One might think 30 Rock wouldn't be particularly excited about Peter Boyer's 6,200-word New Yorker profile of Keith Olbermann that's intent on revisiting every charge of polarizing bias aimed his way in recent weeks and months. But, apparently, they weren't, since everyone from MSNBC head Phil Griffin to Olbermann himself participated in the article. Then again, the profile isn't as anti-Olbermann as, say, Fox News' PR department could have hoped.
Olbermann, who says he chose his 4th floor corner office at 30 Rock because it has a view of Fox News' studios across Sixth Avenue, has enjoyed both Jesus and pariah status atop his Countdown post. His fans are legion; his critics are loyal. Some of his biggest naysayers have, rightly so, come from across the avenue: Names like Bill O'Reilly and Steve Doocy come to mind, and those are just the ones with public soapboxes.
But many of the folks who have tired of Olbermann's routine also walk the same halls of 30 Rock he does.
There's Tom Brokaw, the former NBC Nightly News anchor, whose blood pressure must rise every time he sees Olbermann anchoring a "news" broadcast, like the time Chris Matthews insinuated Hillary Clinton's entire candidacy rested on husband Bill's sexual indiscretions. Says Brokaw: "It was completely out of line. And Keith took it to another level [with his] shut the hell up" commentary.
There's the late Tim Russert, who, like Brokaw, never liked this idea of mixing news and opinion, tried keeping his distance from Olbermann: "Keith and I have each carved out our roles in this vast information spectrum. … What cable emphasizes, more and more, is opinion, or even advocacy. Whether it’s Bill O’Reilly or Keith Olbermann or Lou Dobbs, that’s what that particular platform or venue does. It’s not what I do. What I do is different. I try very, very hard not to come up and say to people, ‘This is what I believe,’ or ‘This is good,’ or ‘This is bad.’ But, rather, ‘This is what I’m learning in my reporting,’ or ‘This is what my analysis shows based on my reporting.’ And as long as I can do that I’m very, very comfortable. And nobody has asked me to do anything but that."
And even Phil Griffin, who can only love Olbermann for the competitive ratings he's brought to the network, has his qualms: "It was, like, you meet a guy and you fall in love with him, and he’s funny and he’s clever and he’s witty, and he’s all these great things. And then you commit yourself to him, and he turns out to be a jerk and difficult and brutal. And that is how the Hillary viewers see him. It’s true." But: "But I do think they’re going to come back. There’s nowhere else to go."
Editorial Director
I think Keith Olbermann is the most important "news broadcaster" to come along in decades. For years we heard all of the cable "news" from the same bullhorn. Each "news" story was all shrink wrapped, boxed and shipped out to the masses, just bearing different labels. Then along comes Keith, daring to take a different position, to speak truth to power and above all to say the things that millions of Americans were thinking and saying but they were never heard and had no voice. Keith Olbermann is now that voice and it is no small wonder that so many of his "speeches" have sent a chill of excitement up and down the spines of those whose voices had been supressed for so long by the likes of Fox and Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. I don't think O'Reilley would have been put in his place if it weren't for Keith Olbermann and his rise in the ranks and in his audience speaks for itself. Someone recently said to me they worry that Keith Olbermann will go off the air and leave us with noone to challenge the right wing extremists that have ruled for so long. I think he was abusive and unfair to Hillary Clinton during the primary campaign, but his good outweighs his bad, and I think he should be supported and appreciated for the great work he is doing for the American people. I just hope his next book is better.
At one time I would have gone so far as to suggest KO for MTP moderator. But in the last two years he's become a walking cliche. He's pissing off people left and right from within and outside of NBC. He's an alienating, polarizing figure who also happens to be by own his friend's admission: a crazy, self-obsessed jerk. When your champions are bad-mouthing you like that, who needs enemies?
I hope you're not insinuating that Tim Russert disliked Keith Olbermann in any way by saying he "tried keeping his distance." If you watched any of Olbermann's MSNBC coverage of Russert's death on Friday you would see the sincere affection and friendship and respect that they had for each other.
I LOVE Keith!! Listen to him to get the truth others are afraid of!
I am a huge fan of Keith Olbermann's reporting and opinions! After years of accepting the bullying tactics of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and other conservative blowhards, while listening to Air America fight to stay afloat, Olbermann's at the right time and on the money every night. Tim Russert was a great broadcaster. As different as night from day, Keith Olbermann is a great broadcaster.
Keith Olbermann has turned into a useless dick that shills for the Obama camp every chance he gets. He's an embarassment to him and MSNBC - if he didn't have semi-good ratings they'd kick him to the curb just like anyone else.
The funny line is where Phil Griffin thinks viewers will be coming back - not a chance - I wouldn't watch that freakshow if they paid me. And guess what there ARE other news stations out there….CNN, BBC, Fox…..plenty of other places to go without having to listen to the rants of that asshole.
And yes, there are numerous documented instances of clashes between Russert and Olbermann….just because Keith talked like a depressed school marm during his broadcast doesn't indicate a friendship between the two - it just shows Keith giving the audience what he thought they wanted.
Brokaw and Russert were not and are not fans of Olbermanns…..that's the difference between "journalists" and "pundits"…..
Used to record Countdown so as to never miss a show. Olbermann got tiresome and out of pure disinterest Countdown did not make it to my new DVR. Haven't missed it in the slightest. Phil Griffin is deluding himself if he thinks people irritated by Olbermann's nasty harangues will come back to him because there is nowhere else to go. My quality of life is much improved after dropping MSNBC. and from the perspective of time MSNBC = Faux News. Olbermann is no better than any of the self-involved egomaniac yakkers on Fox.