MS-NBC dropping Olbermann, Matthews? Update: NYT confirms they’re out as election-coverage anchors
posted at 9:51 pm on September 7, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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No details on this yet, but Drudge has a headline up stating that MS-NBC has dumped both Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from its “anchor chair”. David Gregory will take over the political duties and apparently also the anchor spot, at least if Drudge has this correct.
If this is true, what happened? Olbermann has been an embarrassment for years, and Matthews has hardly hidden his “thrill up his leg” for Barack Obama for the last few months. Did NBC finally just get tired of these two credibility killers?
Or did someone at General Electric read this post?
Update: The Drudge headline says NBC’s dropping them from the anchor chair, not just for the debates. Again, we’ll have to wait to see what NBC announces, but from that Drudge note, it sounds like they’re out altogether.
Update II: Here’s what Drudge says:
MSNBC drops Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from anchor chair… David Gregory will anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night…. Developing…
Granted, they could just have decided to drop O & M from debates and election night, but doesn’t that amount to a tacit admission that the two have no credibility? Aren’t those the two main events for political anchors, and if they can’t handle that, why would MS-NBC trust them with any kind of political reporting? Why keep them on the air after emasculating them like that?
Update III: Via William Amos, the New York Times confirms:
MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election.
That experiment appears to be over.
After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.
The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.
NBC finally had enough during the conventions, according to the Times. The chant of “NBC, NBC” during the Republican convention didn’t help. It does look like Olby gets to keep his news program … for now.
Update IV: Jazz Shaw wonders whether MS-NBC overreacted in an interesting and thought-provoking piece at TMV. I’d say that the mistake MS-NBC made was in assigning these two the anchor duties for election coverage, knowing their very obvious biases. Both of them have only marginal credibility now even as analysts; they’ve become hacks for Obama so blatant that even the most Kool-Aid-ridden viewer acknowledges that. Under those circumstances, nothing they say has any more value than a statement from the campaign’s press office — and unfortunately, Olbermann frequently goes where even the campaign dares not tread.
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Ah, and the article ends:
Remember that folks… not only are they trying to keep him with the network, but the f-ing CEO of NBC called him one of the “signature brands” of the “entire company”. What does that say about the entire company?
RightWinged on September 7, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Yawn. Zzzzz. Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I think the entire MSM has done irreparable damage to itself, and is taking on water. Fast. It’s going to be interesting watching what happens in the next year or so, particularly if McCain and Palin win.
mr.blacksheep on September 7, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Before, Chris Matthews had a tingle running up his leg. I think it’s safe to say that now he has a tinkle running down his leg.
jbohanon on September 7, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Afraid someone was going to bring a shovel?
clghitis on September 7, 2008 at 10:43 PM
Sarah bags two more! Hope there is not a season limit before election day.
richard_223 on September 7, 2008 at 10:43 PM
So, if Olberdouche weighs the same as a duck, he is made of wood?
HawaiiLwyr on September 7, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Now, go away…
Jaibones on September 7, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Pfffft. Shortly after I turn ten years old in August, 1969, my mother and her boyfriend took me to Bethel, NY to an outdoor rock concert.
Game, set and match.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Sounds like what the politicians say a week before the object of discussion is canned.
lorien1973 on September 7, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Who are you who is so wise in the ways of bitches?
Jaibones on September 7, 2008 at 10:46 PM
I always got the feeling those two were playing footsie under that desk. That thrill Matthews felt going up his leg was really Olbergoofs foot.
John Doe on September 7, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Nobody is to stone Olberdouche until I blow this whistle.
Blarg the Destroyer on September 7, 2008 at 10:47 PM
BOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOO!
Tribute to Keef and Chrissy
Damiano on September 7, 2008 at 10:47 PM
As O’Reilly said, their ratings are lower than the Tomato Channel.
I’ll bet all six of their viewers will be upset about this.
PattyJ on September 7, 2008 at 10:47 PM
The whole of NBC has been on the precipice of the pit for some time. I stopped watching anything with NBC attached.
tarpon on September 7, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww, too bad!
WisCon on September 7, 2008 at 10:48 PM
The worst part is Olbie is on the NFL desk. Hard to enjoy football with that tu*d around.
wepeople on September 7, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Still LOL. That NEVER gets old. Man I LOVE technology…ah that is…em…in a strictly informative kind of way mind you.
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on September 7, 2008 at 10:49 PM
The VWRC strikes again!
RobertInAustin on September 7, 2008 at 10:50 PM
I love my computer, but I don’t LOVE my computer. Got it.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 10:51 PM
I don’t know if it has been mentioned but do you think that possibly they were removed is because of the MSNBC passes that were in possession of the protestors at the RNCC. Perhpas those passes were traced back to Olbermann and Matthews. Or at least someone in their close MSNBC entourage. Though the question rigging may be the reason or perhaps they both have played into this decision?
theguardianii on September 7, 2008 at 10:54 PM
I think this is NBC execs saying “We gave you the chance to prove you were not just opinion pundits, but actual news men who could report without bringing in personal political beliefs. You failed. You may keep your current shows in which your role is clearly commentator and not reporter/anchor”. Kudos to NBC for at least attempting to eradicate bias. You started with the most obvious picks. Now on to Viera and Lauer…
malan89 on September 7, 2008 at 10:55 PM
This is another note to the nutroots that they are generally disliked by America. And it is a very public and embarassing note, at that. They will get to show their true humiliation-fu. I’d also advise all to invest heavily in drug comapnies. The pills are going to be flying off the shelves like crazy.
progressoverpeace on September 7, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Har. I remember actually liking him as a SC anchor. Amazing, huh?
malan89 on September 7, 2008 at 10:56 PM
That’s easy for you to say. *Waving good-bye to the MSNBC twits*
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on September 7, 2008 at 10:56 PM
Perhaps a suicide watch is in order. Heh.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 10:56 PM
The success of the Fox News Channel in the past decade along with the growth of political blogs have convinced many media companies that provocative commentary attracts viewers and lures Web browsers more than straight news delivered dispassionately.
“In a rapidly changing media environment, this is the great philosophical debate,” Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said in a telephone interview Saturday. Fighting the ratings game, he added, “the bottom line is that we’re experiencing incredible success.”
But as the past two weeks have shown, that success has a downside. When the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees of the Republican convention loudly chanted “NBC.”
In interviews, 10 current and former staff members said that long-simmering tensions between MSNBC and NBC reached a boiling point during the conventions. “MSNBC is behaving like a heroin addict,” one senior staff member observed. “They’re living from fix to fix and swearing they’ll go into rehab the next week.”
The employee, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity because the network does not permit it people to speak to the media without authorization. (The New York Times and NBC News have a content-sharing arrangement exclusively for political coverage.)
Mr. Olbermann, a 49-year-old former sportscaster, has become the face of the more aggressive MSNBC, and the lightning rod for much of the criticism. His program “Countdown,” now a liberal institution, was created by Mr. Olbermann in 2003 but it found its voice in his gnawing dissent regarding the Bush administration, often in the form of “special comment” segments.
As Mr. Olbermann raised his voice, his ratings rose as well, and he now reaches more than one million viewers a night, a higher television rating than any other show in the troubled 12-year history of the network. As a result, his identity largely defines MSNBC. “They have banked the entirety of the network on Keith Olbermann,” one employee said.
wonder if they’ll grasp that banking carried costs after they blow their guys’ election?
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 10:57 PM
LOL. Buh-bye! Have fun storming the unemployment office!
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 10:58 PM
I think that it’s really awesome that people who email tips are identified. Hmm. Seems that he’s the only one email tips. Must be, because no one else is identified. The more you know!
wise_man on September 7, 2008 at 10:58 PM
That combined with Keef’s whining on the 9/11 vid plus the infighting plus the “he left lots of holes” on newt plus NARN outing their overt tilting of the q+a plus
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 10:59 PM
Doesn’t it ruin the point when you put a far leftist and a leftist in love (literally apparently) with Obama together?
Now, pair Olbermann with Ann Coulter and you would have a very bold experiment…
18-1 on September 7, 2008 at 11:00 PM
= stick a fork in ‘em…the Drive-By media is done.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 11:00 PM
I wonder if they’ll double down on venom the wedensda after a potential third loss in a row or if they’re running on BDS fumes?
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:01 PM
It depends how BHO ends up reacting to all these developments. He’s got to do something. I have a feeling his solution is going to look so pathetic, in comparison to McCain’s move to pick Palin (which triggered it all), that … That’s as far as I’ve gotten :)
progressoverpeace on September 7, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Mongoose and cobra.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 11:01 PM
for about 15 milliseconds until “the matter/anti-matter matrix containment grid fails…..”
pity wesley crusher is -315 right now
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Ratings down…revenues down. Bus warms up…splat.
Again, Libs and money their goddess.
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on September 7, 2008 at 11:02 PM
Nah..they’re gonna dig in for the long haul. It ain’t over yet, brother Sven.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 11:02 PM
…….. amazing, isn’t it?
wise_man on September 7, 2008 at 11:02 PM
I gotta head off to bed. Good nite, everyone.
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 11:03 PM
I don’t care if they take Keith and Chris off or keep them on — the NBC news brand is irreparably damaged and I won’t ever watch it again.
diesirae on September 7, 2008 at 11:04 PM
Whenever halftime arrives, I mute the TV or change the channel. Mr Overbite (Countdown to No Ratings), never gets to bellow his poison in my home. I also block MSNBC with my cable remote, so that as I am channel surfing, they can never say I passed their channel. WOO HOO!!!!
GO GIANTS!!!!
StatenItaly08 on September 7, 2008 at 11:04 PM
I’m starting to worry the Dems may be plotting to use the Torricelli option.
John Doe on September 7, 2008 at 11:04 PM
I find it the perfect time to go poo in honor of Keef’s content and wash my hands(of ethics in honor of keef’s style) then go pop some popcorn(nothing pithy I just like popcorn)….scratch any fesetering boils I have(to say hi to Keef’s amigo Chris Tingle) and then get the game back on….
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:06 PM
I’m thinking about getting my crisis counselor certification updated. It’s been nearly ten years.
After November 5th there may be a great need for this across America.
Only thing is, I’d be too prone to use the wall-to-wall counseling method with these Dims.
coldwarrior on September 7, 2008 at 11:06 PM
I’m jumping in without having read all the comments.
.
The worst part about this is … I was wondering WHY Olbermann was back doing sports, he was on the pre game for the Sunday night game. I was eating at the time, he turned my stomach!
abinitioadinfinitum on September 7, 2008 at 11:06 PM
I don’t know. They’ve taken some really heavy hits over the past week. I don’t think even McGovern’s supporters ever got hammered this badly. I think they’ll all be looking to BHO to do something dramatic. That’s a sad position for anyone to be in.
progressoverpeace on September 7, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Resign.
Jim Treacher on September 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Absolutely. Along with the New York Times, theydid this deliberately, and the only people that read or watch them are the party faithful or those gullible enough to think that they are reputable sources for unbiased news.
wise_man on September 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM
ManlyRash on September 7, 2008 at 11:01 PM –
What would Olby be?
coldwarrior on September 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM
said that when they floated the eagleton meme for Sarah on Itrade….
if barry is even tehy nerf Joe if Barry’s down by 10 they nerf him and nominate the hildebeast.
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Ed has been very nice about throwing a few bones my way. I send them alot of stuff
BTW Im happy that Michelle also hattipped me a few times. Rush has also used stories by me (With no hat tip however)
I have been on this site for over two years. All the time sending stuff. Also I informed them all I might be getting offline soon due to financial trouble. I think that is one way they are thanking me for all that I have sent them over the years.
William Amos on September 7, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Jeff Zucker and Steve Capus must remember that they report to someone as well…don’t we all?
d1carter on September 7, 2008 at 11:08 PM
the hilarious part is that they think david gregory is less bias.
anna on September 7, 2008 at 11:08 PM
I guess I should have read your comment at least. :)
abinitioadinfinitum on September 7, 2008 at 11:09 PM
less overt though….come on Barry had to get a restraining order for Chris Tingle and buy a chastity belt for the Keef bits.
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:10 PM
LMAO!!!!
John Doe on September 7, 2008 at 11:10 PM
I know. It’s laughable.
artchick on September 7, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Few words=To the point.
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on September 7, 2008 at 11:12 PM
How true, I guess they have never seen Red Eye’s drawings of David Gregory’s hair. LOL
abinitioadinfinitum on September 7, 2008 at 11:12 PM
The thrill up my leg is gone
It’s gone away from me
The thrill up my leg is gone baby. HAH!
The thrill is gone away from me
Although I’ll still live on
But so lonely I’ll be…
SHUT, THE HELL, UP, Chrissy!!
Teddy on September 7, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Beauty!
Ace ODale on September 7, 2008 at 11:13 PM
I’m sure this has already been posted, but I suspect Brokaw finally had enough.
Mr_Magoo on September 7, 2008 at 11:13 PM
Can I have his toupe?? OK, OK, sicko I know….
Fortunata on September 7, 2008 at 11:13 PM
DNC HQ?
Over.
1GooDDaDDy on September 7, 2008 at 11:13 PM
maybe they can increase their audience to atleast two dozen people now.
lavell12 on September 7, 2008 at 11:14 PM
That was profound.
Loxodonta on September 7, 2008 at 11:14 PM
I think Sarah has first dibs on his
toupescalp…Fortunata on September 7, 2008 at 11:15 PM
Pre-Obama, I think you could say the bias scale was Olbermann/Gregory/Matthews.
With Matthews’s man-crush thought its been an Obama lovefest.
Here’s a thought MSNBC, why don’t you try your own Palin maneuver and hire Mark Steyn? Heck pair him with Gregory or some other leftist if need be, but you will get ratings and buzz…
18-1 on September 7, 2008 at 11:16 PM
…um… … BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ROFL
DarkeningCloud on September 7, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Gone baby gone.
CP on September 7, 2008 at 11:16 PM
No way, did you read the whole thing? As I said, they’ve just made David Gregory the meat in an Olbermann sandwich… Not surprising, because I’ve long suspected that Gregory wanted to get between Olby’s buns.
Seriously though, hardly anything has changed, they’re bringing on a new lefty for her own new show, and likely extending Olby’s contract. This move really amounts to nothing, IMO. They’re just trying to fix “perception”, but even that won’t work.
RightWinged on September 7, 2008 at 11:17 PM
While I would like to think it was the rigged polls, or the chants of “NBC” or any of the myriad of criticisms from conservatives about MSNBC’s bias, the fact is the people who run the network and the parent company don’t give a damn about any of that, or what conservatives think.
What they do give a damn about is ratings among their core audience, and embarrassment in front of their cocktail party peers on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in Georgetown and in West L.A. What forced the change was the ratings for the Democratic convention coming in and showing that, despite two years of moving further and further to the left and with an audience that was supposed to be in their corner, MSNBC not only go smoked by CNN, they were beaten by Fox, for god’s sake. Add to that the video of Jon Stewart on the Daily Show asking Brian Williams what the hell was going on at the network, and Williams having no credible comeback while the audience laughed at the disfunctionality between Chris and Keith, Keith and Joe and Joe and David, and you had a network with both no ratings and no respect among liberals.
The NBC and GE execs don’t care if Republicans and conservatives don’t respect MSNBC’s biased election coverage, but when the oh-so sophisticated people they’re trying to impress think they’re a joke, that’s when it’s time to toss the clowns overboard and try to regain some self-respect.
jon1979 on September 7, 2008 at 11:18 PM
So MSNBC replaced Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann with…David Gregory?
Yeah. That’ll earn them instant credibility. ‘Cause…you know. David Gregory is fair, balanced, and objective. And most of the time, he’s sober.
Tom Blogical on September 7, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Self-respect?
jon1979 on September 7, 2008 at 11:18 PM –
Just a rumor, but I heard it from a neighbor who got it from a cousin who’s best friend told him that the MSNBC management is planning on doing stints as manwh*res with the granny tranny’s in San Fran to try to get their self respect back.
:-)
coldwarrior on September 7, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Ladies and gentlemen an undisclosed source has just told me that Sarah Palin is a transvestite in New York trying to get her self respect back…..
Madam Vice-President, I call on you in the name of all that is good in this nation-RESIGN!
/keef’s ‘reporting with you as Kos CW.
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:27 PM
So when WILL Rush Limbaugh buy out MSNBC?
DaveC on September 7, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Poor Keef. Gonna miss him. /s
Old Angry Man ‘Gaferty is next…
coldwarrior on September 7, 2008 at 11:32 PM
It creeps me out watching Olberman on the football desk, it also creeped me out when Dennis Miller was doing MNF.. And I LIKE DENNIS MILLER!
Just keep the politics out of my football..
Chakra Hammer on September 7, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Olby has a news program?
JetBoy on September 7, 2008 at 11:33 PM
It will be interesting to see if Gregory can control these two. I can see him now getting pwn3d every time Matthews’ and Olberman’s little analysis slot comes up.
Dusty on September 7, 2008 at 11:35 PM
DaveC on September 7, 2008 at 11:31 PM –
When General Electric hits about $2.50 a share…Rush will sweep it up. Shouldn’t be too long now.
coldwarrior on September 7, 2008 at 11:37 PM
May I join the pile-on?
Yeah, Sarah Barracuda bags her first two kills of the campaign from her AK-tail code F-22 Raptor :-).
Up your butt,
MSNBCDNC-TV!!!HotAirJosef on September 7, 2008 at 11:45 PM
This is genious – if the narrative develops that the Media tried to kill Sarah and then she killed them, she will become an even greater hero.
ebrawer on September 7, 2008 at 11:48 PM
well I allowed myself my hour and a half of joy….time to get my gameface back on and look at the bad aspects….
1) M$nbc still has as its avowed objective tilted news.
2) the switch to the saner looking if not saner thinking Gregory means they may get a cushion of forgiveness from moderates.
3) this cushion will allow them subtler safe wiggle room for slanting coverage.
In conclusion we have to redouble our effots.
The last poll that matters is in november, we meet at dawn.
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:50 PM
Part Two: MSNBC vs The New York Times
Ronnie on September 7, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Ebrawer, that narrative is catching on. I was paying my sprint bill this afternoon on post and there was a 25ish young woman there….long story short they are not actively seeking out data, but I told her to go watch the youtube of her speech.
She started mocking the Uh Bam Uh si uh rather handily and unsolicited…..said his energy plan relies on huppie vibes because it sure doesn’t rely on any known tech to do what he says.
I think if anything we’ll get a good part of the young pre-puma vote.
sven10077 on September 7, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Gregory better hire a food taster and a car starter.
StatenItaly08 on September 7, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Upper West Side of Manhattan self-respect; the same kind that led film critic Pauline Kael to be so shocked in 1972 when Nixon won 49 states, including New York, because everyone she knew voted for McGovern.
All the execs at NBC News, and in the parent company and at GE want is to be respected by their peer group when it comes to MSNBC. To them, once you become a laughing stock on The Daily Show, that’s more important than complaints about years of bias, smears, uncorrected lies and lunatic special comments.
jon1979 on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 AM
considering Keef and Chrissy both may be studying chicago methods to curry the one’s favor stay away from cornfields as well Dave…..
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Awwwww….Olby and Chrissy gone? Who’s gonna be askin’ The Dali Bama all those tough questions now???
DfDeportation on September 8, 2008 at 12:01 AM
sven10077, did you take time to read the Times article on Trig? if not, you should. Caution, though. It’s joy causing.
Loxodonta on September 8, 2008 at 12:01 AM
What about Andrea Mitchell? Oh, I forgot, she’s an objective journalist….ha ha ha ha
DfDeportation on September 8, 2008 at 12:03 AM
It’s why Murdoch eats their lunch….
a street urchin who had a billion dollars handed to him and had the heart of a blackmailer and the ethics of a hooker but the manners of a butler as his corporate culture would destroy all the big 3 in 5 years.
You look at the level of investigation, competition and joy at kneeing politicos in the nuts in the 18802-1920s and look at our press release reading newsies of today and you can understand how a Barry makes such a brazen early grab for power….
the politcal overlords have little fear of the M$M on one side, and not fear but loathing and p*wnag3 on the other.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Where they consider my hometown, Staten Island, to be Drive-Through Country.
StatenItaly08 on September 8, 2008 at 12:05 AM
No I’ll read it on the morrow….
gonna chat with wife and crash soon thereafter.
The press got the message people, and the ONLY reason they are backing off is they fear hurting Bambi and losing access if he loses.
The moonbats will either tire out or double down.
I say they amp it up since “they’d agree if ONLY THEY HEARD US” is their default setting for judgement instead of pensive introspection and reanalyzing your hypothesis.
sven10077 on September 8, 2008 at 12:07 AM
sven10077, take good care of yourself.
Loxodonta on September 8, 2008 at 12:09 AM
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