Breaking: Keith Olbermann's Secret Deal

[Chimichurri]

Here's how it went down. Sources familiar with the situation tell us that Olbermann's agent recently went to NBC complaining that Keith -- who has the most popular show on MSNBC -- was underpaid at $7 million per year. NBC execs told Olbermann's agent they would not cough up anymore money.

Network execs were well aware that Comcast wanted Keith gone because he was "a loose cannon that could not be controlled." It became clear to both sides that Olbermann's days were numbered and they began negotiating an exit.

We're told the exit deal wasn't completed until just before airtime Friday night.

Under the deal, sources say Olbermann will get money but cannot appear on television for a certain period time -- we don't know how long.

Our sources say Olbermann will, however, reappear soon with a presence on the Internet.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/22/keith-olbermann-msnbc-countdown-comcast-cable-news-network-nbc-universal-secret-deal/#comments-anchor


I hope it's true!

[louis-t]

1. I just wiped MSNBC off my tv. Won't be long, the rest

of the sane voices will be gone anyway.

[leveymg]

4. Comcast has done that for you. Wipe them off TV.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. The titanic egos of all involved are mildly amusing

[SidDithers]

13. +1...

and it's not the first time that Kieth has taken his ball and gone home.

Keith Olberman checks out of Daily Kos in disgust

Olbermann suspends Twitter page after angry tweets

Sid

[leveymg]

3. I don't like the way this is being spun - makes it seem like KO was being greedy, not politics.

Pure PR BS. Not buying it.

[Common Sense Party]

5. That's probably what happened. He was in it for the money.

Yes he believed what he said, but he knew that controversy sells.

[Cleita]

6. Me neither. David Shuster, who was also ousted by

MSNBC, said that KO was not in this for the money. He doesn't need it. Also, if he is going on the internet, he won't be making big bucks there, a contradiction that enhances the lie being told.

[EFerrari]

8. "He was in it for the money and now he's reduced to pod casts".

Yeah, it's bs.

[PBS Poll-435]

20. Isn't he still being paid his contractually obligated 7M per year until the expiration

of his contract?


For not even working at MSNBC?

[EFerrari]

21. That's the reporting, yep. And that he can't go on camera for a year, iirc. n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

22. So he gets 52 weeks of paid vacation?

Must be nice.

[leveymg]

26. They know he'll lose a lot of his audience if he's off the air for 52 wks. This is a career wrecker

or so the corporate pricks at GE, NBC, and Comcast hope. It's punishment for his politics, and they're making an example of him.

[PBS Poll-435]

29. Most likely he had another hissy fit at HQ

Probably threw some feces.

Cried in the corner.

And MSNBC said we don't need this shit.

[leveymg]

32. His firing has been in the works for months, when corporate figured the political winds had changed

after the Dems got a drubbing in November. The suits took that as a signal that Obama and the Blue Dogs would turn right, and to shake off the progressive "fringe."

That's what I think happened.

[PBS Poll-435]

37. I don't get the KOntroversy

They bought him out of his contract. He agreed. WTF?

[Chimichurri]

39. No one knew that when the conversation started and til this moment are still

just rumors.

[hfojvt]

36. I hope they decide to make an example of me too

I could really use $14 million.

[EFerrari]

7. Agreed. n/t

[Obamanaut]

15. Wants more than $7 million/year, which is more than $19,000 a day -

and you think greed was/is not involved?

How many times do we read on these very pages, when talking about wealthy folks "How much is enough?"

Well, it would seem that $19,000 per day isn't, so now we know.

[EFerrari]

19. How do you know this is true?

[Obamanaut]

24. If you mean the math I provided, I have a pocket calculator. I got the

seven million from the OP, and figured out the rest by myself.

If that isn't what you mean, how do you know it isn't?

[EFerrari]

27. The OP doesn't source the numbers so, there is no way to know

at this point.

[Blue State Bandit]

30. It's not "how much they make" that distinguishes the "Have's" from...

...from the "Have Not's". It's what they do with it.

If Keith is going to be able to continue to provide a clarion voice against the headwind of fascist, complicit, or sub-servient gatekeepers to what passes for the "4th Estate", he will require a War Chest.

The more $$ he can squeeze from those forces now, the better prepared he will be in the confrontations to come.

Call him greedy if he really does take his pulpit and go home. Till then...

[dbmk]

35. But if MSNBC is making 50m a year of him?

MSNBC not wanting to pay him more is just as much greed as him wanting more.

If not more so.

He does not strike me as the kind of guy that would ask for more because he wanted more - but because he wanted his share of the value he brings in.

Same goes for athletes and movie stars.

Its not as if the consumer ends up paying less if they accept lower wages.

Its when we stop paying that their wages drop. Until then, I see no fault in any of them asking for their fair share.

However obscene it might seem in size.

[cutlassmama]

28. ditto

[Codeine]

40. Yeah, he was a selfless progressive warrior

making his 7 million a year. :eyes: The hero worship around here is sad and childish.

[fishwax]

9. it would be interesting to see what Keith could do with an Internet presence

:kick:

[City Lights]

10. Olbermann is labeled a "loose cannon" while all the loose cannons shooting

their mouths off over at Fux are still on the air. Something reeks, and it ain't Olbermann.

Fuck Comcrap. Fuck msnbc. Fuck the FCC. In fact, fuck everything. :argh:

[WCGreen]

18. An internal Loose Cannon is far worse to a organization than a so called

public loose cannon.

This time I think it is office politics.

[walldude]

11. Um.. pardon me, but how can it be a "secret" if

it's being posted all over the internet.

I'm not buying this.

[bleever]

12. Just before airtime, his Twitter feed said he had just changed his Thurber selection.

Looks like it really did come to the final minutes.

[lunatica]

14. I call BS. If this is true then Rachel and Ed will be gone soon too

with O'Donnell to follow soon after.

[nolabear]

16. I'm surprised that there's so much determination to find a crisis.

I will TOTALLY cop to initially freaking out, imagining that Comcast was throwing the voice of the progressive left out with the intention of destroying us slowly out of right wing corporate greed.

But when I calmed down (a little) these kinds of stories began to make sense. Why shouldn't Olbermann hit the new bosses up for more money? I would, especially if there were other options, which there certainly are. And why shouldn't they refuse, since they've got a pretty good line-up of newer, less expensive talent that most people will continue to watch (not me, except for Rachel)? They are after all a corporation, and those on both the left and the right are in it for profit.

Everyone is just doing what they do, using their talents, proclivities and desire for money and power (someone has to have it and I'd just as soon it was our team) to juggle for position.

Now that I'm down off the roof, I'll be eager to see what KO and the liberal, out-of-the-mainstream media will do. Ought to be interesting.

But DAMN I hate that "Big Ed" has that slot. As my grandmother used to say, that man gives me the epizootic.

[Hoyt]

17. KO was a hero during bush's regime. But, I would not be surprised that this is all about money.

Maybe KO wanted more to put up with the new corporate crap, but I won't fall over if we ultimately find out he wanted more than in his contract. Sadly, money corrupts almost everyone.

[grasswire]

34. oh please -- the man gave away his money to charities

Those who know him personally say money isn't important to him.

[progressoid]

23. TMZ?

Isn't that like a celebrity gossip thing?

[Warpy]

25. Right now it's all rumors

Whatever happens, it seems they bought out the last two years of his contract and that he'll likely head off to sports rather than news since most contracts contain clauses that prevent people from working elsewhere for a set period of time in the same capacity.

He could sit on his rear end next to the pool for two years living on his investments. Or he could go to sports. Or he could write.

However, the only fact we have is that his show is now over.

[alphafemale]

31. He was one of MSNBC's biggest tickets.

I'm really not much into believing he was silenced quite yet. He has a bigger paycheck would be my thoughts too. Especially after his publicity stu.... err... I mean firing this past fall.

[grasswire]

33. I never believe unsourced stories...and neither should you.

Shame on anyone who goes for this bushwah.

[Chimichurri]

38. Well, good for you. You should however, actually read the entire post before

imposing on it. Since you didn't bother, I'll cut and paste it for you here -
"I hope it's true!"

I had no idea DU had The Conversation Police on patrol.

I'll try not to ruffle your bushwah, whatever that is, next time.