knows how to spell Olberman/n.

By Lafinman

on September 8, 2008 6:57 PM

And spell Douchebag, lol

By Wolverine on September 8, 2008 7:06 PM

The list could have gone on ad infinitum, but you're right. After all, we all should at least know how to spell our heroes names. Even when I was a kid I knew very quickly how to spell Walter Klondike's and Audi Murray's names...

By boycott_msDNC on September 8, 2008 7:20 PM

what would alfred e. olberwoman dooch for a Klondike bar

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