Media, Society

FAREWELL KEITH

This evening my friend Keith Olbermann announced that he is leaving MSNBC and that Countdown will end this week. His departure will be a great disappoint for millions of viewers but I have little doubt that Keith will continue his unique brand of commentary and coverage in a different forum. I will personally miss our conversations on and off the program. Keith has been a unique voice in our society and I trust that we have not heard the last of that voice on myriad of issues confronting this nation.

I have known and worked with Keith since the 1990s and his first news show, The Big Show with Keith Olbermann. He has held a number of positions on different networks — all with equal success. The public has always connected with Keith’s wit and often wacky style. He is one of the smartest individuals I have ever known. He also genuinely cares about the issues addressed on his show.

In an age of blow-dried, robotic anchors, Keith gave the public something different and magnetic. He invented his own genre in news — a style later mimicked by others in their own programs.

Keith’s career has always been as unpredictable as his style. The public has always been drawn to him by his refusal to compromise and his fierce independence. Those characteristics that are so central to his success with viewers often led to conflicts with his respective networks. He is the ultimate lone wolf in an industry known for its pack mentality.

There are certain classics in American culture. They include the 67 Mustang, Wrigley Field, and every John Wayne film. For many news junkies, they also include Keith Olbermann. Intense, irreverent and insightful, Keith is unique. For that reason, his fans and friends will not allow him to be gone from the airways for long.

Thanks, Keith, and Godspeed.

Jonathan Turley

121 thoughts on “FAREWELL KEITH”

  1. Elaine,

    It was predestination that I found this site…I am not sure what I was doing my alla it appeared one day……

    I am not sure if electronic book’s are print media or not…don’t really care for them yet…

    SWM,

    There are so many worth shows to watch…rather than appease the gods of mercy and money….in a slanted media bias…it cuts both ways….

    frank,

    I recall Donahue…he married a woman I had the hots for when I was 8…the rest is well…by taste have changed and realize that that girls was kinda….well…..bad…..

  2. Not sure how many people remember but back in ’01-02 MSNBCs highest rated show was Phil Donahue. He was fired for having the temerity to question the lies that were pushing us into Iraq and the wisdom of invading that country.

    It was a few years before they had a show with as many viewers as Phil’s, and that was Olbermann’s.

  3. I do watch MSNBC. I watch it more when it is election time. I don’t think it should be boycotted as we will lose Rachel, too.

  4. AY,

    Yes, I do–er DID–watch MSNBC. As some others have said–Keith introduced me to Professor Turley. I also read print media.

  5. Does someone really watch msnbc? Except when people we know are going to be on it…..I am of the old style, I prefer print media…..scary isn’t it…..

  6. We’re trying, We’re trying to get away from this type of language,apparently so is MSNBC.

  7. From TMZ (1/21/2011)
    Keith Olbermann — Fired By MSNBC
    http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/21/keith-olbermann-fired-comcast-countdown-msnbc-contract-cable-news-network-pay-or-play/

    Excerpt:
    Keith Olbermann was fired by MSNBC sources tell TMZ, and we’re told it had everything to do with Comcast’s acquisition of NBC.

    Sources connected with the network tell us … Comcast honchos did not like Keith’s defiance and the way he played in the sandbox.

  8. Beck predicted Keith’s departure. Keith got $14 million so don’t feel to bad for him.

  10. A prima donna, but a brilliant prima donna.

    I first found Keith in 1997-98 at the beginning of the Clinton uproar, during which he made plain his disgust with the ridiculous political antics; soon he was gone. I assume he couldn’t stand having to talk about it every night.

    I was so happy to find him again on MSNBC. And, like others, his show is where I found Professor Turley and finally, last year, this website. Joy, joy!

    It will be interesting to see where he turns up next. Wherever it is, I’ll be waiting. Good luck, Keith.

    And thanks, Professor Turley!

  11. I suspect mespo is right in his assessment so here’s to Keith … we await your new program

  12. Thanks to Keith for all his great reporting AND commentary. Thanks to Jon for appearing on the show and maintaining this blog.

    And thanks to all the supportive contributors here. I read every day, though I comment rarely.

    Gratitude.

  13. I am sorry to read about Keith Olbermann’s departure but I believe him to be, like many intelligent and energetic people, easily bored. CNN, ESPN, Fox, MS-NBC and several other stops in his distinguished career tell me he is a restless soul. My guess is that he felt he had done all he could do at MSNBC and the Comcast merger sealed the deal. I suspect he is up for another challenge and some different scenery.

    I suggest he explore a stint on the Huffington Post. Maybe he could bring that project to cable television. He was a voice of sanity in an insane time during the Bush Administration. However, like Winston Churchill whom he quoted during the Obamacare debate, when his great antagonist was vanquished, he was somewhat adrift.

    Here’s to finding his rudder and smooth sailing ahead.

  14. The reason I comment on the Turley Blog is because I was, and am a steady viewer of the Keith Olbermann Show. While Keith was helping me keep my sanity during the horrifying Bush Administration, he also introduced me to our friend, Prof. Turley. Shortly after I got a computer in Sept.,’09, I checked out the Turley Blog and found it informative and much to my liking. I am upset by Keith’s departure and see Comcast’s dirty fingerprints all over this situation. I suspect they won’t have much use for Rachel Maddow either. I hope I am wrong about this, because she is doing some superb reporting and commentary on her show. Network and cable television is nearly devoid of liberal commentary with the exception of PBS and MSNBC, despite the lies of Fox’s constant repetition of the phrase “liberal media”. “Corporate-serving media” would be closer to the truth. I hope the Prof. will still have an outlet on television for his wise analysis of current legal and Constitutional news. I also hope that Keith will be back on television commenting on politics, not sports, but frankly I don’t see that happening.

  15. raff,

    It’s a cover of a Tear for Fears song from the Donnie Darko soundtrack.

    I’m glad you liked it.

  16. This was a beautiful tribute, Jonathan. I discovered you through Countdown and always appreciated hearing what you had to say there. I certainly hope you are right about Keith’s career.

  19. Keith introduced me to so very many interesting and well-epoken people..Keith introduced me to Prof. Turley. Don’t wander away from us for too long, Keith. You are a voice we need.

Comments are closed.