Image via WikipediaKeith Olbermann Leaving MSNBC: Will They Consider a Black Replacement? - BV on MoneyBy Dr. Boyce Watkins
Apparently, eight years has been enough for both MSNBC and Keith Olbermann. The network announced Friday that this is the end of Olbermann's tenure with the network and that he is moving on immediately:
"MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract," according to a statement issued by the network. "The last broadcast of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
Olbermann addressed his departure from the network on air, starting off with a story about his time with ESPN many years ago:
"In the mundane world of television goodbyes, reality is laughably uncooperative. As God as my witness, in the commercial break just before the emotional moment, the producer got into my earpiece and he said, 'um, can you cut it down to 15 seconds so we get in this tennis result from Stuttgart.' So I'm grateful I have a little more time to sign off here. Regardless, this is the last edition of Countdown."
Olbermann's time spent hosting "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" helped MSNBC achieve record ratings for the network. He was also typically in the middle of signature feuds with his Fox News nemesis, Bill O'Reilly. In fact, this rivalry helped to elevate the careers of both hosts, and both were also bolstered by the surprisingly strong presidential candidacy of Barack Obama. While increasingly volatile rhetoric of the Right Wing and the populist backlash against the Obama presidency has not been good for the nation, it has certainly been good for MSNBC and Fox. There is always the question of whether networks benefit from the division or accelerate the division, but either way, the divide in media has certainly changed the way the American public thinks about its politics.
Olbermann was in the middle of controversy most recently when Politico unearthed donations Olbermann had made to three Democrats running for office. One of them was U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is in the hospital recovering from a recent assassination attempt. Olbermann apologized to his viewers, but only half-heartedly. In what probably irked NBC executives, he mentioned that his contract contained no such clause stating that he had to let the network know before making political contributions.
"It's not in my contract that NBC had rules about getting permission for making political donations, even though any rule like that in any company is probably not legal," said Olbermann, as he expressed frustration with NBC management.
"When a website contacted NBC about one of the donations, I immediately volunteered that there were in fact three of them; and contrary to much of the subsequent reporting, I immediately volunteered to explain all this, on-air and off, in the fashion MSNBC desired," Olbermann said in a statement.
NBC's decision to let go of Keith Olbermann is nothing short of shocking. If Olbermann decided that it was time to go or became incredibly stubborn during the negotiations, then this move might make sense. But Olbermann is the reason that MSNBC has become a juggernaut in cable news, for he has come to define an era in which media has undergone significant transformation. In fact, I dare say that MSNBC is not the same without Keith Olbermann.
I would argue that 20 years ago, Keith Olbermann could never have been a true news anchor. Before the age of the Internet and increasing fragmentation of news media, most networks were hosted by people like Walter Cronkite, who worked to give news from a direct and unbiased perspective. Today, news media has become a political pep rally, where viewers simply tune in to the network that gives them the information they want to hear the way they want to hear it. Iin fact, it has become a form of entertainment.
Keith Olbermann was never as much a news man as he was a comedian. His ability to provide news and analysis in a fluid style of communication that kept us laughing was one of the things that I actually loved the most. While I am not a fan of the liberal/conservative divide of news media, it was nice to see someone intelligently counter Bill O'Reilly with a degree of talent that O'Reilly could never match. So, although Keith was highly unconventional, I loved his show when I had a chance to watch it. I also appreciated Keith's defense of me when Bill O'Reilly spent an entire week attacking me on his show.
Now that Olbermann has moved on, it will be interesting to see if MSNBC considers bringing in a person of color to replace him. Rev. Al Sharpton makes note that all of the three major cable news networks are "all white, all night," and don't give any serious consideration to branding African American news hosts for their night time shows. MSNBC, the network that relies on African American viewership to support it's left-leaning analysis, should be the network to take the lead and offer a position to a talented African American host. I'm sure the National Association of Black Journalists can point them to scores of black folks who are talented enough to replace Keith Olbermann. If people like Elliot Spitzer, Marv Albert, Don Imus and Dr. Laura can get opportunities even after embarrassing themselves in public, one would hope that a talented African American with a spotless record might also get a chance. But then again, we do live in America, where a study stated that a black man with a clean record is less likely to get a job than a white guy with a criminal record. These stats seem to apply to news media as well, but I hope MSNBC has the courage to break us out of this form of modern-day apartheid.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
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