Olbermann Says 'Screwed Up' With Move to Current.

[elleng]

Source: NYT/Reuters

Keith Olbermann, the liberal news anchor fired late last week from Current TV after only one year, said on Tuesday he had "screwed up really big" - by taking the job at the small TV channel in the first place.

In his first public appearance since his split from Current, Olbermann told talk show host David Letterman that he considered quitting Current as early as July 2011.

"I screwed up really big on this ... It's my fault that it didn't succeed in the sense that I didn't think the whole thing through," Olbermann told Letterman on Tuesday's "Late Show".



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/04/03/arts/03reuters-keitholbermann.html?hp

[Botany]

1. No keith it screwed up because you were an egotistical a-hole

It was a "start up" biz that was to be built around you but you did not want to
work w/in any sort of guide lines.

When you are at work you go to work period. You did not do that.

[jillan]

2. +1 and he could've been the person to make Current grow.

But nooooooo - it was all about him rather than being there at the beginning of a true liberal station and taking it to the next level.

[MrMickeysMom]

8. Oh, fuck that shit...

The worst thing a critic on this subject can do is suppose they know the real reason Countdown on Current was the right decision. So, please cut the crap. None of us know, but YOU DO.

Use scenarios you are familiar with, to reason the reason behind his saying what he did. HE IS the professional when it comes to what he does. Who the fuck cares what how an EGO measures into this formula.


Look... If you are "building" from the ground up, and you see fundamental mistakes, as was expressed by a critical person being fired 10 days into the new venture, if you are a seasoned professional, the little voice inside your head saying, "uh-oh" is probably RIGHT.

[truebrit71]

64. Bullshit.

But thanks for playing...

[wordpix]

3. Keith now likens himself to a $10 million chandelier without a house to shine in

Who will hire him now?

[Fool Count]

6. Well, there are quite a few houses where a $10 million chandelier wouldn't look

out of place.

[Riftaxe]

18. Mostly in Dubai

How is Keith's Arabic these days?...

[Fool Count]

23. I think you mean Doha, capital of Qatar, where Al Jazeera is headquartered.

That would definitely be a possibility.

[XemaSab]

33. I have all the respect in the world for Al Jazeera

but there's NO WAY that a significant percent of the American public wouldn't take that as an outright admission that liberal = murka-hating terriss.

[MrMickeysMom]

9. Perhaps NO ONE...

But, that means he finances his own brand his own self.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

53. the main problem there

would be when he is absent enough from his own show so that he'd have to fire himself

[alp227]

11. he should convert to conservatism and get connections with Koch?

[rug]

20. In the interest of accuracy, he was a $50 million chandelier.

[aquart]

45. Because that's what he was hired to be: the big draw.

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. Just wow

"I didn't say, ‘You know, if you buy a $10 million chandelier, you should have a house to put it in. Just walking around with a $10 million chandelier isn't going to do anybody a lot of good, and it's not going to do any good to the chandelier.' And then it turned out we didn't have a lot to put the house on, to put the chandelier in, or a building permit, and I, I should have known that," he said, acknowledging that he believed he was akin to the chandelier.

So this ginormous diva thinks joining a startup means that all he has to do is sit on his ass and have his "chandelier" polished while everyone else does all of the work?

Keith needs to check into the concept "startup". Those places where you get in on the ground floor, roll up your sleeves, wear multiple hats, go without all of the GEM$NBC corporate perks, and hope to build something out of the dust and to eventually, possibly make a killing on it.

[elleng]

7. I'll bet his Dad wouldn't have approved of this.

[roguevalley]

10. actually, there were continuous technical problems with the broadcast that

he tried to get them to fix, also put cash into the set to make it look competitive. There is more to this than meets the eye. This has been talked about by those around him for a while. Lights even went out during broadcasts.

[Justice wanted]

19. Bottom line Gore Wanted the man BEFORE being able to give him the proper set. I watched

every broadcast and saw the lights go out. I saw shitty production on his show--Interviews being interrupted by commercials not once not twice but I can think of it happening 5 times.


Keith probably should have vented in a better manor BUT Gore should have done a better job with set, crew and production.

IT was one step above Armature hour.

[BlueToTheBone]

52. There was a brand new studio in New Jersey

that was empty and ready for use. He wanted to be in NYC cause that is sexier and he chose an old building with lots of electrical issues. He didn't think through the concept of location.

Good luck Keith and have a happy retirement. You're rich and can just hang out as a beautiful person.

[Major Hogwash]

24. How much money did Current spend on promotion after they hired KO?

Please, 700 tweets on Twitter don't count!!!

[Samantha]

32. Current TV was a "startup" in 2005

And that is a fact.

Sam

[GoCubsGo]

48. "Startup"????

They went on air in 2005. Seven years should be enough to get one's shit together.

[MADem]

5. So much for the mutual 'non disparagement' clause.

That's rude.

In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose.

[DonCoquixote]

12. This is truly a tragedy

Keith could have and should have been the father of the network, and he could have overlooked small things realizing that his paycheck dwarfed those of the kids who were trying to make it grow.

But no, Ego is Ego, and Ego is to be fed, no matter what, just like John Edwards and Eliot Spitzer.

Speaking of which, let's see if Eliot uses this chance to redeem himself.

[lordcommander]

13. Keith Screwed Keith. Period.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. Eliot seems to be doing well?

[Bette Noir]

43. Spitzer is getting 1/4 the viewers Keith did.

My guess is that Current will go under within a year, same as Air America did after it fired Randi Rhodes.

Not that Keith and Randi are analogous, but that both venues displayed lousy business decisions. Keith could have made Current into a player, but they didn't support him. They'd rather have that low-life Spitzer, because he's cheaper. Well, if they didn't want to pay Keith, they shouldn't have offered him such a large contract.

[GoCubsGo]

49. Thank you.

It's not like Keith held a gun to their heads and forced them to pay him that much.

[jade3000]

15. Like his politics, but not his personality -- unless it's sportscasting

I agree with his politics usually. But his obnoxious personality rubs me the wrong way. Yet somehow it worked when he was on ESPN doing sports. Guess it doesn't carry over to politics & the rest of society.

[one_voice]

16. I agree with you...

I share many of his views his politics are usually spot on, but I find him a bit off putting. Everyone can't be as good as Rachel.

[jade3000]

21. Agreed about Rachel

She's much more effective.

[XemaSab]

35. Rachel has humility, which I think is an essential quality for a news personality

If she's talking to someone, she seems genuinely interested in what the other person has to say, as opposed to "Let's you and me educate the rubes about how things are," or "Let's find out all the superficial things that Americans love to know."

[bayareaboy]

17. I like James Thurber too ...

But not every Friday.

[aquart]

46. Yes. Every Friday. I want my Thurber!

[Canuckistanian]

22. Keep it classy, Keith

Fired from one big network gig? You're a rebel. Fired from another one that believed in you? You're starting to look like an untouchable prima donna.

Good luck with that.

[badhair77]

25. I know the lights went off on his show once.

Did it happen other times? Are there technical issues with other programs on the network?

I'll be curious to see if it happens on Spitzer's show since it seems to be from the same studio.

[Samantha]

34. He had presented a list of 41 things that needed to be fixed

His agent had been told all would be taken care of. That didn't quite turn out to be true.

I just saw him on Letterman, and he gave a very reasonable explanation of what happened. I think we will see more of him in the future, and I personally really look forward to it.

Sam

PS He mentioned that one night he went to a commercial when a "brown out" was happening with the lights. When they returned from the break, all of a sudden the set went black. The electric bill had not been paid. I am thinking that is why he had that candle those last weeks!

Sam

[Justice wanted]

26. Important FACT PEOPLE: Just remember that MSNBC had been recently taken by COMCAST which

is so republican leaning they wanted Keith out. How quickly people forget how they "SUSPENDED" Keith because he donated to a couple candidates. YET Morning Joe-ass DID THE SAME THING and HE DIDN"T GET A SLAP ON THE WRISTS.


THIS is the same MSNBC that basically toss Cenk-Young Turks- because he was too LIBERAL!


Maybe Keith's ego was part of the Factor BUT Let's just remember how we watch Comcast Owned MSNBC forced Keith out. A Lot of people screamed about his miss treatment now all of a sudden it is his fault.

So which is it?

[Samantha]

36. Keith Olbermann quit MSNBC

His lawyers had been in negotiation for months with MSNBC to agree upon terms to end the contract. That agreement was concluded that Friday that was his last broadcast. He was given no time to say goodbye to the audience.

But Rachel Maddow herself confirmed that Keith quit in an interview on another show. She would not have said that were it not true.

Sam

PS Comcast owns 10% percent of Current. It invested early and gave Current some distribution access. It is entirely possible when Current decided to start broadcasting political news, MSNBC was not at all fond of some of the hosts that were chose for the show....

Another postscript: Those political donations Keith Olbermann made were for political opponents Comcast opposed. And that is why it was made into a big deal. Olbermann said on air there was nothing in his contract about getting network approval before making political donations and that is why he had not chosen to do so. Additionally, NBC did not have that in writing with its staff. Keith wanted to leave MSNBC because he thought when the merger was finalized with Comcast, Comcast would try to muzzle him.

[Bette Noir]

44. They sure succeeded in muzzling Rachel, and they tried to muzzle Cenk.

When's the last time you heard Rachel give a Republican a really tough interview? Before Keith quit/ Comcast took over.

[elleng]

57. Baloney. I don't believe for a moment Rachel's been 'muzzled.'

and she doesn't do 'tough' interviews, she does thoughtful and thorough interviews, and repugs avoid her, they are afraid of her thoroughness.
To answer your question: Buddy Roemer.

[elleng]

65. See her interview Brabender, 'sanctimonius' advisor?

[russspeakeasy]

27. Someone must have told Keith to go fuck himself, cause that's

what he did... What a shame...

[Coyote_Bandit]

28. Perhaps his next gig

will be on an even smaller broadcast network.

Given his work history and his attitude that would seem appropriate.

[juajen]

29. Because of Keith, we have our good liberal shows in the evening and some at

other times. I detest this picking at Keith, and what the hell is wrong with ego? He basically gave us Rachael. Be grateful people and don't be backstabbers. I loved his show and miss it still. I didn't get current, but I tuned into MSNBC every night Keith was on. God bless you Keith. I know your brilliance will shine elsewhere.

[aquart]

47. +1

[Coyote_Bandit]

55. Keith has shown himself to be more than willing

to undermine some of our Dem leaders in order to advance his own agenda and his preferred leaders/candidates.

I find that unprofessional, personally offensive and disrespectful to other Dems that have informed but different views. It fosters division and resentment within the party. I don't consider any of that good and it is certainly nothing I care to patronize by watching.

I have no respect for him. Though I admit I might listen to him again if he finds his sorry egotistical ass back on the sports desk. His work history and long string of firings hardly warrant such an opportunity. Regardless of how he tries to spin it, the the one thing all those firings have in common is KO.

[kenfrequed]

59. Self hate

Everytime we get a liberal voice in the media we pick it apart. If it is a conservative Democrat no one really makes a fuss. But if we get an Olbermann or a Michael Moore then there is no way for them to be angelic enough or perfect enough. It is absurd.

[NolanC]

30. Spam deleted by Paulie (MIR Team)

[pacalo]

31. I wonder how much effort CurrentTV put into promoting its network to cable providers.

I found it difficult to watch their network online. On two different occasions I got an unwanted, very annoying add-on from clicking on that link ("rtv"?).

It's disappointing to read through all the negative remarks. Now that we don't need him -- after all, we have Rachel, Ed, Larry, Al, Martin, & Chris on MSNBC; Spitzer, Stephanie, et al, on CurrentTV because of Keith -- we should jump on the network CEOs' bandwagon & ridicule Keith for his "ego" & for "not getting along with others"?

The fact is, until CurrentTV pounds the sidewalks in getting its network shown on all cable-tv, it's a rinky-dink operation that is unwatchable online. It is what it is, & I don't blame Keith for being disgusted that promises to him were broken.

[Samantha]

37. Hello, Pacalo - I told you we would run into each other again!

I just joined this thread and am happy to see you here. Did you see Keith Olbermann on Letterman tonight? It was great.

Sam

[pacalo]

40. I thought of you when I saw this thread.

So good to see you!


I haven't watched any tv yet tonight, but I dvr'ed it for later. If you were happy with the way the segment went, then I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

I'm really hoping he'll get a show on HBO. It's easier to subscribe for HBO than it is getting the CurrentTV network on cable.

[DonCoquixote]

41. It's called a start up

Which means you start off with low budgets. He was still getting paid more money than anyone else at the station,including Cenk.

[DonCoquixote]

42. It was a startup

Keith knew that Current had half the budget of MSNBC. Yes, the production was cheap, but he was still getting paid, paid better than anyone else. He also knew that Current needed to have help as it was the last safe place for news, as, sorry to say, even Rachel maddow is one corporate death warrant away from being off the air.

[GoCubsGo]

50. The network is seven years old.

That's a little beyond the "startup" stage. And, if Current couldn't afford to pay Keith what they did, they shouldn't have offered and signed the contract.

[kenfrequed]

61. Yeah...

I worked hard to try to find a way to watch it. It isn't listed on many cable networks and I had trouble even finding a way to watch it on Roku (which should have been very, very easy for The Current to set up)

[liberalmike27]

38. I felt bad after MSNBC

New hope rose at Current--now I feel worse about Current, it feels like he's crossed his last bridge, and set it afire in his wake.

Yea, there were a few problems, I saw them. But I still delighted when he'd make one of his very rare appearances. He seemed to be getting it together a bit at the end. More often than not, he'd be there, and I would delight. He's brilliant. No doubt, his ego was a problem, he lost two parents, he should probably take a long time off, live on the money he's earned, and think about what he's done.

Clearly the guy is a genius. He lives in a higher level, one that barely touches normal people. It makes him unaware of the lower people, and somehow it keeps him from realizing that others will only strive to hit his level--they'll miss a queue once and a while, an old light might pop once and a while, or a plug get kicked out. Keith could have persevered, he could've cared more about making it work than bitching, he could have stuck it out for fans like me, and his other supporters in this thread.

Sorry, but I think for the next few years anyway, he's done--and maybe that is what he wanted. I don't know if it's true or not, but he supposedly got one of his drivers fired for "talking to him." Come on! Really? As good as a guy is, there is a line, and he's danced well over it.

So I'll miss him being on, there will be a hole once again in my political shows. But I've got to hang this one on him. He got free reign, far more important than a few trivial problems that would have slowly, over time, improved. He's got to own this one, get some therapy, and fix himself. He's too good to lose, so I hope he gets well, and if he's not doing this for his viewers, then I'm not real concerned with his return.

[tavalon]

39. Dude, I love you but you need help

Therapy. You are the common denominator. You are a great commentator with an ego the size of the Goodyear blimp.

[SemperEadem]

51. well, now that you are out of the way

perhaps they will find someone who will grow the network and be a team player instead of being in it for himself.

It was just plain, bad form for him to go on Letterman and show his ass like that. No class whatsoever.

just go do baseball and be done with it.

[patricia92243]

54. I wish he would/could return to MSNBC. We need all the liberal voices we can get. n/t

[Beacool]

56. The guy has issues.

He's had problems with every network he worked at: ESPN, FOX, MSNBC and now Current.

He always blames everyone else, but apparently he's not a team player and a pain to work with. As someone at ESPN said after Olbermann left, "he doesn't burn bridges, he napalms them".

http://dismalpoliticaleconomist.blogspot.com/2012/04/keith-olbermann-burns-another-bridge.html

[grantcart]

58. By any definition he is not a team player.

And he is playing on a team sport.

He may be the Satchel Page of TV commentators, but without the humor.

[Douglas Carpenter]

60. Keith Olbermann impresses me as a great progressive voice, a brilliant commentator, a first class

entertainer and a raving asshole. It is possible to be all of those things.

[soleft]

62. He may have to apply for his next job as Dorothy Michaels

They can't all be idiots. He argues with everyone.

[Yavin4]

63. I Predict That Keith Will Wind Up on Russia Today (RT) Or Maybe Al Jazeera

More likely, he will wind up on RT where Thom Hartmann has a show. RT is funded out of Russia so they have the cash, and he'd fit right in. They take a strong anti-establishment bent. They're as hard on Obama as they are on the Republicans.