Olbermann and Matthews Canned from Anchoring Political Night

[lawrocket 3]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_olbermann

And here I get almost all of my political coverage and "analysis" from MSNBC. (though sometimes it interrupts with watching "Lockup.")

I didn't find most of their anchoring to be too overtly liberal. (I'll reiterate it again that I was disappointed that Russert died. It's not the same without him). But apparently, plenty of others did.

This is the outcome of a battle between NBC (and MSNBC. From the article:

Quote

The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions.

It looks like even NBC viewed these anchors as too left-leaning. Perhaps I wasn't paying too much attention to Matthews and Olbermann (though I liked Olbermann as a sports anchor with Dan Patrick). I did not know that NBC was concerned with using them beforehand, though.

Dammit - chalk one up. I had never thought Fox was right wing. I'd never thought NBC (or even MSNBC) was left wing.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[rushmc 23]

Quote

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_olbermann

And here I get almost all of my political coverage and "analysis" from MSNBC. (though sometimes it interrupts with watching "Lockup.")

I didn't find most of their anchoring to be too overtly liberal. (I'll reiterate it again that I was disappointed that Russert died. It's not the same without him). But apparently, plenty of others did.

This is the outcome of a battle between NBC (and MSNBC. From the article:

Quote

The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions.

It looks like even NBC viewed these anchors as too left-leaning. Perhaps I wasn't paying too much attention to Matthews and Olbermann (though I liked Olbermann as a sports anchor with Dan Patrick). I did not know that NBC was concerned with using them beforehand, though.

Dammit - chalk one up. I had never thought Fox was right wing. I'd never thought NBC (or even MSNBC) was left wing.

Thoughts on Obama on the O'Reily show?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[airdvr 210]

Woot! No more listening to the acidic viewpoint of Olbermann.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[rushmc 23]

Quote

Woot! No more listening to the acidic viewpoint of Olbermann.

I would agree with you but, I though he had a big following. Seeing how ratings drive the media, I must be in error.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[airdvr 210]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iAhI-cWS64

Anyone who has Michael Moore as a guest is a douchebag.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[alw 0]

I think the gist of ths is that Olbermann and Matthews were there as reporters and not political commentators, a distinction that means alot more to the industry than it does to the public. That's why nobody is out to lynch O'Reilly. If Fox had put O'Reilly in the reporter's chair and he went on one of his rants he'd catch flack too.

Why do you think Olbermann and O'Reilly have such high ratings - same reason as Doctor Phil and Springer.

Frankly, I was glad to see it, but it doesn't mean much, he still has a 4 million dollar contract.

---------------------------------------------
Every day is a bonus - every night is an adventure.

[quade 4]

Quote

Quote

The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions.

It looks like even NBC viewed these anchors as too left-leaning. Perhaps I wasn't paying too much attention to Matthews and Olbermann (though I liked Olbermann as a sports anchor with Dan Patrick). I did not know that NBC was concerned with using them beforehand, though.

Dammit - chalk one up. I had never thought Fox was right wing. I'd never thought NBC (or even MSNBC) was left wing.

It's not that they're too far left or that NBC is is left wing (ok, parts of MSNBC yeah, I'd even cop to that), it's that they -fought- guests on a news show.

It's one thing to do it on your nightly commentary political-chuckle-fest, but you simply can not do that as news. Yes, you're allowed to be -tough-, VERY tough, the tougher the better, but you can't make a public display with your fellow co-workers and you can't be saying things like, "Jesus, Joe, why don't you get a shovel?" offstage so loudly that they're picked up by the mics.

It just isn't done in news, not real news anyway, which is what NBC was when Brokaw was around and is still trying to be with Williams.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[lawrocket 3]

I think you and AWL hit it on. It's news, not opinion.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[jclalor 12]

Quote

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_olbermann

And here I get almost all of my political coverage and "analysis" from MSNBC. (though sometimes it interrupts with watching "Lockup.")

LOL That is funny.

[FlyingJ 0]

Quote

I think you and AWL hit it on. It's news, not opinion.

I'm hardly a conservative, but something I always liked about Glen Beck is that he outwardly states that he's an opinionist, not a journalist.

Killing threads since 2004.

[Andy9o8 3]

It's too bad. I like them both (although I can't stand when Matthews gets into his "constantly interrupt" mode - STFU, Chris & let 'em answer the goddam question). But they each misbehaved on the air, when the context called for professional decorum. It was embarrassing. Ordinary schmoes generally don't get a free pass when they publicly act out their temper on the job, so why should these guys? They deserve their spankings.

[mnealtx 0]

Chris "tingle up my leg" Matthews? Impartial? Say it ain't so...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706