COUNTDOWN and OLBERMANN TERMINATED: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Jan. 21, 2011
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT? by Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo
I was just on in the opening segment of Olbermann tonight. And I get home and get this press release from NBC saying this was the last episode of Countdown. At first I figured it had to be a spoof email because, jeez, I was on and I didn't have any sense that any other than a regular Friday evening show was on. But sure enough I pulled up the recording and now I'm watching his final sign off.
I doubt I would have had any heads up or known anything was happening if Olbermann was going to go off the air. But I was a bit more stunned than I might otherwise have been because I was just over there. And I did not have any sense that there was anything any different than normal going on. Everything seemed calm and pretty sedate. I didn't sense anything different in Keith's manner or affect (though it's not like we're tight and I would have been the person to notice.) There were a few more people than I'm used to seeing in the studio -- maybe two or three, seated, who seemed to be there to watch. (Something I don't remember seeing before.) But nothing that made me think twice that anything odd was going on.
I'm sure we'll be hearing soon enough what on earth happened here. But color me stunned. And really disappointed.
(The text of the quite terse press release reads: "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.")
--Josh Marshall
I was just on in the opening segment of Olbermann tonight. And I get home and get this press release from NBC saying this was the last episode of Countdown. At first I figured it had to be a spoof email because, jeez, I was on and I didn't have any sense that any other than a regular Friday evening show was on. But sure enough I pulled up the recording and now I'm watching his final sign off.
I doubt I would have had any heads up or known anything was happening if Olbermann was going to go off the air. But I was a bit more stunned than I might otherwise have been because I was just over there. And I did not have any sense that there was anything any different than normal going on. Everything seemed calm and pretty sedate. I didn't sense anything different in Keith's manner or affect (though it's not like we're tight and I would have been the person to notice.) There were a few more people than I'm used to seeing in the studio -- maybe two or three, seated, who seemed to be there to watch. (Something I don't remember seeing before.) But nothing that made me think twice that anything odd was going on.
I'm sure we'll be hearing soon enough what on earth happened here. But color me stunned. And really disappointed.
(The text of the quite terse press release reads: "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.")
--Josh Marshall
Keith Olbermann has performed a valuable service for the past eight years. For a time he was a voice of truth in the wilderness.
What happened?