First a bit of good news. It seems NBC likes Olbermann enough to give him a try-out in prime time on the mother network - NBC, not MSNBC where Olbermann currently has a slot every night at 8pm.The NY Times reports the try-out will be shown on network television on Sunday before a preseason NBC football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why is NBC skewing more liberal?
‘Countdown’ is rocketing right now over at MSNBC — its ratings are going through the roof,” said Phil Griffin, senior vice president of NBC News. (In July Mr. Olbermann’s show averaged 721,000 viewers, an increase of 88 percent over last July, according to MSNBC.) Mr. Griffin added, “The world has changed, and I think people have come in line with the smart, focused approach he has on the show.” No immediate plans for additional network appearances of “Countdown” have been made, but Mr. Griffen did not rule them out. “It may be the first of several times you see Olbermann on the network,” he said.
More Keith is good news for everyone.
3 comments:
I can only hope that NBC really gives him a chance, and doesnt pull him if they don't get 8 million viwers the first show. I am really impressed that they are giving his viewpoints a chance in the mainstream. Good luck, Keith!
I am a huge fan of Keith's show (well, at least the first half hour, as the last half hour seems to appeal only to the celebrity-crazed masses) and I'm excited to hear that his ratings are high enough to land him a spot on a broadcast news channel. I am, however, a little apprehensive that Keith will be forced to water down his newscasts and Special Comments once his is a regular show on NBC. I love Keith's special comments specifically because they are eloquent, articulate, and, most importantly, scathing commentaries of the Bush Administration and, when it's appropriate, Congress. I worry that NBC will be much more susceptible than MSNBC to the pressures of the White House to water down these much-needed comments since MSNBC is a cable news channel. But for now, I am excited that Keith's intelligence and good journalism, in a time when both are scarce, are finally getting recognized.
I completely share those concerns lady liberal. I cannot see Keith doing that, but you are right who knows?
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