Keith Olbermann’s Angry E-Mail Trail Traces Breakup with Current TV

[steve2470]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/01/keith-olbermann-s-angry-e-mail-trail-traces-breakup-with-current-tv.html

by Howard Kurtz Apr 1, 2012 4:45 AM EDT



It was a terrible marriage from the beginning.

Just weeks after Keith Olbermann launched his nightly program on Current TV last June, his team was complaining that the network founded by Al Gore and attorney Joel Hyatt wasn’t living up to its promises to support a professional cable news show.

The arguments escalated for months, with Olbermann directly appealing to the former vice president on three or four occasions, until relations had become so poisoned that, on Friday, Current fired Olbermann for breach of contract. He has vowed to take the matter to court and questioned the ethics of Gore and Hyatt.

Some of the disputes are fundamental—such as missing days of work—and some sound petty, but they add up to a portrait of a dysfunctional alliance that was doomed from the start. Where Current management viewed Olbermann as a chronic complainer who had clashed with the bosses before leaving his previous jobs at MSNBC and ESPN, the liberal commentator came to believe that he had joined a rinky-dink operation, even if the channel was committed to paying him $50 million over five years.

*more at link above*

[hlthe2b]

1. Seems like a fairly balanced article (surprisingly) coming from Howie Kurtz...

Just a bad fit from the beginning, it seems. KO is really not a team player but he had valid issues, nonetheless.

Sad

[newfie11]

2. Having watched Keith on MSNBC and following to Current I noticed the show seemed to be plagued with

problems from the start. At MSNBC everything went like clock work while on Current, Keith would wait for something to play and it never came, the set was shoddy looking for months, his stories were not as entertaining as before. I don't know if this was caused by a different staff or just getting bugs worked out. It become a boring show and never never would I have said that about Keith before. I saw that he was not appearing due to health reasons so don't know about that. I will be sad to see him off the air and hope he does come back as I feel he does get the word out about the repug shit.

[tularetom]

3. If he's so smart why doesn't he start his own network

I don't feel one bit sorry for him. He knew exactly what he was getting into when he signed on with Current. Of course it was undercapitalized compared to what he had experienced before. But if he was so enamored of fancy sets and experienced producers, he should have kept his big mouth shut and kept his job with MSNBC.

I think most people are tired of giving him the benefit of the doubt every time he has a hissy fit over how he is treated. He's very talented and he's done a lot for progressive media but it's time for him to man up and learn to get along with his bosses and co workers.

[Honeycombe8]

5. Ditto. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you can't get along with people.

Otherwise, you'd just end up sitting in your living room talking to yourself and being the best talk show host and pundit in the world! But who would see?

[global1]

10. Why Didn't He Produce His Own Show?....

They should have given him the power to run his own show. Afterall they were paying him big bucks and he did have more experience than his bosses as he came from a successful network. They shoul have let him run things. Then if they didn't work out he would have only himself to blame.

[Hissyspit]

12. If they're so smart why don't they start their own network

that actually works.

I don't feel one bit sorry for them. They knew exactly what they were getting when they signed him on with Current. Of course it was undercapitalized compared to what Olbermann had experienced before. But if they wanted someone who was used to "fancy sets" and people who know what they are doing, they should have been honest with him from the start.

Did you actually read the article? It sounds like it was an untenable situation from Day One.

"Kept his big mouth shut"

I have a feeling Olbermann has developed a pretty knee-jerk reaction to that kind of advice for some pretty obvious reasons...

[Honeycombe8]

4. I like your Yoda pic. He cute! But he doesn't look too happy about his outfit!

Ah, the things we must do for art.

[steve2470]

6. hopefully he got some nice doggie treats afterward ! :) nt

[steve2470]

7. to comment on my own op after some thought...

Of course, I have no idea what transpired between Keith and his employers. With that caveat said upfront, I can relate to working with bosses and co-workers and work conditions that were far from ideal. I think the vast majority of us can. I can relate to his frustrations, but....with a $50 million paycheck over 5 years, your own show, and an ownership stake, I would think that would temper my frustrations a great deal.

I hope his next gig is a semi-permanent one and a happy one for all involved. Maybe some media entity can fund his own independent operation and he gets to deal with the nuts and bolts.

[leveymg]

8. BTW - Current had to pay a bundle for that 747 as a backdrop to Keith's set. ;-)

Photo proves how extravagant Keith's demands can be.

[dawnie51]

9. Signs were always there....

Keith's set went black back in December, attributed to lighting problems. After a few days, I wondered, damn, how bad a lighting problem can this be to remain down for this long? After the holidays, it was apparent to me that the lights were just the tip of the iceberg. This was not the quality production that I had hoped for, and I'm sure Keith was livid; tape not ready on time, wrong tape with a story, etc. I noted that Elliot Spizer has a lovely, state of the art studio now, and how fast did that all come around, like overnight? I like Spitzer, he's a good progressive, but I love Keith. And I must admit, I'm a pretty peeved at Current. This was not well done.

[LittleGirl]

11. Keith just tweeted about his new job

CEO at Global Grind

www.globalgrindl.com

[Hissyspit]

13. April 1

[LittleGirl]

14. so we're april fools?

n/t

[BigDemVoter]

15. He's a great commentator. . .

But I hear he's a SUPREME asshole. Luckily, I don't watch him for his personality!

[ffr]

16. I'd like to see him back in his time slot at MSNBC

I tried to watch him online on Current, but their lead-up music was so bland-if-not-depressing to listen to. Couldn't get past it.