This week there was a rift. Then tonight what looked like an outright win for Keith Olbermann over his current employer Current TV. But now the rift is back on after the channel is ”doing a complete 180,” sources tell me. Here’s what happened: Earlier tonight Olbermann was assured by Current TV that it was giving him ”carte blanche” to plan and program and book participants for the entire 4-hour block of New Hampshire GOP presidential primary coverage this coming Tuesday night. And that wasn’t all. “It can be said that Current has seen the light. It can be assumed that Keith will have control over election coverage going forward,” one of my sources assured me. But later tonight Current TV changed its mind and now is refusing to give Olbermann the time slot. Stay tuned. I have a feeling this is going to seesaw throughout the weekend between Current TV and its chief news officer/controversial liberal commentator…
So then the dispute came down to an interpretation of the wording in Olbermann’s contract and who controlled the time slot: Current or Olbermann’s show. By Wednesday, Olberman was “reviewing his legal options” after Current preempted his Tuesday night show to cover the Republican caucuses. This control issue was a big deal for Olbermann when he left MSNBC and joined Current. But Current still believes it has the right to shape its coverage of special events. If only the channel would make up its mind.
