Keith Olbermann No Longer Current

Cropped headshot of Keith Olbermann (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once again, Keith Olbermann and his bosses had a difference of opinion over how his nightly broadcast "Countdown" should be run.  Once again, Olbermann was shown the door--this time at Current TV, a progressive cable news network co-owned by former Vice President Al Gore.

Olbermann has either quit or been fired from Fox, CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, and other networks too numerous to mention.  He lasted less than a year on Current.  It's getting to the point where it's no longer a surprise.

This was supposed to be a match made in heaven.  Olbermann would continue "Countdown", which previously had an eight-year run on MSNBC before he suddenly bolted.  In return, Current gave him a reported $50 million contract, a financial stake in the network and the title of Chief News Officer.

Then it all went downhill.  Technical problems resulted in "Countdown" being broadcast from a darkened studio, as if the network forgot to pay the light bill.  Olbermann declined to appear on Current's coverage of the GOP presidential primaries and on other occasions, meaning more air time for substitute anchor David Shuster.  The war of words between Olbermann and Current management got more heated.  And the ratings for "Countdown" weren't anywhere near what they were on MSNBC because, among other things, Current doesn't get as much distribution among cable and satellite providers.

In recent weeks, Olbermann pulled his most popular segment "Worst Persons In The World" (not for the first time) in response to criticism that liberal commentators are just as capable of using misogynist language regarding certain women as Rush Limbaugh is.  That only made "Countdown" a little duller.

Since Olbermann's arrival, Current has replaced reruns of documentaries (such as Gore's own "An Inconvenient Truth") in prime time with shows hosted by Cenk Uygar and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm.  They've also added simulcasts of Bill Press' and Stephanie Miller's radio programs to its morning lineup.

Taking over Olbermann's time slot is Eliot Spitzer, who you may recall was Governor of New York until a sex scandal involving a prostitute drove him out of office.  After that, CNN gave Spitzer a short-lived talk show that began in controversy and ended in low ratings.

Olbermann has reportedly threatened to sue Current TV over his breach of contract.  So what's he going to do after that?  No other network will hire him.  Maybe he should go the Glenn Beck route and open up a pay-per-view web site, just like the man he used to ridicule on TV every night.  It won't have as many viewers as Current does now, but at least the only person who gets to fire Keith Olbermann is Keith Olbermann.