Keith Olbermann Suspended

[Flame]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/40030762

MSNBC has suspended prime-time host Keith Olbermann indefinitely without pay for contributing to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates this election season.

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Olbermann's "Countdown" show, which airs at 8 p.m. ET, is MSNBC's most popular program.
Olbermann acknowledged to NBC that he donated $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grivalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
NBC News prohibits its employees from working on, or donating to, political campaigns unless a special exception is granted by the news division president—effectively a ban. Olbermann's bosses did not find out about the donations until after they were made. The website Politico first reported the donations.
"I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night," Phil Griffin, MSNBC's chief executive, said Friday. "Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."
Olbermann was not immediately available for comment.
His "Countdown" show, which airs at 8 p.m. ET, is MSNBC's most popular program. His on-the-air transformation from the host of a straight news program to a liberal commentator led the network itself to go in the same direction, filling its prime-time lineup with left-leaning hosts and doing better in the ratings than anytime since its 1996 launch.
Olbermann was a co-anchor of MSNBC's election coverage this week. The network's performance drew some criticism, particularly with Chris Matthews' contentious interviews with Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn.
Chris Hayes will fill in for Olbermann on Friday's program, the network said.
The developments with Olbermann come on the heels of revelations that Fox News Channel, a conservative network which hosts various cable news shows in direct competition with Olbermann, made political contributions to political groups.
Fox News parent company News Corp. [NWS 16.33 -0.225 (-1.36%) ] attracted controversy in August after it donated about $1 million to the Republican Governors Association and another $1 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Rupert Murdoch, News Corp.'s largest shareholder, said that the company made the contributions because Republicans support a pro-business agenda, and argued that the donations were in the best interests of shareholders and the country.
Along with MSNBC, CNBC is a unit of NBC Universal, a General Electric company.

I'm really beginning to despise talk show hosts. Why are they all such complete morons????!!!!!

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Olbermann is a tool.

 

[Venom]

Suspending him was pretty lame on their own part.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Suspending him was pretty lame on their own part.

Whether you agree with Olbermann not being able to donate without disclosure is irrelevant, though. His contract is his contract. He signed it. He made the agreement. No once forced him to do it. If you violate your contract, you're done.

 

[Malz]

Whether you agree with Olbermann not being able to donate without disclosure is irrelevant, though. His contract is his contract. He signed it. He made the agreement. No once forced him to do it. If you violate your contract, you're done.

This, although you kinda have to wonder how many people/corporations/etc. managed to anonymously donate to campaigns and get away with it. Sigh...

 

[Ping]

If we could only suspend all the other pundits on TV, that would be even better.

 

[Wing]

I'm really beginning to despise talk show hosts. Why are they all such complete morons????!!!!!

They are not morons. Stewart, Colbert, Olbermann, and Conan are pretty good.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Olbermann isn't even a talk show host. He's a political commentator. There's a difference.

 

[Wing]

Olbermann isn't even a talk show host. He's a political commentator. There's a difference.

I see no difference really, as far as presentation.

 

[Flame]

They are not morons. Stewart, Colbert, Olbermann, and Conan are pretty good.

Ehh, the only one I really listen to at all anymore is Sean Hannity. I at least agree with him on 95% of the key issues. John Stewart is far to liberal for my taste from what I've heard about him. Conan Obrien isn't my type either.

 

[Wing]

Ehh, the only one I really listen to at all anymore is Sean Hannity.

Plot twist there. :CHappy
It is all good, watch whoever you want.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Hannity is as big a douche as Olbermann.

We get it, Sean. You like saying "Anointed One." Give it a rest.

And the thing with Stewart being "too liberal" means you can't separate yourself from your politics in order to enjoy jokes about all sides of the political isle. Besides, most of what Stewart does these days is skewer the media which, I think we can all agree, sucks.

I see no difference really, as far as presentation.

Olbermann is there as a political commentary show. Stewart is there to tell jokes and have a guest whose purpose is to plug their movie or book.

 

[Ping]

Olbermann, Hannity, Maddow, Beck, O'Reilly...they're all the same if you ask me; complete assholes who only cause politics to become more and more polarized.

 

[Flame]

Hannity is as big a douche as Olbermann.

We get it, Sean. You like saying "Anointed One." Give it a rest.

And the thing with Stewart being "too liberal" means you can't separate yourself from your politics in order to enjoy jokes about all sides of the political isle. Besides, most of what Stewart does these days is skewer the media which, I think we can all agree, sucks.



Olbermann is there as a political commentary show. Stewart is there to tell jokes and have a guest whose purpose is to plug their movie or book.

Woah, woah!! That is not true. Keith Olbermann is un-American. Hannity at least is informative and tells it like it is from an unbiased and fair point of view. When did you become all anti-Hannity all of a sudden? You told me you used to listen to him yourself Bac. I can separate myself from all sides of the political aisle. I just don't find that type of humor funny. But then again I like Brian Reagan.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Woah, woah!! That is not true. Keith Olbermann is un-American. Hannity at least is informative and tells it like it is from an unbiased and fair point of view. When did you become all anti-Hannity all of a sudden? You told me you used to listen to him yourself Bac. I can separate myself from all sides of the political aisle. I just don't find that type of humor funny. But then again I like Brian Reagan.

I used to watch Hannity, on occasion, pre-Obama, when the show at least attempted to be fair with two hosts of differing ideas (even though Colmes was a total lightweight and completely inadequate next to Sean Hannity). Ever since Obama, Hannity has become a snarky annoyance, and he's moved way too far right for my tastes.

And Olbermann is un-American? Why, because he disagrees with you? Well shame on him for such a sin.

 

[Flame]

I used to watch Hannity, on occasion, pre-Obama, when the show at least attempted to be fair with two hosts of differing ideas (even though Colmes was a total lightweight and completely inadequate next to Sean Hannity). Ever since Obama, Hannity has become a snarky annoyance, and he's moved way too far right for my tastes.

And Olbermann is un-American? Why, because he disagrees with you? Well shame on him for such a sin.

Hannity hasn't changed at all imo. I've watched him for years!! Colmes may have been a lightweight compared to Hannity but that was not Hannity's fault by any means. That was Colme's fault for being uneducated. Snarky annoyance? Do you say that because you voted for Obama? See I can't stand it when so called "conservatives" voted for Obama. They are merely pseudo-conservatives who like the nametag.

Or because you merely disagree with Hannity? In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is not Hannity who changed overtime, but you Bac have changed your views and thus your opinion of the Hannity show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie1ZP_lL27I I couldn't find a decent article on it but here is his comment. This is totally anti-American, and this is why I hate MSNBC.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

Hannity hasn't changed at all imo. I've watched him for years!! Colmes may have been a lightweight compared to Hannity but that was not Hannity's fault by any means. That was Colme's fault for being uneducated. Snarky annoyance? Do you say that because you voted for Obama? See I can't stand it when so called "conservatives" voted for Obama. They are merely pseudo-conservatives who like the nametag.

Or because you merely disagree with Hannity? In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is not Hannity who changed overtime, but you Bac have changed your views and thus your opinion of the Hannity show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie1ZP_lL27I I couldn't find a decent article on it but here is his comment. This is totally anti-American, and this is why I hate MSNBC.

I have changed, yes, but I've seen Hannity change too. He's gone from a respectful commentator to a mean-spirited one, who enjoys being snarky and uses that to get under the skin of liberals. Now that he doesn't have a liberal co-host, he completely dominates the discussion.

And no, Colmes being a lightweight wasn't Hannity's fault, but it's something that FOX seems to do quite often, putting a lightweight liberal up against a loud conservative in order to make it easier to beat the liberal in debate. It sets it up to make it look like the conservative is owning the liberal, whereas in reality it's not a fair fight because the personality of the conservative in the conversation is much more aggressive while the liberal they get doesn't have the personality to go toe-to-toe with that.

MSNBC does the same thing, where they have an aggressive liberal going up against a conservative who doesn't have the personality to counter someone like Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow.

Now, did I vote for Obama? Yes. Would I vote for him again? No. That seems to blow your theory on why I don't like Hannity out of the water. I also don't label myself as conservative. I'm a moderate, something the current GOP and Tea Party despises because clearly I'm just a liberal in denial...

And Olbermann is an asshole, but being an asshole doesn't make you un-American. The most American thing you can do is speak your opinion, whatever that opinion may be. Just because you don't like their opinion doesn't make them un-American.

 

[Sovereign]

America is about freedom, and one of those freedoms is free speech. There's nothing more American than speaking your mind, whatever that opinion may be.

 

[Wing]

America is about freedom, and one of those freedoms is free speech. There's nothing more American than speaking your mind, whatever that opinion may be.

Laurent is possibly the noblest American that I ever knew of.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

The most American thing you can do is speak your opinion, whatever that opinion may be.

There's nothing more American than speaking your mind, whatever that opinion may be.

whatever that opinion may be.

whatever that opinion may be.

Echo Echo Echo Echo