Saturday, January 22, 2011

Keith Olbermann To Leave MSNBC,

Keith Olbermann To Leave MSNBC, Wait Up Keith, I'm Leaving Too!




Say it isn't so!! I keep searching; hoping to find out that it is a joke. But it appears to be another kick to the head, by the powers that be, for those of us who enjoy truth delivered by one with so much integrity that his very presence oozes goodness & honesty. Now, for me anyway, there's no reason to keep the package Dish charges me for delivering MSNBC. Without Countdown MSNBC will just be too sad to watch. :-(
Please sign statement: THANK YOU KEITH

thinkingblue

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The Night The Lights Went Out On NBC

Russell Simmons gives props to Keith Olbermann for speaking truth to power!

NBC is a great institution based in the landmark Rockefeller Plaza where TV and Radio began in this country. On Friday night, a bright light was dimmed for no explicable reason, when Keith Olbermann delivered his final show of Countdown on MSNBC. It is being reported that the deal for his removal from the network has been in the works for weeks. Maybe it was someone’s ego, maybe he was too honest and forthright. But I can’t help but feel that the less honest the right extreme is, the more heavily they get promoted; the more honest and the progressive voices are, the more they get silenced. This is where Edward Morrow’s American media is at today. KEEP READING

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Keith Olbermann Leaves MSNBC

Keith Olbermann, the controversial host of
MSNBC's "Countdown," abruptly announced his departure
at the end of last night's show.

The cable news network's officials released a statement saying
that they and Olbermann decided to end his contract, but no
further explanation was given.

In saying goodbye, Olbermann thanked his fans for sticking with
him through good times and bad, especially over the last few years.

"There were many occasions particularly in the last
two-and-a-half years where all that surrounded the show, but
never the show itself, was just too much for me," said
Olbermann. "But your support and loyalty and, if I may use
the word, insistence, ultimately required that I keep going."

Olbermann was suspended for two days last November for donating
money to Democratic candidates, a violation of NBC News policy.

He later claimed he was being punished for violating what he
called an "inconsistently applied" rule he had known
nothing about.

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Olbermann and MSNBC: a failing relationship

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer – Sat Jan 22, 6:17 pm ET
NEW YORK – Keith Olbermann's exit from MSNBC appeared abrupt to viewers of his show, but the talk-show host and his network were involved "in a relationship that's been failing for a long time," an NBC Universal executive said Saturday.

Olbermann's announcement at the end of Friday's "Countdown" that it would be his last show quiets, at least for the moment, the most dominant liberal voice in a cable-television world where opinionated talk has been the most bankable trend over the past several years.

As Olbermann read from a James Thurber short story during a three-minute exit statement Friday night, MSNBC simultaneously e-mailed a statement to reporters that the network and host "have ended their contract." Neither indicated a reason nor addressed whether Olbermann quit or was fired.

But the NBC Universal executive characterized it as a mutual parting of the ways, with Olbermann taking the first step. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because settlement talks were kept confidential.

Olbermann was nearly fired in November but instead was suspended for two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns, including the congressional campaign of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He returned and apologized to his fans, but not the network.

Last fall, Olbermann saw his role on NBC's `Sunday Night Football" eliminated. Olbermann, a former sports anchor, had willingly worked six days a week to be involved with the highly rated football telecast. NBC said he was removed so he could concentrate on his MSNBC job.

MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines insisted Olbermann's exit had nothing to do with the acquisition of parent company NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval Tuesday. That deal marks the exit of NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who saw Olbermann's value in turning around a once-unprofitable network, despite headaches the mercurial personality sometimes caused his bosses.

Olbermann and his manager did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday. MORE HERE