MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams – who, we hear, has it out for us – has reason to gloat: Ratings are up, Keith Olbermann's name is everywhere, and his decision to phase out live news programming in favor of documenataries is, ahem, actually working. Reports TV Week:

The fact that the network started with a smaller audience than No. 1 Fox News Channel and second-place CNN made those percentage gains easier to post. But the 8 p.m. "Olbermann" increased its total audience 66 percent to 744,000 in November, compared with a year earlier. MSNBC's 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. documentary slate drew a 31 percent bigger audience than last year's live shows, helping to vindicate a strategy that was derided by news purists when it kicked off in the fall.

Granted, it's not exactly fair to call pedophiliac expos� factory Chris Hansen's increased frequency on the channel a progressive step toward quality programming, but we'll hand the Dan man one when he deserves it. Well done, Abrams. Now prove us wrong about Rita Cosby and Tucker Carlson getting the boot.