After a string of absences, vacations, and days off that would make President Obama green with envy, the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann is set to return to his candlelit podium tonight and resume his proper role as King of Kountdown. And you can expect every element to be back in place: attacks on Republicans, a fawning interviewing with Markos "Screw 'Em" Moulitsas, more smears of Arizona as he truckles to the Big Unions, and of course insults galore, aimed at everyone from members of Congress to Rush Limbaugh. It's the beginning of another week--The Hour of Spin times five. Abandon all hope ye who dare to watch.

Comments are open!

There's so much news breaking on the Oralmann front that we'll just give you the latest high spots and let you take it from there. Suffice it to say that the infamous, deplorable one is once again alienating everyone he works with and for, and in record time:

• The Wrap: Rift deepens between Olby and Current: 'Everyone is replaceable'
• New York Times: Olbermann and Current locked in a bitter struggle for control.
• Hollywood Reporter: Olby lawyers in negotiation with Current over his future role.
• Forbes: Keith Olbermann's days at Current are numbered.
• Mediaite: Emails suggest Olbermann lied about his knowledge of Countdown's status.

Comments are open!

We all know Olbermann doesn't burn bridges at every place he works; he napalms them. Could Current TV be the latest venue for an Olbyplosion? The NY Times seems to think so, based on the fact that the infamous, deplorable one has been noticeably absent from recent special reports and is not scheduled to participate in the first big news night of 2012, the Iowa caucuses:

These absences suggest that there may be new tension between Mr. Olbermann and the managers at Current, who are trying to create a progressive-oriented cable news channel.

In the television industry, Mr. Olbermann is well known for fights with his bosses; stories abound about his refusal to speak to managers and executives. At Current, this behavior has continued, according to four people with knowledge of the situation, one of whom described Mr. Olbermann as "disgruntled."...

On Dec. 22, Mr. Olbermann's last live program of the year, he did not acknowledge his expected absences.

"We'll be bringing you Best of 'Countdown' each night from tomorrow through Monday, Jan. 2, and then back -- live, live, live -- on Tuesday, Jan. 3," he told viewers. "Congratulations on getting through another year of this crap. Good night and good luck."

In fact, Current is planning to pre-empt "Countdown" on Jan. 2 for a two-hour caucus preview hosted by Mr. Uygur, according to its schedule.

Uh oh. What's notable about the above is that it is written by Brian Stelter, so pro-Olbermann that he was seen as an apologist for Bathtub Boy, going so far as to alter or delete posts to conform with the wishes of Olbermann and MSNBC.

Meanwhile, while Twittermann has exploded at news articles that were unfavorable toward his highness, he has remained uncharacteristically silent since this piece hit the web. Things that make you go: hmmmmmm.

Comments are open!

UPDATE: Oralmann has changed his twitter page to remove the statement that he is 'Chief News Officer' of Current tv. And he has still said nothing about the NY Times exposé. Hmmmm.

UPDATE UPDATE: Well it took him over 24 hours, but the infamous, deplorable one has finally come up with a response to the NY Times. It is not very substantive, addresses none of the scheduling changes around his appearances, and says nothing about him removing 'Chief News Officer' from his twitter profile. But this is as close to a response as you'll get from Edward R Olbermann:

• I've just replied to @BrianStelter as follows: anybody who describes my disposition towards Current as "disgruntled" is either uninformed, working from a personal agenda, wrong - or all of the above

Well, that clears that up, eh Keithy?

When it comes to the Great Divide between the 1% and the 99%, there's no doubt where Al Gore, impresario of Current TV, and his partner in crime Keith Olbermann stand. The New York Times reports that Current is dumping practically the entire staff of Vanguard. This documentary series, once regarded as the flagship program of Gore's media machine, was described by 'Chief News Officer' Olbermann in the most glowing terms. Bathtub Boy noted that Vanguard was "a skeleton -- in the most complimentary sense -- of an outstanding international news operation".

Yeah, well, so much for that. The lucky Vanguard staffers are being reassigned; the rest are getting their walking papers. They're out the door, and here's why:

A person who worked on "Vanguard" for years said that Current, while profitable, seemed unable to afford the documentary unit and the new shows. "If you're committed to boots on the ground journalism, there are just fixed costs you can't get around," he said. "And Current isn't exactly flush."

Really? Whatever could Current be spending money on that it can't afford to keep a few lower-level staffers on their payroll? We know the answer to that, don't we?

Keith Olbermann is not in the witness protection program, but he might as well be. His show on Al Gore's Current TV (America's least watched network) has lost nearly a third of its viewers in four months. Pretty impressive result for $10 million a year. That's just his salary.

Even back then, media writers knew that the facade at Current TV couldn't sustain Oralmann's King Midas salary. It was inevitable that all those lower level jobs would be jettisoned in order to make it possible to pay Olby and keep his bathtub full:

Al Gore, Current's chairman and co-founder, is also whistling a symphony past this particular graveyard. He told Crain's New York: "We're going to be creating a lot of jobs for people who are not afraid to speak truth to power." We can only hope this isn't the former vice president's solution to the unemployment problem.

However, some people are getting good jobs at good wages. In addition to recently hiring Bohrmann, former head of CNN's Washington bureau, it has also picked up Shelley Lewis as executive vice president of programming. Lewis' previous experience includes co-creating the Air America Radio network. Well, that certainly turned out well. The network's other new employees include former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm.

Where Current gets the money to pay these people or even stay in business is anybody's guess.

So Edward R Olbermann and his 1% pals settle into their cushy leather chairs in their Current tv penthouses, while the people who do the real labor of producing documentaries--the hard working 99%--get shown the door. All by command of Current's Chief News Officer: the infamous, deplorable one himself.

Keith Olbermann, thy name is hypocrisy!

Comments are open!

Just what is it with Edward R Olbermann and Twitter anyhow? When he's not lying about Twitter to smear someone, or using Twitter to lie about his own words, the infamous deplorable one is getting himself in hot water by ridiculing and minimizing charges of rape. And just when you think Oralmann might have this interweb thing sussed out, he goes and walks into another propellor.

This has all the hallmarks of Olby's previous twitter snits: blocking people, alienating fans, nasty treatment of women...a compendium of Keith's Greatest Hits. Let Ceilidh-ann explain it all in what has become a disturbingly familiar pattern of Olbermann derangement:

My tweet being mentioned here is this:

• "What do Bachmann's looks have to do with it, Lewis? #Countdown"

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's physical appearance was mentioned in one of Lewis's comments, which I found unfair since it's unfair and extremely misplaced to emphasise style over substance in politics, especially in regards to women, who have faced such discrimination for so long. I never followed up on this tweet except for a couple replies to friends, and my tweet wasn't meant as some malicious insult to Lewis. Olbermann's justification for blocking me came here again in another reply to a friend of mine:

• "Just the last name is far more insulting than just the first. We're done here."

This is new to me. I've always been told that it's ruder to refer to someone you don't know by their first name, since it adds an edge of condescension to the equation, and with twitter, tone is so hard to grasp sometimes. Countdown is a political show and it's commonplace, or at least it is in UK, to refer to political figures by their surnames. I do it all the time and I know I'm not the only one. 140 characters requires brevity. The choice of surname wasn't meant as some damning critique of Lewis, nor was it meant as the insult of the century. Besides, Olbermann refers to someone by their surname a few tweets earlier. Maybe it's only rude if you're British:

https://twitter.com/#!/KeithOlbermann/status/141677694415937537

There's much more so read the whole thing and marvel at the inner workings of that miasma of paranoia and insecurity that is Olbermann's Brain. Then you'll have some idea why Bathtub Boy has once again gone on a twitter semi-boycott: he'll continue to post plugs for his show, but he won't lower himself by actually replying to the rabble:

• Ok, my thanks to everybody, but life is brief. TFN I won't be replying to tweets.

Man, if we wanted to we couldn't make up crazy like this.

Comments are open!

We've said it again and again, and the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann continues to verify what Olbermann Watch has been exposing for years. Edward R Olbermann smears people with lies. He gets his source material from blue blogs. Rip 'n' Read Olbermann then repeats whatever smear he finds there, ramping it up with name calling and other hysterical bits of performance art, and the gullible Olbyloons who think he is a 'journalist' with only the most 'reliable sources' lap it up like the credulous lemmings they are.

The latest example: Oralmann claims Rep Alan West boasted of being a member of a white supremacist biker gang. Where did Monkeymann get this hot news flash from? Maybe The Pulp. Possibly Democratic Underground. Whatever it was, Edward R Olbermann obviously never listened to the audio (which clearly reveals West in a sarcastic, this-is-the-kind-of-crap-I-have-to-put-up-with mode) or he did and decided not to let the truth stand in the way of his latest smear.

But even the left-leaning media aren't buying the latest Olbermann Lie. Here's Tommy Christopher:

Keith Olbermann gave Rep. Allen West (R-FL) top honors in his "Worst Persons" segment, ostensibly for "admitting" (and even "bragging") that he was a member of a white supremacist motorcycle gang, after denying any connection to such a gang for the past year or so.

While West's courtship of motorcycle clubs like The Outlaws is still worthy of scrutiny, the fact is that he made no such admission....

On his program last night, Keith Olbermann mangled even the basic background of the story, saying that last year, NBC reported that "goddamned liar" West "had once been a member of an otherwise all-white motorcycle gang."...it's hard to imagine something so obvious getting past everyone on his show.

No it isn't. Bathtub Boy's gaggle of yes-men never tell the Emperor about those new clothes he's wearing. Olbermann wouldn't hire them if they did.

Comments are open!

Comments are open!

These photos, courtesy of the UK Daily Mail, document this historic occasion. It is not known if Oralmann took advantage of the marijuana and heroin sales on offer at the site. But, to use a classic Olby argumentation technique, he has so far refused to denounce the drug sellers and their criminal activities; he has yet to disassociate himself from their deadly trade. Just when will he do so?

There is no joy in Kosville; Mighty Olby has struck out. Hard to believe but the longer he's on Current TV, the more viewers turn away in droves. It was right here at Olbermann Watch where you heard first the truth about Oralmann's ratings: after opening night the numbers would begin their inexorable, inevitable decline. And sure enough, the infamous, deplorable one's audience size has been shrinking so badly even Keith's pocketful of Cialis can't help him any longer.

As reported by the New York Daily News, the pitifully small viewership of Countdown has gotten even smaller:

Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" has experienced quite a comedown since leaving MSNBC.

After debuting to promising ratings on the Current cable network in late June, Olbermann's political commentary show posted its lowest numbers yet the week of Sept 5-11.

...According to one source, "Countdown" ranked among the top 20 cable news shows when it ran on MSNBC. (After almost eight years at the left-leaning network, Olbermann abruptly announced on-air Jan. 21 that that night's show would be his last.)

In August, that source says "Countdown" on Current ranked 65th.

At this rate, Keith will soon be battling it out for bottom place with the ShamWow guy and Snuggies.

Comments are open!

No matter how many times we chronicle the Olbermann lies about Fox News, they keep coming. Today progressive blogger Tommy Christopher gets the credit for spotting the latest Olbysmear, this time of journalist (a foreign concept to Keith) Ed Henry:

Olbermann slammed Henry as "mediocre," and falsely accused him of ascribing violent intent to Hoffa... his slaps at Ed Henry are unwarranted, and inaccurate.

Christopher shows Keith was lying even about the number of words Mr Henry spoke! Is there nothing Oralmann won't fabricate to satisfy his diseased paranoia?

Comments are open!

Comments are open!

We've commented repeatedly on how tight-lipped Olbermann's corporate masters have been with ratings information. Olby, who in his salad days at A-Mess-NBC regularly touted his strong (i.e. losing) ratings in the 'money demo', has now lapsed into the sound of silence when it comes to Nielsen numbers.

The reason for that became clear today as the Hollywood Reporter revealed the latest ratings for the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann and his community access cable hour. Yes, you guessed it: Countdown has achieved record ratings. Record lows that is. Under Herr Olbermahn's stewardship the program has sunk to its lowest 25-54 viewership level evah:

Keith Olbermann's Countdown on Current hit an all-time low last week in the 25-54 demographic. The show pulled in 85,000 viewers in the demo, that was down 2 percent compared to the previous week when the debt ceiling debate was still roiling Washington. Countdown averaged 208,000 total viewers, up 5 percent week-to-week.

Of course Current suits are spinning the numbers as 'outstanding' (!), but they are whistling past the graveyard. Because things are only going to get worse for Olby:

Olbermann has new competition at 8 p.m. as Anderson Cooper 360 moved into the hour and immediately posted double-digit demo gains compared to CNN's previous time-period average. On Tuesday, Cooper's second night anchoring at 8 p.m., the show averaged 228,000 viewers in the demo. Cooper has anchored the program this week from Africa. He was at the Kenya-Somalia border for Monday's show and Mogadishu on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Go Coop!

How long will Al Gore keep paying Olbermann's salary, which was pegged at $10 million so that Keith could brag he's making as much as Bill O'Reilly? For a whopping 85,000 pairs of eyeballs, compared with the 600,000 to 900,000 demo viewers who turn in to Mr Bill nightly? Remember our cable news chart? Olby's 85,000 viewers lands him in 48th place, behind the already-cancelled Cenk Uygur, FNC's 3:00 am Red Eye, and HLN's struggling Showbiz Tonight. Well done, Al. Keep it up, Keith!

Comments are open!

David Bohrman was best known as the CNN exec who came up with such brilliant journalistic insights as election-night holograms. Now he has fled the CNN fold, only to take charge of Current TV...which is like leaving a multi-national corporation to go and run a cable access station. No, it isn't like that. It is that!

But have no fear. In an interview Borhman promises that Current will remain all progressive all the time. The subject of ratings comes up, but DB gives no information whatsoever. In other words, they still suck.

Respected critic David Zurawik ponders if even this wunderkind from CNN can make a silk purse out of the sow's ear that is Keith Olbermann:

Maybe if Borhman digs deep enough, he will find a journalist under all the rhetorical mustard that now constitutes Olbermann's act. The question is whether Olbermann will be wise enough to listen to his new boss and become a responsible member of the press rather than a strange performer in a sideshow tent far off the midway of TV and American political life.

We can answer that: No.

Comments are open!