O'Reilly's agent has called chief exec of NBC, urging him to tell his MSNBC commentators to back off

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/14/AR2007011401124.html

<snip>

Scarborough says O'Reilly is being driven by animosity toward Keith Olbermann, whose MSNBC show "Countdown" has been gaining in the ratings. "He's allowed his anger toward Keith Olbermann to damage his credibility," Scarborough says.

Olbermann, who faces off with O'Reilly at 8 p.m., has been denouncing his rival for years. He positions his program as an increasingly liberal alternative to the "O'Reilly Factor" and frequently bestows on "Bill-O" his "Worst Person in the World" award. "Countdown" was up 60 percent in the fourth quarter over a year earlier, to 656,000 viewers. But "Factor," despite a 21 percent decline during the same period, still dwarfs the competition with 2.049 million viewers.

Several times over the last year, according to three sources who asked not to be identified because they were describing private conversations, O'Reilly's agent called Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC's television group, urging him to tell his MSNBC commentators to back off. O'Reilly also posted an online petition demanding that NBC dump Olbermann.

[warrior1]

1. ha

what a wuss

[marshall]

15. He ought to be thanking Olbermann for the ratings boost!

There's no such thing as bad publicity--anytime Olbermann or somebody else on MSNBC mentions O'Reilly it's just like a commercial saying "Switch over to Fox and watch." Do you think Rosie and Barbara Walters are upset about Donald Trump causing more and more people to tune into "The View"? O'Reilly ought to just chill out, unless this whole thing is just "reverse psychology" meant to bring even more attention to his show.

[malaise]

2. He's allowed his anger toward Keith Olbermann

to damage his credibility.

His WHAT?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Poor wee laddie.

By his words and actions, he has made himself the center of numerous controversies, then, when someone calls him on those words and actions, he whines.

Mr. Victim.

[LibDemAlways]

4. "He's allowed his anger.....to damage his credibility."

What credibility? This is a blowhard pontificating moralist who not long ago was exposed as a loofah worshiping adulterous sleaze. Scarborough must be remembering the time a dead intern was found in his office and has decided glass houses and stones don't mix.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. "...urging him to back off..." or what?

Is he threatening or whining? Bill-Os insane. His viewers only watch waiting to be witness to the moment he snaps and turns into Bill the Cat. LOL!

[xchrom]

6. bill-o can't lose what he never had.

bill-o is nuts -- his true believer viewers are nuts.

[Bluzmann57]

7. Here's a message for "big bad Bill"

Waaahhhhh!!!!!!!! Try treating others civilly, by um, let's see, maybe by not cutting their mikes and telling them to "shut up". Or by cutting out the name calling. Or just quit lying. Or here's an even better suggestion; just go away. Live out your fantasies of being a bad ass out there in Long Island or wherever you're from and leave the American public alone.

[greenbriar]

8. if ya can't run with the big dogs...stay on the porch

bill-o is a baby and has to let others fight his battles.


dump him faux...he is making a laughing stock out of what is left of faux news

[MichiganVote]

9. What credibility?

[lpbk2713]

10. Loufa-boy can't handle the competition.

Time to throw in the towel shithead.

If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen..... or stop making felafels.

[jmowreader]

11. As I remember, Olbermann loved that petition

He went to Bill O'Reilly's site during a Countdown broadcast and signed Falafel Boy's petition to get rid of him.

And then he cut to the newsroom...where he'd told everyone on his staff to line up, on camera, and sign the petition too.

[TlalocW]

12. I remember that

They had one computer set up and a long line of people waiting to sign it, and Keith faked moral outrage when Tucker Carlson sat down to sign it.

TlalocW

[Hamlette]

13. anyone know the back story on THIS bit at the end of the column:

"Within the first 45 seconds or so of our first interview, he called me a idiot." -- Ryan Lizza, profiling Rep. Rahm Emanuel in GQ.

I'm willing to say Ryan deserved it but I'd like to know what happened.

I've not seen anything else on this, anyone?

[pacalo]

14. I want Keith to continue hammering on that nutbag 'cause O'nutbag's losing it.

Only by Faux News' lack of standards could telling the truth be considered "lunacy" or "biased".

And O'nutbag even hired a body language "expert" to determine that O'nutbag's guests are "uncomfortable"?! Of course they're uncomfortable in a one-sided conversation with a deranged nutbag who defies common sense & won't let them defend themselves.

Keep hammering, Keith!