NYT: Olbermann's Exit was Weeks in the Making (Media blog)

[gauguin57]

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/olbermanns-msnbc-exit-was-weeks-in-the-making/?hp

"... For the last several weeks, Mr. Olbermann and the network have been in negotiations to end his successful run on MSNBC, according to executives involved in the talks who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential. The deal was completed on Friday, and Mr. Olbermann made the announcement on his final “Countdown” hours later. ..."

[hlthe2b]

1. Perhaps... Or is this Comcast-planted damage control?

Even if true, it does not prove that Comcast has not been asserting undue and inappropriate pressure to make it happen.

[moondust]

2. Long-running TV shows don't normally end on on a moment's notice.

Oprah, Larry King, Regis Philbin, and others all announced they were leaving months before actually leaving. I don't remember the timeline for Conan.

This very likely had something(?) to do with the Comcast deal going through earlier this week.

[delightfulstar]

3. He got shoved, IMHO.

This is purely spin to make Comcast look like the good guy. No network with half a brain would abruptly cancel their top-rated program. The only other possibility would have been that he somehow left in protest, because they threatened him somehow, but I didn't get that at all, from the tone of the show or his sign-off last night.

[PerceptionManagement]

5. media consolidation, net neutrality & Citizens United

Congrats TeaBaggers. Between the ongoing media consolidation, net neutrality and Citizens United, you won. Corporate take over is complete. The most successful show on MSNBC was canned because...it was leftist. Better to lose money than to have a successful leftist show. Rachel and Lawrence will be marginalized shortly.

[Swamp Rat]

14. Exactly

[grasswire]

4. I do not believe Keith would blindside his viewers

Do not believe it.

How about some sources, NYT?

Won't believe anything from unnamed persons.

[barbiegeek]

6. Is NYT owned by Comcast? I think this is BS

[wndycty]

12. Care to tell my why you think this article is BS?

:kick:

[coolhip33]

7. K&R

[jimmie]

8. It appears KO wanted out for several months....sadly

And only settled the deal hours before his last show,

and now he's under a gag agreement

[peacebird]

10. source?

Sorry - but like Bill Maher last night - I call BS on that.
(not that I doubt you, but I think this is a story Comca$t and M$NBC are floating to stop the shit storm they have unleashed by kicking KO to the curb...)

[gauguin57]

9. Who knows .... NBC exec says the relationship was "failing for a long time."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TV_OLBERMANN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-01-22-15-58-03

Olbermann and MSNBC: a failing relationship
DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
"NEW YORK (AP) -- Keith Olbermann's exit from MSNBC appeared abrupt to viewers of his show, but the talk-show host and his network were involved "in a relationship that's been failing for a long time," an NBC Universal executive said Saturday. ..."

This wouldn't surprise me at all. Keith clearly has a very strong personality, and doesn't suffer B.S. lightly. I'm sure NBC/MSNBC has a very high B.S. quotient that Keith couldn't be contained by. Comcast is about to increase the B.S. quotient a thousand-fold.

Keith has left other jobs before when the B.S. became unbearable ... this seems like another case of the same. With the Comcast merger coming, with the suspension in November, etc., I don't find it hard to believe the relationship HAD been failing for a while.

[calimary]

11. Most instructive that he wasn't at the lunch on Thursday.

I never heard anything about that. Did any blog or somebody else pick up in it? That would have been a MAJOR red flag.

[gauguin57]

13. Further info from NPR

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/22/133136741/Olbermann-Leaves-MSNBC-What-Does-He-Leave-Behind