MSNBC Yanks Olbermann & Matthews

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Citing concerns from parent network, NBC, MSNBC announced they were pulling Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from anchoring live political events because they’re “too opinionated.” The move comes in response to NBC journalists complaints that their own reputations are being sullied by the pair.

NBC News journalists, who often appear on the cable channel, did see a problem, arguing behind the scenes that MSNBC’s move to the left — which includes a new show, debuting tonight, for Air America radio host Rachel Maddow — was tarnishing their reputation for fairness. Tom Brokaw, the interim host of “Meet the Press,” said that at times Olbermann and Matthews went too far. (Source)

Olbermann and Matthews will remain as “analysts” on the network they built, but will be replaced by the bland David Gregory as anchor. For his part Olbermann appears to be sanguine about the change. In an email reported by Howard Kurtz of the New York Times, Olbermann wrote:

“Phil (Griffin, MSNBC President) and I have debated this set-up since late winter/early spring (with me saying, ‘Are you sure this flies?’ and him saying, ‘Yes, but let’s judge it event by event’) and I think we both reached the same point during the RNC.” (Source)

The move is somewhat surprising since Olbermann’s star has been clearly on the rise at the network, for example his friend and frequent Countdown guest host, Rachel Maddow of Air America, has replaced Dan Abrams in the slot after Countdown. In an interview in May, Griffin also endorsed Olbermann and Mathews, saying he saw “zero problems” with the pair as anchors.

Tags: Abrams, David Gregory, Maddow, Matthews, MSNBC, Olbermann, Tom Brokaw
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