Quote:
Originally Posted by mykalberta
FNC should hire him. I do think this has Comcast written all over it.
|
A close friend and former colleague of Olbermann's at MSNBC, a guy who subbed on Countdown occasionally, was part of a panel discussion on Howard Kurtz's "Reliable Sources" yesterday morning.
Paraphrased, he said Olberman had been quaking a bit because the NBC news division, influenced by Tom Brokaw, was likely to be the beneficiary of the Comcast takeover and would likely be imposing their own, more traditional editorial standards onto MSNBC.
Olbermann, according to his friend, had been emboldened by the 250,000 people who had signed a petition a month or so ago demanding his reinstatement after a suspension for contributing to the campaigns of several Democrats without informing his bosses.
According to this chap, Olbermann had been effectively demanding to be free of Brokaw/NBC News editorial standards and probably overplayed his hand. That would fit with the general thought he's a bit of an egomaniac.
The NY Times on the weekend had a good piece on this saying something along the same lines, that Olbermann had been looking for an exit rather than face Comcast while, simultaneously, Comcast was living in fear it would have to be the company that turfed him once and for all after he went too far yet again.
So, a solution that fits all. There are no plans to replace him.
Interesting that he chose to get rid of his "Worst Person In The World" segment a week or so before he left. Maybe a last ditch effort to save himself.
The other interesting thing, his friend said, was the fact the entire Countdown organization was effectively taken down. It could have been left up and running with an alternate host but MSNBC decided not to do so.
Cowperson
