Keith Olbermann Single-Handedly Destroying MSNBC
Frances Martel
A few months ago, we brought you a story detailing just some of the myriad character flaws that have made of MSNBC correspondent and host of the program “Countdown” Keith Olbermann a persona non grata in many political circles. A rare combination of egomania, hypocrisy and flagrant disrespect for all around him have made of “Countdown” a ratings hit, overpowering Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” for the first time almost a month ago. But now that the program is on hold during the DNC and Olbermann is forced to interact with his coworkers, it appears that the network is beginning to suffer some karma for making a deal with the devil.
According to myriad reports from sites such as Politico and Jossip (as well as tons of YouTube gems from see-it-to-believe-it hate-filled shouting matches that actually aired live), MSNBC is falling apart from within, slumping in the ratings and forcing network heads to excuse the outrageous behavior on-screen. While one of the stress-filled events concerned “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough and Chelsea Clinton pimp David Shuster, most of the trouble has been caused by the very character that had brought the network from third to first in ratings as early as last week.
The “Rip Van Shuster” incident ended in a reluctant hug session, but spouts between Olbermann and “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, NBC sage Tom Brokaw, and Joe Scarborough have not ended so warmly. Moreover, Olbermann is forcing network head Phil Griffin to defend his greatest ratings-grab and his complete disrespect for all his coworkers save the channel’s newest TV host Rachel Maddow, who is taking some heat for being caught in between Olbermann (who is accredited in part for getting her a show) and every other rational person in the network. Maddow has kept out the of the debate so far, along with Pat Buchanan and most pundits on the secondary MSNBC panel. Contrary to what common sense may suggest, however, this inter-pundit drama has not brought in a ratings haul for the network, which has now fallen down to third in the ratings under CNN and Fox News, respectively. Many insiders are directly blaming the tension between employees on the network, as the bitter rivalries have overshadowed DNC coverage for the past three days. Check out more details on the downfall of MSNBC and the outrage surrounding Olbermann’s eccentric relationship here.
