According to Current TV:
“We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before. Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.”
For his part, Olberman plans to sue Current TV. Only a few weeks ago I appeared on what turns out to be one of Olbermann’s final broadcasts on this network.
I’d love to hear what our readers think about this latest development.
We face an extremely grave situation in our nation where ALL the media is owned by those dedicated to mind control of the little people.
I think that Olbermann needs to create an online channel and make his program available for streaming through Roku, Xbox and similar devices. It is clear that he can’t operate under the constraints of a network. Many conservatives already have streaming channels, including Focus on the Family and Glenn Beck. Progressives seem to be slow getting in on this and Olbermann could help balance that a bit.
Many cable networks will begin providing online a la carte streaming service soon anyway. Some are predicting that it will begin happening later this year. HBO already has a streaming service available to their subscribers.
Olbermann could also make his channel available to other programs. Just as he introduced us to people like Rachel Maddow, he could give other progressive voices a platform.
I need help understanding the political speak of the Current’s Announcement:|
Are they saying that because he spoke the truth about Mr. Christie, that it was offencive to their veiwers? That’s what I’m kinda taking away from this. Maybe Mr. Christie should go back to making cookies or did the elves have a referendum to vote him off!
I never understood what he did or said that got him fired.
I am saddened by this news. Keith Olbermann was the first journalist to really stand up against the conservatives. However, it appears that he has great difficulty in getting along with co-workers and bosses. We need his voice to be heard but Keith also needs to learn how to play in the sandbox.
I hope that he will find an progressive online outlet. Post ESPN, MSNBC, and now Current TV, one can conclude that he doesn’t work in well in an institutional structure.
And yet, Limbaugh carries on…
Who did Current TV think they were hiring? For years, Olbermann has been an articulate and passionate voice for those of us fighting for (all) civil rights right now…of course he offended those who don’t agree with him. It is shameful that Current TV chose to silence a voice of reason. Another organization kowtowing to the radical right, and another organization I’ll have to boycott and rant against on social media.
I think Current needs to grow some Cahunas and stand behind a man who tells it like it is. I don’t blame Keith for wanting to sue Current. I would too. The right-wing FOX network lets it’s commentators say whatever they want and stand strongly behind them. So, what’s wrong with Current. Without Keith, I will never been watching their channel again.
As a regular viewer of Keith Olbermann since he started on MSNBC and then Current TV, I was not surprised that there was some disagreement between him and his bosses. For example, when he first moved to Current he said that one of the reasons was because MSNBC was asking him to do live news events and election coverage, both of which he did not want to do for a reason I did not understand other than him saying it was “stupid.” He said that the partial ownership with Al Gore would make him his own boss.
Then, last year when a light bulb burned out on his set and he started to complain about it being too hot in their cramped, low-rent studio, he protested by turning off the lights on the set for a few months.
Then more recently, I noticed that every day there was a Republican Primary election, he was always absent from his show, almost like as if it was a silent protest over being asked to do election coverage.
Also, he recently gave a short excuse for why the “Worst Persons” segment was no longer going to be done — he sounded like an employee who didn’t agree with his boss, but wanted to sound professional.
In my view, if I was “managing a talent” like Keith Olbermann, I would treat him like the temperamental prima donna that everyone accuses him of being.
In my decades of management experience, more than once I had to decide if a similarly creative individual was worth the hassle versus letting the person go to the competitor and work against me. Yes, I sometimes the answer was to fire the prima donna, but I would fire him only because I thought I could do better with suck-up employees who did what I asked. Of course, this also taught me the hard way that replacing a creative star is very hard to do.
If Elliot Spitzer can get a job again, then so can Keith. I hope to hear from him again.
I can’t imagine why he was fired either it doesn’t make sense, pleanty of nasty things are being said on the media right, all the time, the worse harshest language he used was a show called worst person of the week. OOOooh aaah gimme a break. The right calls obama a kenya socialist anarchist muslim terrorist athiest every day but when keith uses worse worser worst oh god watchout!
if anyone starts a change dot org protest i’d sign it in a heartbeat. I’d do the same for the hostess of the war room and Cenk.
Did Current TV simply use Keith to gain attention and higher ratings? They KNEW what they were getting! Yes, Keith injects emotion into his commentary, into his intelligent and incisive reporting, and into his humor….all of which makes his program interesting, as well as informative. He’s forceful, honest, and direct: you FEEL his pain, you FEEL his anger, and you FEEL his heart-felt sincerity when he covers a story. And he covers it well. He’s never just another talking head! If Keith is absent from Current TV, then I too will be absent from Current TV. For Keith is one of the best- hands down- as evidenced by his outstanding coverage of OWS during the past year. I wish him well, and hope that he is back on the air soon. We need his unique voice and viewpoint!
I guess I’m the only one who is going to go against the grain and say he probably had it coming. Current TV’s statement is clear and to the point. Regardless of whether he is a progressive he seems unpleasant in person.
I don’t care much for him. He strikes me as arrogant and toxic so any LGBT message he might be giving doesn’t raise his stock in my eyes. And bluntly, of all the MSNBC commentators, he didn’t deserve the honor to announce that Obama was going to be the next President.
Im pretty sure Olbermann must be an absolute beast to work with.
Keith may well be a ‘beast to work with’ but he had a wonderful show that never failed to enlighten and inform. I agree with the others here who say that Current TV knew what they were getting when they hired Keith so they should have been prepared for his personality. He was the first person to highlight and cover every night the Occupy Wall Street movement & we should be thankful to him for that at the very least.
I love Keith and will watch him wherever he goes. But something is amiss. Either he is impossible to work with, or he is just too much of a free spirit to follow rules. I agree with the people who say he needs his own channel, whether he buys one or does it online. His voice is sorely needed to counteract the evil conservatives trying to destroy our nation
I agree with Fritz
Reyn