Keith Olberman: 1/2 hour of content -- 1/2 hour of tabloid crap.

[Cyrano]

Let me say that Keith Olberman is one of the greatest things to happen to TV since Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.

Yet, virtually every recent KO show has given us a half hour of major news covered nowhere else. And for this, he has (rightfully) become a hero among most of us.

And then he gives us a half hour of tabloid garbage that we can do without. Why?

It could be that this is the price he has to pay to be allowed to spend the first half hour telling us the truth. I really don't know the answer.

And I've also noticed that his magnificent end-of-show rants have become rarer. Have his commentaries threatened the military contracts of his General Electric/NBC bosses? I don't know.

But I do know that his editorials have become fewer, his tabloid crap has become extended, and the REAL NEWS that has made him a shining light to so many of us, is decreasing.

I'm not blaming K.O. for this. He works for these "free market" trolls and they can throw him out on his ass at any moment. Perhaps I should just shut up and be grateful for the grains of truth he manages to broadcast.

[billyoc]

1. It's a 30 minute show for me.

But it's a great 30 minutes. :hi:

[rodeodance]

10. more like 20 minutes

[kansasblue]

2. Give IWTNews.org a try.

The future of news I hope.

[IDemo]

16. Bookmarked. Looks like a great resource, thanks.

[Fridays Child]

3. I think they make him sling the BS in exchange for more freedom with the rest of the content.

And, if that's the deal they offered him, I'm glad he took it. Know what I mean?

[KittyWampus]

46. I like the tabloid crap. It's like the sugar coating on icky medicine.

[LibinMo]

4. I've noticed the same thing

I record his show then ff thru the BS.

[IDemo]

5. I don't think KO enjoys the Paris/Britney/Nicole segment

He has hinted at that more than once, but the producers apparently feel Americans wouldn't pay attention to serious news for a full hour.

[rox63]

6. The show has always been that way

And that's way he intended it to be. Half heavy, half light.

[madokie]

7. perhaps

30 minutes is better than no minutes

[bleever]

8. Normal ebb and flow, and KO has definitely NOT eased up

on the lying liars.

He has THE best guests on TV news, including Jonathon Turley (who never shies away from naming the crimes of this administration straight out), Wesley Clark, Thomas Ricks, Joe Wilson (!), and others.

I don't have much use for the tabloid stories, even though I like the levity in general with which he leavens the hour.

But I will offer my opinion regarding the hard news, which is that no one does it better, and KO keeps doing it better and better.

[Clark2008]

15. Split screens of Keith and Wes make me feel like a natural woman.

:hi: Bleev!

Have you missed me? I'm always feeding baby or eating dinner at 8 p.m. now. Still watching Keith - just can't blog during that time. :)

[bleever]

43. There she is!

Yes, I've been wondering why we haven't had the pleasure of your company lately, but I guess if you insist on feeding your baby we'll have to understand.

I love that picture.

:hi:

[proud patriot]

9. I like the oddball segment

Keith has a way of reporting the crap that makes me
laugh and adds some much needed humor in my day . :shrug:

[question everything]

11. Remember, the sub title of his show is: what will you be talking

at the water cooler tomorrow.

And for many of your co-workers, these gossipy thingies, including American Idol, are the topics of conversations. I would guess more so than what we consider the real stories. OK, Senator Craig is an exception, but the other political stories...

As far as I am concerned, even that story is crap the way it is being going on and on.

[Skittles]

17. in 32 years of working

I have never, ever had a conversation at the water cooler. Does anyone?

[hisownpetard]

19. I have never worked anywhere that actually had a water cooler! eom

[question everything]

22. Never have I. With everyone sitting at cubicles

conversations would just flow over, or some would congregate around someone and more often it would be the coffee, not the cooler.

With a water cooler you just go in, pour water into your cup and leave. But with coffee there is the pouring, and cream and sugar (or not) stirring, tossing the stirrer into the trash..

However, this is how Olbermann titles his show and we know that people will be talking more about American Idol and the bimbo trio more than, say, Edwards' Health Care plan or even Gonzo's adios.


:shrug:

[Cyrano]

31. Damn. It's time for the Dilberts of the world to unite.

No disrespect intended. It's just that the vast majority of us have been had for far too long. And it's time we threw our cubicles on our backs and carried them to the Washington Mall. How else to match the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," attitude of the 60s and 70s?

And having lived through that era, I can say that an army of Dilberts on the mall might just make a difference. But I guess we'll never really know until you revolt against those "cubicles" which you must, must come to realize are nothing more than fabric-covered cells.

[question everything]

44. They certainly are

Only the important people get to have their own offices - where they can close the doors and talk privately with the rest of us pawns, have to have the whole world listen to our conversations.

Well, this is how it used to be... now, with cell phones, it appears that most people do hand their private matters in public

:shrug:

The worse is when the taller people just come looking over the divider, without the courtesy of actually "entering" one's cell.

On the other hand, depends on the place, they can be useful. When you are in an R&D group, hearing the brain storming that goes around is good. You will never know from which corner someone will say - hey, I've dealt with this before, try this one, or contact this person.

[redirish28]

12. Don't know if it is true or not but Abrams determine what Keith is to do.

The rumor my wife hear is that Abrams has final choice on what stories Keith does and He's been angry at the Special Comments of late.

Granted it is a rumor but it would explain the crap he does with Brittany and the like. You can see the pain in his eyes that he has to do it rather than something a little more "light hearted news" like when he covered the Light sabre going up in space... I much rather hear that than Brittany junk.

[Cyrano]

18. Interesting, but I don't understand what Abrams has to do with the content

of Olberman's show. Could you please elaborate on this?

[in_cog_ni_to]

24. Abrams is MSNBC's General Manager now. n/t

[Oilwellian]

25. Abrams is the general manager of MSNBC...

hence Olbermann's boss. For the most part, it's the last 10 minutes of the show that is tabloid crap. The other part, Oddball and worst person in the world is entertaining. Personally, I like that lighter side...laughter is good for your health. :D

[hisownpetard]

28. Dan Abrams was recently promoted to Gen'l Mgr. of MSNBC. n/t

[hisownpetard]

21. I've heard, too, that Dan Abrams has the final say. Keith looks pained

and uncomfortable, I think, when he has to say cheesy things about Britney et al.
Instead of 30 mins. of the kind of pap they have all night long on other programs,
I wish they'd realize that people who want that kind of "news" are not Keith's audience
and, therefore, they can just skip all that stuff and give us more of the real Keith.

As far as Keith doing less of his "Special Comment" segments - this is the way it
should be, and the only way to keep his comments "special." If he did them more
often, it would become a parody of itself instead of being his heart-felt reaction
to something that has moved him (and, most likely, all of us as well).

Addendum: I've only watched Dan Abrams's show a couple of times. Anyone notice
how hard he's trying to ride on Keith's coat-tails (e.g. the segment he calls "Winners
and Losers"?).

[Cyrano]

35. Thanks to all of the above regarding Abrams. I didn't know he was KO's boss.

However it does seem to indicate that Abrams is a corporate hack with the power to force Olberman to cut back on his assaults against the corporate/political establishment. -- What Eisenhower called the military/industrial complex.

So the reason that Olberman is being restrained is now apparent. -- And also apparent, is the state of the American "Main Stream Media." When a man like KO is to any degree being silenced, our concept of a "free press" is in the sewer.

KO is one of the best we have on TV. And some corporate whore like Abrams has the power to tell him to "lighten up." Boy, it seems that George Orwell was a superior psychic than was Nostradamus. Big Brother is here.

[LibDemAlways]

13. The pre-football Olbermann show last weekend was

mostly the tabloid stuff - sort of Keith lite. I think the price he has to pay for the truthtelling he manages to do, including those wonderful special comments, is the pointless Britney/American Idol tabloid crap that shows like Extra, Access Hollywood, and Showbiz Tonight already cover. And not only does he have to devote precious airtime to it, he has to interview the likes of unfunny Michael Musto about it. It's a steep price to pay, and you're right. There have been damn few rants lately. Still, I'll take what I can get. A little truth, even if he is forced to interview corporate whores like Milbank during the hard news segments, is better than nothing.

[HughMoran]

14. It's fine with me

I can watch the ball bame between meaningful segments :D

He's got the usual 1/2 hour network news content stretched to 1 hour - whatchagonnado?

[Cyrano]

20. "whatchagonnado?" Bitch, moan, throw tantrums, and wish for a better world.

Aside from that, all I can do is vote, hope it's counted, and then hope for the best.

[Matariki]

23. Perhaps the tabloid portion will attract people who would have never seen real news?

[ronnykmarshall]

50. Thank YOU!

My thought as well.

[Raksha]

56. That's my thinking too. For some people,

truth needs to be sugar-coated.

[Blue Belle]

26. It's still 1/2 hour more content that you'll get from any other cable news show...

which is the sad reality.

[mwb970]

41. Well, Hardball is all politics for an hour.

Chris Matthews never covers BritneyParisNicoleLindsay or any other pap so you get a solid hour of political discussion. Would that KO hosted a show with the same format!

[Blue Belle]

54. Hardball is an hour of news??? Really??

Why is that everytime I tune in it's a solid hour of Matthews giving a big wet sloppy kiss to the Republican party?

[Captain Hilts]

27. Look at the calendar, it's AUGUST. There is no news. nt

[judaspriestess]

29. My fiance has been complaining for quite some time

about all the hollywood gossip crap too. I see he is not alone. I just figured KO has to do this because nbc requires him to devote so much time to it.

[Major Hogwash]

30. Yeah, but where else would I get my Britney news?

Gotta have Britney news at least once a week, ya know.
Hair or no hair, know what I mean?

LoL

[mondo joe]

32. Keith isn't just hard news. His formula works for him and for the audience.

It's easy enough to turn it off for the 2nd half hour if you like.

[otohara]

33. Michael Musto Makes Me Wanna

puke :puke: - that guy is not funny and mean spirited. I tune out if he's on.

[Beausoir]

37. He is awful. Nothing more unfunny than an unfunny comedian who is trying to be funny.

[ronnykmarshall]

51. I think he's a riot.

It's like hanging out at a party with the biggest smart ass in the room. Oh wait, that's usually me!

[Gabi Hayes]

55. nobody, even Musto, is smarmier, more unctuously craven than....

Dana Milbank



can't remember if it was on Tweety, or KO tonight, but he was the worst ever, and I can't even remember the specifics, but it was more obnoxious than anything he's ever said. it's been discussed as to why he has to be on, but his presence really ruins the show for me, as does Chris Cilizza, and a few others whose names I can't recall.

what about Matt Taibbi?

[bdamomma]

34. yea, Keith is good, the first 1/2 hour of his show should be

extended for the next 1/2 hour. I can do without the celebrity BS.

[Yukari Yakumo]

36. Better than 100% tabloid crap.

Which is what the M$M tries to shove down our throats.

[Liberty Belle]

38. A very good editor once told me you have to give people chocolate cake crumbs along with roast beef

if you want them to keep coming back for more.

I'm starting my own progressive online community magazine, and the format has both the public and investors excited. Yes, we'll have plenty of left-of-center news plus a how-they-voted section and other political stuff. But also the things everyone likes to read (local restaurant reviews, festival of the month, profiles of local people doing something offbeat, etc.) In this way, I can get EVERYONE to read this and pass it around -- not just liberal Democrats.

I think the Olbermann mix is smart - if it was Phil Donahue rehashed half or more of the population would simply never watch or change their mindsets.

[Disturbed]

39. It seems to be set up so that people that want the serious

news items can bail after 15 minutes. Yeah, 15 minutes of non RWing news view on TV per night is what the US Corp is allowed to program.

[Berry Cool]

40. Dan Abrams would be the LAST person to tell Olbermann to tone down the Special Comments.

They have been largely responsible for his spectacular ratings rise from a year ago when he began doing them regularly.

If MSNBC had its way he'd be doing them every damn week, as a ratings ploy. He doesn't want to use them that way. He wants to do when when HE feels motivated to do one, when he thinks it's really important.

Any speculation as to why he's "not doing so many lately" is just paranoid speculation--just like when he goes on vacation after an especially good, hard-hitting show and DU goes nuts thinking he's not there because he's been fired. Nonsense.

I'm getting the feeling more and more that he does the fluff because he wants to, too--because he sees it as a way of luring people into the more serious stuff.

And anyone who turns off his show after 15 minutes, or even 30, is missing a whole lot of serious stuff.

[Mutineer]

42. Like what?

Keeping Tabs? The 99th showing of a bear falling out of a tree and hitting a trampoline? Musto? Some other gossip crap? Oh yeah, that's hard-hitting, serious content there.

I'd just like to know how you "know" all these things about what Keith "really wants" to do. Unless you work for MSNBC, know him, or work on the show, that's just your idea of what you think about him, it's not based in any truth or fact, as the show clearly reveals. It is what it is, 15 or 30 minutes (at MOST) of news, followed by a good 45 to 30 minutes of pure crap. He's the highest rated thing MSNBC has got on air. If he wanted to make the show a one-hour, solid news program, I'm sure he wields enough power to do so. I think (see, think, not know, big difference) that he puts the tabloid crap in because he likes doing it. But it would be so much a better show if he didn't.

[Clinton Crusader]

45. Seems to me it pains KO to go over this crap and...

He always makes faces, snide remarks and makes fun of all this celebrity BS. BUT it is part of the show and as far as I can remember, always has been.

And remember it says in the very beginning what will you be talking about tomorrow? That isn't always deathly serious, political news or world events. Sometimes people do say what a nutcase Britney is, or what's going on with American Idol, or some other mindless idiocy. It's part of the world as we know it. I don't give a rats bum about Britney or any of these other fools, but while we were cooking dinner last night my husband even said, did you see that picture of her? And she's in the middle of a child custody case? Just in passing.

It's a well rounded show, IMHO, not deathly serious all the time, takes a comical look at our world, like Oddball, as well as Oddball Plays Of The Month etc. I find myself laughing so much throughout his show, it's all in his delivery and I would be adrift without his show.

Musto is an idiot and I don't know why he has him on so much. Mo Rocca is another idiot I can live without.

[ronnykmarshall]

47. That's why he's kicking ass in the ratings.

What's wrong with mixing the show up? It gets more people to watch.

[sandnsea]

48. It's a good mix

Life is more than politics and gloom. Some of the silly stories are a way to remind people there is a big world out there, and to force people to take a look at other cultures. He always does the celebrity pieces with the scorn they deserve. And he gives kudos when deserved, there are lots of good things going on in the world too. He's fine.

[WI_DEM]

49. It's a well-rounded show. I enjoy the hard news and the soft news

[supernova]

52. Originally the evening news was only 30 minutes anyway

Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, and Frank Reynolds all were only 30 minute programs.

So it's not surprising that Keith is 1/2 news and 1/2 fluff. I just fast forward through the tabloid segments.

[aikoaiko]

53. Its been that way from the beginning -- mostly.