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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Olbermann's next job

I had no idea Keith Olbermann would have a new job so soon after being booted from MSNBC. Starting 20 June, he'll be helming what looks to be more or less the same show, Countdown, for Current TV. Rolling Stone has a Q & A with him.

Lots of questions about his parting of the ways with MSNBC and the controversies that surrounded him during his tenure there. No harsh criticism of NBC; in fact, he says little about the network per se, but rather, reserves special praise for the late Tim Russert and veiled criticism for Tom Brokaw. Undoubtedly Olbermann is constrained by his nondisclosure agreement with NBC, and perhaps also recognizes that his upcoming (re)launch would benefit from more positivity than negativity from him.

As a fan of Jon Stewart and a former fan of Olbermann, I've been curious for a long time whether the two get along. Rachel Maddow, after all, has made at least two Daily Show appearances in the last few years, while Olbermann hasn't made any. I've suspected for a while that neither Stewart nor Olbermann cares for one another. This interview offers no hints. While he admits that Stewart's criticism of his remarks about then-Senate candidate Scott Brown made him realize those remarks were "over-the-top," Olbermann didn't pay particular attention to Stewart's call for tonal moderation. And when asked whether there were broadcasters he admired, Olbermann had a surprising response:
Within news, no. Most of them can't be themselves because they're terrified of losing their jobs. But David Letterman never gets the credit he deserves. He's not afraid to ask any question. If he turned that into a sit-down format with politicians on Current, he'd be terrific at it—tremendously smart, very responsive, easily catches people in contradictions, and relentless. The other one who is tremendously relevant in terms of his grasp of reality and America is Craig Ferguson. His openings are marvelous, and often brilliantly insightful.
Not a fan of Olbermann? Don't bother reading the article, because it's exactly what we've come to expect from him, for better or worse.

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