I think KO's been given notice.

[Skip Intro]

He's taking things up a notch.

He's saying what we, at least we here at DU, know to be true.

He's not pulling any punches. In fact, he's on the offensive.

Can MSNBC keep this on the air? Will they?

I have to wonder.


KO's commentary tonight, in which he referred to bush as "mr. bush" instead of president - this caught my ear, was ruthless. You just don't find this anywhere else on cable or network tv.

He's going all out for a reason, I think. There's a reason he's turning things up. Either he's got the clout to remain regardless of who he offends, which I guess is a possibility, though I remember Donahue, or he's been given notice that his days are numbered at the network.

There's certainly pressure to fire or censure or censor him. I don't doubt that for a minute. And it must increase as KO's statements and reports, negative to bush, increase.

He speaks for me and its a thrill to hear someone on a national network say what I think. But I fear he's speaking his mind, so clearly and eloquently, because he knows he won't be there much longer.

Gut feeling.

Hope I'm wrong.



edited to add email addresses to support KO:

------------------
Show your approval of Keith's Countdown show and commentary:
1. [e-mail]
2. [e-mail]
3. [e-mail]
4. [e-mail]
5. [e-mail] (Dan Abrams is now MSNBC's general manager)"
------------------

these are from another thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2166226

[karlrschneider]

1. I have to think and hope he's echoing my own sentiments: I'm mad

as hell and I'm not taking their shit any more. We shall see, I suppose.

[roguevalley]

40. an article about him on Salon said that they wanted him to do this

all the time. He wants to pull out his guns when they count. :) he has support.

[NYCGirl]

2. Are you kidding? The management loves this. The ratings are soaring. NT

[charlyvi]

6. I agree.

Ratings trump ideology always. And they also have every other program countering anything Keith says.

[City Lights]

26. Ratings didn't help Donahue when he was on MSNBC. eom

[NYCGirl]

29. That was then, this is now. NT

[City Lights]

36. Yeah, so.

The poster said, "Ratings trump ideology always." I disagree. I think the reason Keith can speak his mind is not because ratings trump ideology always, but rather because public opinion on the chimp's war has changed drastically since Donahue's days at MSNBC. If MSNBC only cared about ratings, Donahue wouldn't have been fired.

[Canuckistanian]

63. She should have said ratings PLUS poll numbers

At the time, Bush had the poll numbers (about 65%, IIRC).

And you can't get viewers for a minority point of view, no matter how passionate.

[City Lights]

72. But Donahue had the numbers.

He was the only one asking tough questions about the war, and his show was MSNBC's highest rated show at the time, but because the majority of Americans disagreed with his viewpoint, he was canned.

[MessiahRp]

97. Dan Abrams wasn't in charge then

Abrams is in charge of getting MSNBC's ratings up and making it a profitable venture. If Donahue was on now and producing good numbers Abrams would be fully in support of it.

You have to cut the new guy some slack here. He wasn't behind Donahue's cancellation and has given the green light to Olbermann, who has become the network's biggest star.

Rp

[elperromagico]

60. At the time, MSNBC was trying anything and everything.

Donahue's show drew good ratings for an MSNBC program but I think MSNBC wanted more. So they gave up on Donahue.

Now, they seem far more willing to stick with something and let it find an audience.

Countdown is finding an audience. The controversy of KO's comments is drawing an even bigger audience. So they'll stick with it longer.

[wordpix]

109. I don't think Donahue had the ratings KO is getting and KO's keeps growing

[TahitiNut]

20. Yep. They're even running spots for Keith's "Commentary" segment.

They're investing their ad budget in him ... they KNOW it's a draw. Their ratings have to be climbing like gas prices after an election.

[me b zola]

47. I also think it is meant to boost Scarborough's numbers

Networks often put a hot show before a new or slipping show because there are always the viewers who will watch the following show at least enough to see if it is interesting. Scarborough's show has been changing--they try to use humor bits (not very funny), and they have been having more topics that are interesting to Liberals--at least the level of rw hate has decreased to some degree.

What I fear is that if Scarborough gets better numbers they will drop KO then. But then again I don't see him getting numbers anywhere close to Keith.

[TahitiNut]

51. On the flipside, when they see the tune-out slope ...

... that cuts the audience in half or more BEFORE THE FIRST COMMERCIAL BREAK, they might consider canning Joe. He's a disaster. There's no way he holds up to the audience tuning in for Keith. It just makes him look worse ... even to the insensate.

[Spiffarino]

77. I've been watching Scarborough a little more often

Thanks to Olbermann being on ahead of him, I've taken to watching at least a few minutes of Scarborough Country. A guest on tonight referred to Bush as, "your boy Bush," and Scarborough nearly came unglued.

I think Olbermann may be having an impact all over MSNBC. Even Tweety seems to be jumping off the Bushbus.

There's also this:

Aug. #'s: Total Viewers Vs. Aug. 2005

Total day:

............. FOX ... CNN .. MSNBC
Aug. '06: ... 933 ... 584 ... 277
Aug. '05:...1,001 ... 433 ... 220
% change: -7% .. +35% .. +26%


Primetime:

..............FOX......CNN....MSNBC
Aug. '06: ... 1,511 ... 902 ... 371
Aug. '05: ... 2,093 ... 748 ... 349
% change: -28% .. +21% .. +6%

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[KittyWampus]

48. Their ratings have to be climbing like gas prices after an election.

hee!

You can really turn a phrase every so often.

[gumby]

57. Good point.

I took notice of that too. MSNBC has been running spots 'advertising' KO's Commentaries.

Very significant.

[samsingh]

82. wow - Keith is a brilliant and courageous man

it feels good to listen to someone on TV who is clearly intelligent - unlike the rush's and o'lielly's of the world.

[rodeodance]

23. and the O'Lielly crew et al is jealous.

[Subdivisions]

3. Also, don't forget that his last commentary ended up on the Senate

Floor when Reid quoted him. So now, that commentary is part of the public Congressional record.

[rodeodance]

30. and which courageous Dem will quote him tomorrow?

[ThomWV]

4. If His Numbers Go Up He'll Stay

That simple.

[bobbolink]

10. Hmmm, that worked so well for Donohue.

[Dinger]

42. He Should Have Donahue On!!

Whaddaya think?

[bobbolink]

43. I suggested that a while back. I'd love to see the two of them together.

Probably not a wise move, however. :shrug:

If I have to live a lot longer, I hope it's rewarded with seeing/hearing all these media types spilling their guts about what has really gone on.

I imagine Phil is sick about this country...

[QuestionAll...]

13. not in the bush world. don't be naive. nt

[Truthiness Inspector]

5. He called him Mr. Bush

in his Sept. 11 broadcast too.

[Subdivisions]

11. Yep. I noted that too. Then and now.

[TahitiNut]

27. Titles and honorifics are ... un-American. (And undeserved in this case.)

:shrug: Lord. Sir. Lady. Baron.

I detest the habit of inflated forms of address and salutations. Just list the position after a comma following their name. At least that's my stance.

[mwooldri]

78. Well BBC announcers call El Presidente Mr. Bush anyway.

So there's nothing new in Keith Olberman addressing el presidente by his given name.

But then they're overseas and are out of the reach of the government censors here.

/Mark.

[TechBear_Seattle]

54. You know who really started that custom? George Washington

Soon after being elected as the first President of the United States (under the Constitution, that is; there were nine presidents before him under the Articles of Confederation), Washington was asked about the protocol that would be used in addressing him. Your Grace? Your Exellency? Washington thought a moment and replied, "Mister President will be sufficient."

US Presidents have been "Mister" ever since.

[sofa king]

84. KO is obviously a student of history.

The reference is almost certainly an allusion to the War of 1812, another expansionist war (invasion of Canada) based upon false pretenses (pressing of American sailors) which was "commenced in folly... proposed to be carried on with madness and (unless speedily terminated) will end in ruin." Speedy termination did in fact abate total ruin.

Techbear above is correct about referring to the President directly as "Mr. President," however, in the third person etiquette required the officeholder to be referred to as "President So-and-so." That holds true today.

As a stinging rebuke, the War of 1812 was therefore styled by those in opposition as Mr. Madison's War. The omission suggested that President Madison was unworthy of the title, and of the office.

Keith Olberman's backhand is not only appropriate, it is soaked with painful precedent which we would do well to remember.

[Kolesar]

92. Is not "President" a title, like "Doctor", "Sergeant", or "Prince"...?

So, the Americans created a new title out of what was a term for an administrative/leadership position (president). The new democracy would not have a leader addressed as "Your Excellency", or whatever, so we came up with a humbler title.

That is why Gerald Ford and William Clinton are still properly referred to as "President Ford" and "President Clinton", although they are actually former presidents.

--0--
Your take on the War of 1812 is interesting. I had considered it that the British were not respecting our territorial holdings in the Ohio region, and were trying to retake it.

[sofa king]

106. 1812

That may have been one of the claims for justifying the war, and it may have been a claim with some validity, as the outrage over impressment of sailors was.

But look at what the United States actually did: as soon as it could, it launched a three-pronged invasion into territory which was and still is Canada.

After that invasion was soundly defeated and turned back, then the war became all about trying to maintain US claims to the Ohio and Michigan regions, because suddenly the US was in danger of losing those claims, rather than adding to them by snagging the Canadian Great Lakes region.

[Kolesar]

108. Remember the Alamo!

...and take California for spoils. (Heard there's gold in them hills!)

[4_TN_TITANS]

100. Excellent explanation....

that's my take on it too... Not everybody recognizes the intention, but I'm glad "Mr. Bush" is being heard more and more lately! President my ass....

[Clark2008]

105. Actually, it has nothing to do with all that.

It's just AP Style.

Something all journalists learn in J-School.

[Berry Cool]

7. I think you're wrong.

He's speaking, to me, like a man who knows he's been given free rein to speak freely everything that's on his mind, and at length, because it gets his network attention. Because it gets ratings. Because it gets picked up and placed on YouTube and hundreds of thousands more people see it than would normally tune into his show on MSNBC. Because they watch these viral videos of his commentaries and say "Damn, I'm watching this guy's show from now on!" Which translates into higher ratings and thus better ad sales.

I think this is a man whose management realizes it is lucky enough to have on hand a piece of writing and performing talent whose opinions of the current administration are exactly what a growing number of people in this country want and need to hear. That not all is lost. That someone still remembers the ideals America was founded on...even if the current administration does not. And who has the guts to say so.

[AX10]

22. I think you are right on this.

[calmblueocean]

76. Nicely said.

It's been more than a generation since we've had an actual liberal commentator speak out like this. Olbermann is a very scarce commodity indeed.

[tomp]

88. if you're right, we should see competition soon.

if it's about the money, and this kind of commentary brings in the money, the we should see other stations picking up the format. see any signs of that?

[Kolesar]

93. CBS: "60 Minutes" criticizes the Bush* administration ... eom

[movonne]

8. I would think that they MSNBC must know what he is going to say..I

think someone would have to see what he is going to say...

[Laurab]

56. I agree - or they wouldn't be sending previews

via email. They KNOW he has a huge following, and they're actually promoting him. They may not know exactly what he's going to say, but they know he's speaking for a lot of us.

[Sydnie]

9. He has called him Mr. Bush for sometime now

when speaking of him. If he is covering a news item, he will say the President. As it should be, I guess.

I think we have a chance to change the flavor of MSNBC all together if we show outstanding support for the statements he is making. Abrams is listening. He is allowing it to continue and he is reaping the benefit of more "juice" because of it.

Send Abrams an email and tell him you're liking what Keith is saying so it continues. That's the best way to support Keith right now.

[Skip Intro]

15. Good Idea. Emails of support.

I hadn't noticed he'd referred to bush as Mr. before.

Off to write an email....

[Sydnie]

21. all the email addresses listed in this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2166226&mesg_id=2166226

[Skip Intro]

39. Added to op.

thanks

[bdamomma]

12. has it become so bad that now we question ourselves

that when a person speaks out and tells the truth like Keith did tonite and other previous nights that he will be pulled of the air, now other than being unable to think we are unable to speak, that is chilling.

[NOLADEM]

18. Unfortunately, yes

Especially when his employer is a joint venture between a heartless monopoly (microsoft) and a defense conglomerate (GE).

[Generator]

14. Opposite reaction

Clearly his higher ups know he's doing these commentaries, it's boosting the ratings and all is swell. On the down side, his show is the one boat in a sea of propaganda making us feel "free" when I fear it's just done to appease us. (Not him personally-he's the real deal) We can hope the tide is turning, they know Bush will be gone soon-only two more years of terror and torture left-and that isn't just I don't know-a limited hangout or something.

Stay away from DU-it makes you very very paranoid.

[LTR]

16. I highly doubt MSNBC can afford to get rid of him

He's their last hope to save that network.

I mean, what are they gonna do? Build around "Hardball"? No chance.

Keith O. is MSNBC's rising star. And he has tremendous upside as well, if they have any hope of being competitive in cable news. They aren't gonna go anywere running prison documentaries, I'll tell ya that much. And nobody gives two shits about Scarboy and Tucker.

[KittyWampus]

52. Olbermann's show has redefined news. I like his mix of Oddball stories

hard news stories, some sports issues and commentary and commentators mixed up.

And every so often he has Bush propaganda on that his higher ups probably insist he must include.

It's news but it actually is entertaining.

It's entertaining without being "Entertainment". :)

[rzemanfl]

17. I think he sounds like someone whose literary agent has advised

him that his book is has sold enough copies so that he is set for life no matter what happens. I worry that * might have him shot, plane crashed or disappeared, though.

[NYCGirl]

31. He's not making THAT much money on the book. NT

[rzemanfl]

113. Okay, so how much is he making? I see people getting huge

advances for crappy stories of their crappy lives. I am also assuming that K.O. has saved a few bucks over the years.

[applegrove]

19. Bush has always been called "mr. bush". Never President Bush. Part

of the good ole boy act. Didn't you notice that before?

[July]

98. Who calls him Mr. Bush besides KO?

I think I've read links here about his getting annoyed when people don't call him "Mr. President." And I think that even before the selection, during the post-election craziness, he was sporting a presidential-style logo (now that he's in, everything he owns seems to have the presidential seal on it). When he campaigned he was referred to as George W. Bush or Governor Bush.

[applegrove]

112. CNN calls him Mr. Bush and always has....

[135th]

24. "mr. bush"

He better watch out, or Bob Dole will call him on that.

[Evergreen Emerald]

25. Someone in the media has to stand out in the history books

He will be the one in our time who stood up against the pressure from the administration to be a typist of propaganda rather than a reporter. Not many have to date.

[Hamlette]

28. He said in an interview his bosses told him to TURN IT UP!

he said they recognize that his comments have resulted in a bump in his ratings. He said it's all about the dollar. This was a week or two ago on Salon. Sorry, don't have the link.

I'm not the least bit worried.

[MoonRiver]

41. I would love you to start a separate thread about this.

I don't understand why people want to project doom and gloom, when the opposite appears to be the case! :shrug:

[Eric J in MN]

45. Here is the quote.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/11/olbermann/index1.html

Is there anyone over in corporate headquarters who's seeing what happens as you take this approach and saying, "Keep doing this, it's helping you"?

KEITH OLBERMANN: Oh, yeah. If there has been any negative reaction to it, it has been kept from me. In other words, they have the way you would want employers in this situation to approach it. They have been supportive. They have been interested in what they are supposed to be interested in on a corporate level, which is making money. More ratings, of course. More money. It's not a complicated solution. It's the reason that Fox owns Fox News Channel and, say, "Family Guy." Wherever you can make the money is what interests them and it's -- ironically, given the flaws in commercial broadcasting as opposed to some other models, such as commercial-free broadcasting -- it is one of the protections of our liberties that the people who are owning most of it are at bottom line interested only in making money, and whatever makes money is what they will go for. That's one of our great protections ... In fact, sometimes I have to turn to them and say, "No. I know you like this and I know you think this is going to do real well for you in the ratings, but just don't pull the gun out of the holster every 35 seconds." If anything, I have to calm them down, rather than the other way around.

[Jack Rabbit]

32. I've been calling him "Mr. Bush" for almost six years

At least when I'm not calling him the Frat Boy, the White House squatter or His Imperial Incompetency.

[SoCalDem]

46. You are too polite.. I never use "mr"..

:)

[Jack Rabbit]

71. I'm sorry. My mommy raised me that way.

Besides, Mr. is about the only title he's ever really earned.

He earned it the same way I did: by being a human male in an English speaking country who reached the age of majority.

I suppose that's not quite right. We could call him the former Governor of Texas, but that would be a mouthful.

[Fovea]

114. This is one of our few points of disagreement

I believe that malignant narcissists and sociopaths are not fully human.

I mean that like Homo Pan, they are sophisticated hominids, and humane society rules apply, but if you
are counting on them to perform as fully human beings, you will be let down when you need them most.

[Garbo 2004]

33. In a recent Salon article KO said the mgt was egging him on. He's got

good ratings (for MSNBC) and they like it. They've repeated his commentaries and put him on the Today show.

But the emails and feedback do help. It's shows people are tuning in and appreciating what he does. (And of course, there's Oddball. LOL) ;)

Edited to add Salon article link: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/11/olbermann/index.html

[wordpix]

110. isn't Dan Abrams management now? He has disdain for *'s wrecking of the

Constitution and I'm sure, Geneva Accords.

[rodeodance]

34. lets all remember to email him to say THANK YOU

Show your approval of Keith's Countdown show and commentary:
1. [e-mail]
2. [e-mail]
3. [e-mail]
4. [e-mail]
5. [e-mail] (Dan Abrams is now MSNBC's general manager)"

[coffeenap]

35. MSNBC management must have re-watched "Network"!

The more he raved, the better the ratings. (He's mad as hell, etc.)

[NYCGirl]

37. Keith as Howard Beale:

[drbtg1]

96. I don't agree with the "Network" comparison

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2168490&mesg_id=2170038

I think it's more of a realization that Dems have momentum and Keith can have a monopoly. Business wise, it's a smart move by GE/NBC.

[Nickster]

38. Good for KO. If he dials it down a notch, he's not the commentator that

I thought he was. I wouldn't throw around Murrow-like to lightly, but he's starting to earn that distinction in my eyes. If he backs down or fears the backlash from speaking the truth then he's not worthy of the honor of being mentioned along with Mr.Murrow. I'm sure that Edward Murrow didn't think twice about speaking truth to power and look what he accomplished. I hope and pray that KO understands the weight he has on his shoulders and looks to Mr. Murrow's legacy for inspiration to continue the fight, because the state of the Nation demands no less from him right now. If only other newsmen and women could see what he's doing and help take up some of the slack to help him so he wasn't so much of a target, but then he wouldn't stand out so brightly for me if that was the case.

[Garbo 2004]

44. Yeah, I don't take comparisons to Murrow lightly either but in these times

he's the closest we have on a major network (even if it is cable).

One thing about Olbermann, he's not afraid to walk away from a gig if he doesn't like the way it's going. He did that before on MSNBC during the mandated "all Monica all the time" period. That's rare.

[Patsy Stone]

49. He calls him Mr. Bush frequently.

It makes me happy. I'm glad to see his comments becoming more frequent. I hope he continues the trend and opens more people's eyes to what cretins they have running the country. Follow the link in my sig and stop by anytime.

[Divine Discontent]

50. msnbc most likely won't touch him

it'd be a shadow gov't move... but I think he'll be okay. he's our one true voice on news tv. I would think all the major dems (and many of us) would be on FIREEEEEE and in the streets if they killed him with an "accident".

he's fine, there's nothing to fear but fear itself, and from what can tell...


Keith's not looking back!


www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- antibush prodem stickers/shirts

[Stinky The Clown]

53. Three words explain it all ......

Jack

Welch

Gone

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

55. What They're Doing Is Seeing That The 'Special Comments' Are Pulling In

viewers. So they regard it with a "Keep it up Keith!". I'm sure it really is quite that simple.

[Poiuyt]

58. It's OK to refer to Bush as "Mr Bush" if you first refer to him as

"President Bush." I believe his first reference is always "President Bush."

BTW, "Mr. Bush" is a hell of a lot more polite than what I refer to him as.

[Dem2theMax]

59. I REFUSE to use the "P" word!

(You know, I really don't look for these 'p' words. They just seem to show up all the time.
IN YOUR POSTS! LOL!)


:hi:


(And I really do refuse to use the 'p' word when talking about that idiot.) ;)

[Richard D]

79. I use the p word for him.

It's P followed the shortened version of Richard.

[Dem2theMax]

87. And a VERY good "p" word it is!

:thumbsup:

Very appropriate for the idiot. LOL.

[drbtg1]

99. "Mr. Bush" is also more polite than "Bubba"

...of those types that would actually object.

[donco6]

61. I doubt that commentators are "given notice".

When they're fired, they're handed a box and told "you got 15 minutes." No network would want to present such a temptation to an "on notice" commentator.

Unless they're very, very stupid.

Hmmm . . .

[CarlVK]

64. they're not.

As you note, those positions are notorious for truly being fired "on the spot".

They do that so the host won't do a flame out on the air.

[Shakespeare]

62. It is common journalistic practice to call the president Mr. Bush.

It's in the AP Style Manual.

And no, he's not been given notice--his ratings are WAY too high (and in the right demographic, too).

[CarlVK]

65. How do you know there is "pressure to fire or censure him"?

I'm curious. Are you on the inside of his industry or something?

[sendero]

66. It's about time..

... that SOMEBODY, including on-air talent and the behinds the scenes suits GOT A CLUE.

The MAJORITY of the country is PISSED at Bush and his band of merry fuckups.

Somebody has to tap into that media market. It might as well be KO and MSNBC, the rest are too stupid or too chicken to do it.

[mmonk]

67. Keith's creating a signature for them I hardly think

they would be willing to give up. He's the best with his commentary and I see it only going higher.

[otohara]

68. NBC News Had Promo " A MUST SEE KO, TONIGHT" - That's an Endorsement

I bout fell off my chair....a promo for Countdown during the highest rated network news program. Says quite alot regarding thier support of Keith Olberman.

It was all about the "Keith Special Comment" and does the president owe the American people an apology?

[drbtg1]

101. I believe there was also a spot on Meet the Press

The actual 10am EST broadcast. Not about the special comment specifically, though.

[bunny planet]

69. Keith has periodically called * Mr. Bush for the last two years.

Nothing new for him, just including it in a more direct critical comment is what was startling.

[Imagevision]

70. Keith Olberman is the spokesman for "fair & balanced" reporting -op-eds

[Catherine Vincent]

73. Keith should be prepared for all the freep hate he's about to be

bombarded with. But he's tough. He can take it.

[GreenTea]

74. I'm a new viewer to Olbermann...I'm speading the word to watch him

and increase his ratings, and for all to buy his new book.

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?cid=54554&PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=2003198&fp=F&siteID=oP5Nuw5q6fc-YlVZn2hqi641Ow0_2LBUfw&cid=60488&fp=F

[wordpix]

111. thanks from an old viewer to a new one---keep spreading it!

[JanusAscending]

75. He has never referred to Bush as Pres.

It's always been Mr. Bush. After the 2004 election, he was the ONLY newscaster to keep pushing the election theft in Ohio. He knows Bush isn't our elected President!!

[Ninja Jordan]

80. He always calls him 'Mr. Bush'

[grasswire]

81. Olbermann told me in an e-mail on the first week of this show...

...that the news execs had told him that if he had the ratings he would have control of the content. So there ya are. He said it to me years ago.

[ChiciB1]

83. Maher Was On Scarborough And Hit The Idiot Hard Too!

We need to keep BOTH of these guys around. Sean Penn wasn't bad on Larry King either. I didn't have anything to watch around 1:00 AM this morning and caught Penn talking with King and he was really pissed at Bush!! I haven't watched King in EONS! Missed hwat he had to say about his brother though, never did get that full story either!

We need to keep supporting these guys even IF they are celebrities! We can't let our guard down, these are very evil, scary and nasty people we are up against!!

The Idiot is practically "frothing" at the mouth these days! PRESSURE, keep up the PRESSURE!

[helderheid]

85. After getting 800,000 emails of support from the 9/11 speech? No way.

[Raydawg1234]

86. well it would be pretty stupid for them to get rid of him..............

because he is the only fucking reason people whatch MSNBC anymore.

[fooj]

89. What's NBC up to? Did anyone catch the premier of Studio 60?

Do I detect a trend?

KO is my hero.

[wiley]

91. They are reclaiming Truth, Justice and the American Media

and Studio 60 was hot.

Bush is NOT a hero.

[wiley]

90. Way Wrong. Remember Nixon. Remember Journalists' role. Remember Truth?

NBC is loving this up. As are an awful lot of the real patriots of any political party left in this country. Worried about Keith - which I'm not - go to his blog AT msnbc.msn and play his videos. They get better every time. Have it playing in the background if you must. Forward the transcripts to people and links to the video. And watch NBC news. It's better than any Disney/ABC thing being broadcast.

Their new show Studio 60 is a smash hit, as well. I was very surprised. And guess what. Yet another content producer (that has several channels) has ordered full availability of all their shows on the Net because those 12 year old boys and thirty year old women are more likely to hit them on the Net than on TV.

[Greyhound]

94. In broadcasting it is exceedingly rare to get 'notice', so I'm guessing

he's just decided that enough is too much.

[Armstead]

95. Controversy = $$$$$$$$$ so MSNBC is happy

Despite what happened to Donahue, MSNBC (and the otehr cable news nets) are primarily interest in one thing. Ratings and $$$$$$$.

MSNBC in particular is desperate for something -- anything -- that will pull them out of the basement of the ratings. Olbermann's commentaries are doing that, and raising their profile.

Doesn't matter to them that Olbermann is coming at it from the other direction. He's raising a ruckus and causing a controversy and raising the profile of MSNBC. And it is bolstering his ratings.

That's ultimately what matters to them. As long as they can see some tangible business benefits, they'll keep him on, and probably encourage him to hit harder.

[GeorgeGist]

102. He has at least one friend in high places...

Smart people know Bush is a long-term catastrophe for business; even GE.

[KurtNYC]

103. all the major nets called Clinton "Mr. Clinton" for 8 years eom

[Hidden Stillness]

104. Keefy Is Not at the Head of This Parade

This is the only reason why this is "allowed" by the corporate media to happen now--the American people have been ahead of all these issues, and complaining that the media is not covering things, for years now, and so, like the cowards they are, the corporate world will not support anything until it is bluntly obvious that all the world has already paved the way open for them, and the same statements that will now be called "brave" have been made many, many times. After people have complained a million times that newspapers are getting to be nothing but fluff and advertisements, and that TV news is all diets and crap, that the talk shows are all rich corporate Republicans and that there is no balance, and since Bush's and Cheney's poll numbers are permanently in the 20s-30s%, now finally, the corporate media is going to give us a "brave male media hero" to say things we have all been saying for years, and getting censored for.

Notice, though, that the recent, huge popularity of "Countdown" has totally, completely violated every corporate media/advertising consultant/demographics claim of what will raise ratings and get an audience. After all these months of Olbermann exploiting women--even playing a video taken by a pervert cop, getting up-the-skirt shots of unsuspecting victims, and grinning at it, and playing it over again; prick--playing the daily "here's the nude bitch" video, all with no ratings spike, it ends up being a return to the old days of CBS-style Cronkite/Eric Severeid commentary that does it.

1) It was not pitched at "Johnny Beer-gut," or whatever the insult masking as wisdom is, not "dumbed-down," or simplified, not "framed." It is just intelligent commentary, spoken to adults.
2) It is not visual, even though the audience is so "stupid"; it is a camera held on the person speaking and, because it is, it is compelling.

The corporate media and all of its consultants and studies and psychological-mind-control tactics, are so cut aff, so ignorant, so consistently wrong, that if they just brought in people off the street and had them guess at what people might like, they would do better than they do now, with their shrinking audiences, all of them. They are cut off from their own intuition.

Many people on this thread have referred to the great Phil Donahue, also the highest-rated program on MSNBC, cancelled for being truly brave. The only difference was, Phil Donahue was ahead of the curve, ahead of what the corporate media executive assholes were able to perceive, and for that reason, stood alone, and was "removed." Olbermann is at the middle at best; it is safe now--we the American people already paved the way, and it all started, I believe, when Bush and the Republicans tried to kill Social Security a couple of years ago,and the American people said, "Get your Godamned hands off our Social Security," and didn't even check with the consultants first. Now, all the world knows that the tide has turned.

[AX10]

107. The media does not want to be on the wrong side when...

the Democrats return to power.

[StrictlyRockers]

115. My letter to the five emails. Because KO needs all the support he can get

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2174903