Question about Countdown W/Keith Olbermann - Would you make any changes to the show?

[Hawaii Hiker]

I think most of us here on DU admire the hell out of K.O....I was wondering, does everyone like the format, would you like to see him get in confrontations by having conservative guests?...Also, come on Keith, got to get rid of Michael Musto, :banghead: There are about 500,000 people who could do a more effective job on entertainment stories....

Do you want to see Keith interview conservative guests, which would likely lead to some heated confrontations, and it would probably skyrocket his ratings even more.....Also, as smart as Keith is, he'd leave conservative guests scrambling for responses....Or, should show format be kept way it is, which contains intelligent discussions without the WWE effect?....That is probably the ONLY reason Bill "settled a sexual harassment lawsuit" O'Reilly has any ratings, people turn in to see arguments, & BO act like the asshole he is....

In a way I love the show the way it is, but I would love to see Keith tear conservative guests a new a-hole...They probably wouldn't go on his show anyway, he's way too smart & they'll get crushed in debates....

In any event, Michael Musto must - go, LOL....He's astonishingly annyoing & is the most unfunny person I've ever seen....

Don't forget, Keith will be weekly commentator on NBC's Sunday Night Football starting tommorow...

[Blue_In_AK]

1. I can do without the entertainment stuff

and Oddball really holds no interest for me, but that's just me.

[Fearless]

7. I would agree but...

I think the reason it's there is to garner a greater audience which could only profit us if they start to see the other stories too.

[RamboLiberal]

28. The 1st half hour of Countdown Thurs beat Billo

the 2nd half hour didn't so Billo by a slim margin won. I think a lot of people tune out the 2nd half hour of Countdown. I'd love to see the hour stay mostly serious. Keep Oddball, keep worst persons, even keep that little celebrity tab, and even keep comment on American Idol even though personally I never watch that show but it is fun to watch KO and guest discuss.

I'd love to see KO do a segment a night against some conservative. Wonder how many would have the guts to go on?

[Fearless]

31. Well no doubt the number would be few.

[EST]

2. He should keep it however he wants it.

I don't care for the stories of the mindless pursuits of the idle rich and famous--I could do without them. However, Musto is the funniest, most creative, as well as spontaneous of all the oddball guests he has on. If he must keep the final segment, it must be with Musto.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Take of the idiot-American celebrity gossip part.

[blondeatlast]

20. I'm kind of torn about it. He can manage to put things like Paris's

incarceration in a broader perspective.

He kind of lets the air out of the celebrrity worship better than most but I'd love to see longer sequences with the likes of John Dean.

[AlCzervik]

4. i like Musto.

[mitchtv]

5. I love Michael Musto

nothing like a sharp tongued queen to break the ice. In fact KO has other people on too .

[ccpup]

6. when Keith tries to be funny

I find myself losing interest and turning the channel. Usually, the first half-hour is good and the rest feels like fluffy filler that isn't worth watching, but I could be wrong. Anyway, just my opinion. If he focused on hard news, I think it'd be worth watching all the way through.

[allisonthegreat]

10. Although I don't have cable any longer

I did see a segment they ran on Sunday night a couple of weeks ago...I like him fine....No requests for changes from me!!

[daninthemoon]

8. I wouldn't want to see confrontaional interviews on countdown.

I think it would slow things down too much. A seperate show, like MTP, maybe once a week or less might work Ok, but for the most part I think what he is doing is about perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.

[AlCzervik]

11. plus confrontation isn't KO's style, his is not a "Shout show" and if it were i wouldn't watch.

[daninthemoon]

16. Exactly

[rucky]

9. The show is perfect.

i'm critical as hell of entertainment, but they are right on the mark. good pacing and just the right mix of wacky, fluffy, outrageous and dead serious.

[Chipper Chat]

12. How many typical Countdown viewers are like me?

I religiously watch the first 25 minutes then half-pay attention to the oddball and 3rd story (if not political) - then switch off the TV or sneak-a-peek at Billo if I know the entertainment crap is coming up. Tweety does all politics - why cant Keith?
There are a few conservatives that I wouldn't mind being on for rebuttal: Bay Buchanan, Ed Gillespie, Rusty Humpries, Linda Chavez.... Maybe Keith feels that would ruin the format.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. Michael Musto needs to go.

He sucks; he's obnoxious and not even slightly funny. Same with Mo Rocca, and that woman (can't remember her name) who shows up every once in awhile to talk about some other idiot celebrities. In fact, the whole idiot celebrity segment should be dumped unless/until something really unusual and newsworthy happens to some idiot celebrity. Britney Spears' lack of underwear and Lindsey Lohan's DUIs do not fall into that category.

Oddball is kind of fun.

[Hawaii Hiker]

25. I think you're talking about Maria Malito,

who often comes in when American Idol is on.....Yeah, Mo Rocca sucks to....

I don't mind celebrity stories, just don't over do it....

I like oddball to, some of it is very funny, in both the video & KO's commentary during it...

[Ino]

14. The entertainment portion seems to be getting longer

I used to watch 3/4 of the show, now it's more like half.

[grasswire]

15. Keith used to do a confrontational show.

He quit it. He hated it.

Here's what I would change: dump those smarmy MSM commentators like Dana Milbank, Richard Wolffe, and Chris whatever his name is. Instead, use real and interesting people like David Brock, Eric Alterman, Ron Reagan (buddhist), Dan Froomkin (although he told me he doesn't want to do TV).

[daninthemoon]

18. Whatever happened to Ron Reagan?

[grasswire]

29. he shows up occasionally on MSNBC

not very often, though.

[Greyskye]

17. Yes - 3 significant changes.

1) Make Worst Person the segment closer. (Other than when he has Special Comments)
2) Dump everything that normally goes after Worst Person - the stuff that KO says his producers "make" him do.
3) Bring in more guests from the adversarial positions, in addition to the folks that KO agrees with. Have actual conversations instead of screaming matches. I think this would do a lot for the progressive cause. I don't want the same yelling contests that you get on the Reich Wing shows - why lower ourselves to the sewer?

Man do I agree with you on your Michael Musto comments. In the words of Jon Stewart - what a douche!

[frogmarch]

If I had my way....

Keith would lose the entertainment part, or at least most of it, especially Musto.

Not sure I'd like to see conservatives a.k.a. republicanz as guests on Countdown. Wait. I am sure. I would not.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

19. I would replace KO with someone who is actually funny, or

tell him to stop trying to be funny.

Saying "Good night, and good luck" while giggling is not funny.

[grasswire]

30. wow

He IS really funny. Perhaps you don't understand his brand of humor, which stems directly from Jean Shepard.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

32. I get it. He's just not funny.

[DarbyUSMC]

21. I'd definitely KO the "entertainment tonight", keeping tabs deal and also

the preoccupation with American Idol when it's in season. I like the girl he banters with about it but it's a waste of time, IMO. Anything to do with the three or four out of control celebrity rich girls belongs on another type of show. It just gives them more attention which is partly how they ended up the way they did. I don't personally care for Michael Musto; he wouldn't be called upon if the tabloid part of Countdown was deep-sixed.

[blondeatlast]

22. Daily reports from John Dean. His segments are so informative

and KO and him make a great team.

I'd like to see more from the Iraq vets against the war, too.They have a great spokesman; very intelligent and telegenic.

[Maribelle]

23. Keith is a breath of fresh air for my sad sorry political heart.

Don't change a hair. My husband and I love Keith's program from the bottom to the top.

[bbgrunt]

24. I have been dismayed from the beginning about

the overuse of graphics and silly stuff--but maybe that's what it takes these days to hold the interest of the video generation. Randi Rhodes used to complain that she couldn't watch Keith because the graphics scared her dogs. I only watch the first 25 minutes.

[elfin]

26. Agree about Musto and the whole way the show

does celebrity fluff.

When I have visitors who have never seen Keith and who seem to be really liking it - I try to turn it off if I see Musto or Rocca coming on.

The newbies are lost forever at that point.

I think celebs do have a place on a general "news" show such as this -- BUT the way it is done now is really awful.

I always switch off when it comes to that segment unless Keith is doing the whole thing.

[spartan61]

27. The only part I would change would be to get rid of

the Oddball segment, especially when they do the Best of Oddball and Rocco. I tend to only watch the first half of the program except when Keith has a special commentary. Then I don't dare switch channels. I don't want to miss a word.

[Buns_of_Fire]

33. And so it goes...

I remember the great "Weekend" show with Lloyd Dobyns and Linda Ellerbee. "Countdown" seems, to me, to be a kindered spirit with that show. I'd say they needn't change anything.

Besides, his rating are apparently inching up all the time, so they must be doing something right. The first half of the show appears to be the meat and potatoes (and, sometimes, the green leafy vegetable). After getting past that, the viewer gets the fluffy foo-foo dessert. And sometimes, the after-dessert lecture. I've got no problem with the way they're handling it.

[ThomWV]

34. They could dump the second half if they wanted but under no circumstance should they ...

Put on one "Conservative" and one "Liberal" and have they start a shouting match. Any show I watch in which guests start shouting or talking over one another I immediately turn it off.