Olbermann on FBN: Update…
Following up on last night’s entry on Keith Olbermann’s Friday night WPITW segment and the reaction from a Fox executive to said segment, Olbermann issued this response to said reaction…
“Considering the only place I’ve ever been fired was Fox Sports (and that was not only the best thing that ever happened to me but also the only nice thing the company’s ever done for anybody), another statement by another proud and anonymous Foxie is, as usual, completely factually inaccurate–like their newscasts.”
Update: Fox responds, “It’s endlessly entertaining to watch Keith unravel and show the world a glimpse of what everyone in the industry already knows — his skin is paper thin and his paranoia is at an all time high.”
And with having been fair and given both sides the chance to respond to each other, I’m going to call it a day on this round…
So Keith was right - Liz Claman and Cavuto were both fired by NBC? This news is huge!
Comment by Missy — December 2, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
Gee Spud, could you give my memory a little credit too?! I didn’t have any knowledge about the CNBC history, but I was fairly certain the “FOX executive” was doing what they do best, which is repeat a falsehood over and over until the public believes it’s true. Good for KO for responding!
Comment by Dmuse — December 2, 2007 @ 8:45 pm
Good call, Missy.
This is really tacky on Olbermann’s part. The average person with any integrity would want to get press on his own merit, not through tearing someone else down. I have no idea how he thinks making these claims about Liz and Neil could help him. O’Reilly is on opposite him, but these two aren’t even his competition so it makes no sense. The initial slam was bad enough but to come back with a reponse to a network PR person is just silly and juvenile. Looks like he’s trying to create feuds everywhere.
Comment by Char — December 2, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
KO has a lot of experience when it comes to completely factually inaccurate statements.
Comment by TBDave — December 2, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
Blabberman is again on a round of self-pity. What a pathetic, slimy ball of a man. A big heap of trash!
Comment by RGL — December 2, 2007 @ 9:54 pm
KO is very angry. I think it is because, like him, his new studio is inadequate. Seriously, though, I hate the studio he;s got.
Comment by jmkaib — December 2, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Olbermann seems to forget he was booted from ESPN and parred from stepping foot on their property in Connecticut.
Like Colbert, Olbermann makes his living off Bill O’Reilly.
And from what I can see Chris Collnsworth would love nothing more than the pantload formally known as Olbermann to be fired from his current NFL gig.
And whats with Olby’s new set? MSNBC only had enough money in the budget to install and window in the janitors closet?
Comment by 186 — December 2, 2007 @ 10:50 pm
Did anyone see his show on the night they were lighting the Christmas tree in the backround? It was funny, all the light flashing behind his head.
Comment by jmkaib — December 2, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
186 that studio is the 2nd floor of Today’s studio. Looking out to NYC. I think it is a really nice view and better than a coloured wall on O’Reilly.
Comment by Mike Beckham — December 2, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
Was that Olby I saw sitting in the corner being ignored by Costas and Barber while they chatted with each other? LOL
Was only on the channel for a minute or two when they went to break.
Comment by Lurker — December 2, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
I don’t understand. Claman and Cavuto were not dropped by CNBC. They left on their own. So shouldn’t Olbermann issue a retraction or face possible legal action? Spud I’m not a lawyer but it seems you can’t say what he said if it’s false, no?
Comment by John — December 2, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Dmuse: I suppose that technically when your contract is not renewed, you are not “fired.” But that has basically been Olbermann’s resume including his tenure at Fox//Fox Sports Net.
BTW, only his diehard fans believe that Olbermqnn left his first gig at MSNBC because he was tired of covering Monica Lewinsky. What actually happened was that Fox Sports Net was starting a nightly sports show to compete with ESPN’s Sportscenter so they gave both Keith and Chris Myers offers they couldn’t refuse.
Finally, I wonder if KO isn’t treading on thin ice legally with his claims that Cavuto, Claiman and Glick were dropped (fired?) by CNBC. Perhaps a good lawyer would consider such charges as libelous.
Comment by Ira — December 2, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
John: You posted while I was writing.
Great minds think alike!
Comment by Ira — December 2, 2007 @ 11:37 pm
I think 186 meant “barred,” not “parred.” But for those who were wondering, he’s what Wiki has to say on the subject:
In 1997, Olbermann abruptly left ESPN under a cloud of controversy, apparently burning his bridges with the network’s management. This began a long and drawn out feud between Olbermann and ESPN. During the time between 1997 and 2007 incidents between the two sides included Olbermann publishing an essay on Salon.com in November of 2002 entitled “Mea Culpa” in which he conceded that his own insecurities and neurotic behavior had led to many of his problems at work. In the essay, it imparted an instance of where his former bosses remarked he had “too much backbone,” which actually hit on a literal truth. Olbermann has six lumbar vertebrae instead of the normal five. In 2004 ESPN famously snubbed him from the guest lineup of its 25th Anniversary SportsCenter “Reunion Week,” which saw the likes of personalities such as Craig Kilborn and Charley Steiner return to the SportsCenter set. In 2007, ten years after Olbermann’s departure, in an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, he said “If you burn a bridge, you can possibly build a new bridge, but if there’s no river any more, that’s a lot of trouble.”[8] During the same interview, Olbermann stated that he recently learned that as a result of ESPN agreeing to let him back on the airwaves, he was banned from ESPN’s main Bristol, Connecticut campus.”
Comment by ImNotBlue — December 3, 2007 @ 12:51 am
#7, What makes you think Chris Collinsworth wants Keith off Sunday night football? Did he say or do something to make you think that? I haven’t watched him much on Sunday nights but Olbermann was a great sportscaster years ago.
Comment by Scott — December 3, 2007 @ 1:10 am
Well, it is clear from watching the interaction between them all… that Keith is out of place. I don’t know why, and would hesitate to speculate it was because of politics (except for Tiki… whom I’m pretty sure KO has insulted on his program… Tiki worked for FNC for a while, and is a known conservative… so they may have their issues)… but he certainly seems the odd man out.
He does his little bit, they laugh (when/if it’s funny) and that’s it… that’s all he does. There’s very little discussion between them all… for most of the time KO just sits quietly and nods.
The most awkward moment was a few weeks back when they were doing that whole “green” thing, and lighting the desk with candles (I guess the world’s okay now… as they powered everything back up). They had these big candles out across the desk, and just before they went to break, Keith could be seen leaning over and blowing out the ones in front of him. When they came back from break, however, his candles were lit again. The next time they went to break (and then back to the field), you could see him as he blew them out again! I have no idea why he was doing this, or why they kept getting lit, or what the heck was going on… but it struck me as strange.
Anyway, watch one Sunday night… there’s a clear lack of chemistry between KO and the rest.
Comment by ImNotBlue — December 3, 2007 @ 1:49 am
I am shocked! Shocked I tell you, to learn that Olbermann can only exist by tearing down others.
Comment by eddiebear — December 3, 2007 @ 10:07 am
Blue & Scott: My opinion is that “Football Night In America” and their halftime show basically don’t work; there is no chemistry on the set.
First off, with Costas and Olbermann, you basically have two anchor types. And remember that Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis are still new to the business. OTOH, Collinsworth who has experience from Fox and CBS talks too much. Also, Costas tends to be stiff when compared to James Brown and Curt Menafee on the other Sunday shows.
Politics aside, NBC would do better if they dropped Costas, made KO the anchor, keep Collinsworth and try out other ex-players and coaches until they get the right combination. Recommendation: attempt to hire Bill Cowher away from CBS; he is a natural!
Comment by Ira — December 3, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
Ira, you can’t be serious “drop Costs”..and replace him with who? Olbermann??
Olbermann has absolutely no ability to interact with co-hosts, no matter the format.
I’m no fan of Costas but he is one of the best if not the best “non-former pro” in the business right now.
Comment by 186 — December 3, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
I consider myself a middle of the road guy politically. I’ve been watching Countdown since day one and have seen it edging crazy left more and more. The final straw was when Keith on several occasions refers to a person on another network as “Bath tub head”. Real classy. His show is history in my home as of now! Sad.
Comment by Gene Huber — December 3, 2007 @ 7:53 pm