Keith Olbermann Fired

Tonight was the final broadcast of Keith "Reagan's dead and he was a lousy President" Olbermann's MSNBC program, Countdown.

From TMZ:

Keith Olbermann -- Fired By MSNBC

Keith Olbermann was fired by MSNBC sources tell TMZ, and we're told it had everything to do with Comcast's acquisition of NBC.

Sources connected with the network tell us ... Comcast honchos did not like Keith's defiance and the way he played in the sandbox.

Our sources say Keith has around two years left on his contract, and he'll be paid his salary -- around $7 million a year.

We don't know if Comcast will let Keith make a deal with another network as part of an exit agreement, but it's a good bet he'll be benched for a minimum of 6 months, and probably longer.

Here's video of Olbermann's sign-off, from Breitbart:



Olbermann was very dramatic, taking on the role of martyr.

Maybe his followers were moved, but I wasn't feeling it at all.

Olbermann's departure is really good news. Maybe there's still hope for the NBC News brand, but MSNBC still has a lot more housecleaning to do.

From the New York Times:

Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he is leaving “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” immediately.

The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down.

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion, the show had become too much for him.

Mr. Olbermann thanked his viewers for their enthusiastic support of a show that had “gradually established its position as anti-establishment.”

In a statement, MSNBC said : “MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. 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.”

MSNBC announced that “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” would replace “Countdown” at 8 p.m., with “The Ed Show” with Ed Schultz taking Mr. O’Donnell’s slot at 10 p.m.

The crazed O'Donnell and the vile Schultz at 8:00 and 10:00 respectively?

As I said, MSNBC has a lot more housecleaning to do.