An open letter to Current TV

[Yavapai]

Yours was a channel I never watched much. Occasionally I would watch a documentary, but not much else. Then you brought in Keith Olbermann, and I became a regular viewer. I then started watching The Young Turks also.

I even watched as Keith had to do his show by candlelight. Keith is the only commentator who has a pair of balls when it comes showing up the Republicans for what they are.

I watched in spite of the lousy sound, the lack of a proper set and the amateurish mixing that he had to contend with. I watched even though he wasn’t on as much as I liked. Why did I watch? Because I could depend on his insightful commentary. Even when it was my bull being gored.

As of today, I have deleted Current TV from my list of channels that appear in my guide. I have stopped the recording of The Young Turks and will not even know if you will bring in new programming in the future. Elliot Spitzer is probably okay, but I will not be seeing his show.

Goodbye, and I will be looking for Keith’s next venue, where ever that may be.

[Logical]

1. So you do not think maybe part of this is Keith's fault? I do. He seems to have trouble....

getting along with ANY employer!

[Yavapai]

5. He was the only one worth watching there and on MSNBC (except Rachel)

I don't believe that I will be alone.

[got root]

8. for having high standards? he needs to do a steve jobs

and get his own company, and get this show on the road!

give'm hell KO

logical

[DonCoquixote]

2. so in other words

Screw the fact that Current is poor, and cannot afford glitzy sets. Screw the Young Turks because they are young and poor, screw Granholm.

Sorry to say, but to quote Lenin "one does not do a revulation wearing white gloves." The GOP knows that many so called liberals are too addicted to creature comforts, which is whey they know they can divide us.

[JDPriestly]

21. I do not understand Olbermann's thinking.

I have climbed many, many steps to reach apartments in my hilly neighborhood -- just to ask people to vote for the candidate I support.

That's much tougher than anything Current has asked Olbermann to do.

Reporters go to the battlefield, to gang streets, to all kinds of dangerous places, uncomfortable, ill-equipped places, just to get a story. Surely Olbermann can accept the inconveniences of working for a small, very young network that is working in a new way. It's ridiculous in my opinion.

People watched the show because they liked Olbermann, not because they wanted sophisticated, state-of-the-art sets. Get a good story, and I'll listen to you on the radio. The sets, the lighting -- unimportant.

[DonCoquixote]

33. THANK YOU

for making my point.

I do love Keith, but frankly, he of all people should realize this is not a game. Even the former comedians, like Stewart and Colbert, realize that they cannot just be content to "entertain" (which, in a saner age, they should.)

[Mz Pip]

3. Until I learn what really went down

everything else is speculation. There are rumors galore; everything from his being fired to his quiting to do another show. I'm not going to blame Current.

I watched Eliot Spitzer tonight and his show was pretty good IMHO.

[Yavapai]

6. I watched Eliot Spitzer last night.

I found him okay, but nothing to write home about.

[titaniumsalute]

4. So you really like the Young Turks...thus you won't watch the show any longer?

How does that "hurt" the network? The only way to "hurt" the network is to not buy their advertisers products, boycott their advertisers, or if you are in a Nielsen household and can affect their ratings. You are only punishing yourself if you decide not to watch programming you like.

[dionysus]

7. reward keith for being a douche, why don't you...

[got root]

9. lol

who knew KO had so many co-workers, with the inside 'dope'

[The Philosopher]

10. I wrote a letter to Current, too.

I honestly don't like what I've seen so far on Current outside of Olbermann. I spent the week watching Stephanie Miller in the mornings and I was turned off by the minutes-upon-minutes of thoughtless attacks on Republican foes, rather than any critical thinking or journalism.

I looked forward to taping the person who comes on before her, but I won't be doing so now. It's another talk radio host, I believe, and that's two there. The Young Turks are a web version, although I looked forward to seeing them regularly; but I can't stand talk radio. It's all entertainment-centered and is basically Rush Limbaugh with saner manners, Democratic terms and phrases. And I think the standards should be higher than that.

While Olbermann is connected to that type of journalism, he also did the other kind. And I appreciated seeing that a hell of a lot. If they bring him back, or at least get someone who is a real journalist (Bill Moyers, anyone?) I'll watch the other shows to support Current, even though I may not like those shows. Hell, maybe I caught Stephanie Miller on a bad week, and TYT shows I watched weren't up to their standards either.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

11. A lot of hatred for Keith on DU today and I'm not sure why

In fact I'm shocked that I'm seeing almost as much disparagement and even vitriol directed towards him as I've recently seen expressed about Limbaugh. I don't know the details about Keith's dealings with the owners and big wigs but to this point I thought Keith was definitely on our side. Has he not been one of the most impactful voices among progressives in the last dozen years, ever since Bush stole the election? Was he not one of the great heroes on DU just a few short years ago as a trip into the DU archives could verify beyond doubt? I have yet to see any posts giving any specific reasons for the intense level of hatred I'm seeing. I must have missed something about an evil right position Keith has recently espoused that would explain it.

[dionysus]

12. his commentary is awesome, but he is notorious for not getting along with his coworkers.

it happens everywhere he goes.

just because he has great politics doesn't mean he can be a dick to the people he works with.

[got root]

14. yeah! AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he turned me into a NEWT!






















i got better, and so will U

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. You write that as though you know what goes on on the inside

It's not a challenge but a request that if you have inside scuttlebutt and know how he's been a dick to others as opposed to being on the receiving end of the owner's dick it might be interesting to read. I've never read any stories about co-workers at MSNBC not liking Keith but only about his trouble with the "suits". But then MSNBC, the company that fired Phil Donahue (who had a successful show but who wouldn't tone down his politics) also has a bad track record as a "dick". Not only Donahue but Cenk would probably agree with the notion of the MSNBC suits being dicks.

[dionysus]

56. i don't have any inside info, i've read on DU many times about how he

is tough to work with. btw,i loved Phil's show.

[got root]

13. I think too many of us are quick to judge in a negative way, i don't know if it's conditioning

or human nature, or what, but I hear ya... it is damn strange to me how quick so many can be to throw even their allies under the bus.

and save all of his transgressions for your god, (not u but the haters out there) i am aware of a few of them, and I am aware that we all suffer enough of our own to be the experts that we apparently are.

the unforgiving are thick

[dionysus]

15. so basically, you're suggesting, it's ok for him to treat his coworkers like crap, because you enjoy

his shows...

[got root]

16. no

i am not saying that. what I am saying is that no one is perfect... to say the very least.

[Hissyspit]

27. What evidence do you have of him treating his coworkers like crap?

I had Obama campaign workers treat me bad. Should I wish for him to be fired?

[dionysus]

28. extra points for a mindless Dem diss, non related even...

[Hissyspit]

32. It's not a mindless Dem diss. I was an Obama campaign worker. And it is analogous.

The point is that people rub up against each other day to day and inadvertently hurt each others feelings. It happens. Especially when they are working very hard to get something accomplished. In most cases, you would just brush it off. Did you really think I was just posting a Dem diss just to post it? Really? I'm sorry, but I need more evidence of how he mistreated his coworkers, above the anonymous trashing such as seen here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keith-olbermann-current-countdown-primary-feud-280144 , for me to get to beyond reasonable doubt.

[dionysus]

55. upon re-reading, i get the analogy. my bad.

[Hissyspit]

61. No problem.

I probably could have done a better job of explaining it.

[inna]

47. What evidence do you have of him treating his coworkers like crap?

i assume zero evidence, unless i see some in the response

[Hissyspit]

31. self-delete

[sabrina 1]

58. How do you know he treats his workers badly? I have never heard that and not one of his

co-workers has ever come forward to say that, even after all these years he's been in the business. Where do these rumors come from? Do you have a link to some reputable source that verifies this claim? His staff at MSNBC seemed to love him and has any one of them come forward since he left to say he was difficult to work with? It's been a while, but I have never seen anything to even suggest that.

[kentauros]

17. I noticed the same thing,

starting with reading the LBN thread earlier this evening. When I saw many of the posters taking the side of the corporate suits, my first thought was "What?! Why?" and I still can't figure out why a liberal would take the side of a corporate suit, no matter what their supposed status as "fellow liberals." They've acted in the same manner as any corporate/media suit I've read over the decades.

I hope we hear more information from Keith, too.

[Yavapai]

20. I read that Keith will be on Letterman Tuesday night.

Maybe we will learn more there.

[kentauros]

22. I better set my DVR.

It should be interesting, to say the least

[Judi Lynn]

62. Thanks for sharing your info. n/t

[Riftaxe]

23. If your pulling down a $50 million paycheck...

you are the very image of a corporate suit.

[kentauros]

24. Except, that the term "corporate suit" generally refers to

the people that run things, not actually go on the air

[got root]

25. exactly, he would be more appropriately characterized as the 'Talent'

just like the ball players, musicians, artists, etc. who get paid the big bucks.

but certainly not a 'suit', thats just silly.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

26. no

In the entertainment field as in the sports world, there's a dividing line between those who manage the bottom line and whose only concern is with the bottom line, the Board of Directors and the shareholders and those who consist of the creative talent. When the talent is good enough to command a lot of money, whether as an athlete, a movie star, a famous writer, or a tv personality, it means they're generating a lot of money for the corporate powers. But the creative talent is always on its own and in opposition to and in an adversarial relationship with the corporation, that would try to get the creative talent to work for nothing if it could.

[HiPointDem]

59. Not unless you're management or owner. It doesn't matter how much money an employee

makes, s/he's still an employee.

"The suits" = management & owners & their reps. And they make more than Olbermann.

[Orangepeel]

37. I've seen lots of lack of support, but no hatred (of course I don't see every thread)

There are a lot of threads about him, so I there were probaly some that expressed intense hatred and I just didnt read them. The ones I've clicked on have expressed debatable but more or less reasonable opinions.

I've seen plenty of threads that say something like "this happens to him everywhere, so he's probably the problem." I've seen threads that express the opinion that he should have accepted the budget constraints. I've even seen threads in which people say they've heard from somebody that he's a primadonna or a jerk or something. The first two of those are points worth discussing. The third is hearsay and perhaps unfair, but hatred hasn't been reflected in the threads I've seen.

I don't know anything about Keith personally and don't know anyone in a position to tell me things about him. But I do know that it is possible for someone to be very smart and very talented, hold liberal political views, have good motives and intentions, and still be a miserable pain in the ass to work with. I wouldn't be surprised if that description fit both Keith and Al Gore.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

52. Are posts calling him an "asshole" or a "douche" expressions of hatred?

Those are descriptions from just two posts I recall reading yesterday.

[pacalo]

19. I think the problems stem from the fact that Keith is a perfectionist with high moral ethics.

If Keith gave them hell, it was for a good reason. If I remember correctly, Keith was promised a lot of things by Current TV; they didn't deliver as promised. That's not something Keith would excuse.

I stand by Keith regardless of what happened. If not for him, MSNBC would have only "Hardball" on its programming. Keith opened a huge door for progressives.

[dionysus]

29. lol

[pacalo]

34. "He didn't get along with his co-workers!!!"

That's how I choose my programming: Let's see, does he/she get along with their co-workers?

[dionysus]

53. they obviously thought getting rid of him will cost them less than making their production crew

miserable

, indeed...

[pacalo]

57. Really? It's all about making the production crew happy?

Thanks for the scoop.


Winning, CurrentTV!

[grasswire]

30. He went after Bush.

He will always have my gratitude and admiration for that.

Land well, KO!

[pacalo]

35. If I remember correctly, Keith was the FIRST one going after Bush.

[Greybnk48]

38. AND he was the only one to question the election fraud of 2004.

The ONLY one for a long time. Yet there's an asterisk for both * and Cheney in the Congressional records.

[pacalo]

46. If we found ourselves locked into another 4 or 8 years of another Bush/Cheney regime, we'd be

fortunate to have Keith around as our mouthpiece. People have short memories.

I couldn't care less about how Keith gets along with his co-workers. It's laughable that some people allow that to sway their emotions after what all Keith has done for us.

Keith got along just fine at MSNBC until Comcast took over & started leaning on him. He admits he made a mistake going to Current-TV. I suspect he puts a lot of work into his nightly shows & it must have been frustrating that he could get only a fraction of the audience he was getting on MSNBC. Current-TV's executives should have made more of an effort to have its network broadcasted on more cable outlets.

Getting out of two difficult situations spaced closely together doesn't necessarily amount to a KO problem. He's a perfectionist who gives us an impeccable performance with every program: the content, the writing, the production. His was the only newscast I looked forward to; everyone else that I watch doesn't come close to being as entertaining or thought-provoking as Keith Olbermann.

Seeing how many are so easily influenced, I'm afraid that any news spin that takes hold against Keith could prevent anyone else from hiring him. Wildfires are hard to put out. How sad for us.

I love Keith Olbermann.

[romantico]

36. I

I thought the first one to go after Bush was Phil Donahue when he had his show on MSNBC. His show got great ratings but Phil made the mistake of criticizing Bush and the war in Iraq and was fired from MSNBC. I guess he criticized Bush too soon after 911.

[otohara]

39. I Reprogrammed to Include Eliot Spitzer

Sorry, but KO was acting like a child - Christ they were paying him $50 million and he was acting so unprofessional.
Good luck KO, but I think you need an attitude adjustment.

[Yavapai]

40. "Good luck KO, but I think you need an attitude adjustment."

So what do you expect from him, just roll over and kiss the DNC's ass?

What I see on every liberal talk show at the moment is a diatribe and an minute by minute replay of what the Republican presidential candidates are doing. I am more than sick of this theme. Keith talked about most any subject, but didn't dwell on subject except when they would say something really over the top. I am sorry, but to my way of thinking, that is not journalism.

I think Keith was the only thing current had going for them and they have cut their own throats to kiss the DNC A$$!

[otohara]

42. And He's OUt of A Job Again

I used to work in broadcasting - it's a very stressful place, especially when you have an on-air-personality who is a pain in the ass.

What the fuck was he doing with the black screen and looking like he just rolled out of bed? He's letting everyone know, he's not happy - he was pushing things to the limit, asking to be fired. Now he's threatening to sue - I hope he loses. Luckily the people who worked for him won't be losing their jobs.

I'm sorry, I have absolutely no sympathy or respect for KO - he was being paid huge bucks and working for a good man. Maybe Free Speech will pick him up, but he can kiss that $50 million goodbye.

He used to be somebody, but now, he's perceived as a problem and will have a hard time getting another job. If you have a reputation of being a pain in the ass, pretty soon you run out of places to go. There's only so many news networks and radio stations.

And to top it off, he's going to run to David Letterman to bad mouth Al Gore, Current and the other guy. He takes no responsibility for his own actions. Sounds like Al Gore was at his wits end and said fuck it, he's gone

[dionysus]

54. .

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Me will continue to watch the Young Turks, Spitzer

And my fav on that channel, the War Room.

Four networks, same issues...I think Keith has issues...and I like him.

Nope, not cancelling the channel.

Cut your nose to spite face comes to mind.

As to keith, I do hope he finds his way, but at this point I think it's the radio and his own program. I know if I had a network, dream big I know, I'd think twice about hiring a personality that's lost four prime time media shows.

ESPN, FOX, MSNBC and Current in order.

I can see FOX for ideological reasons, but at this point way too many bridges.

[RebelOne]

44. Yes, I will continue to watch Current

because I like Jennifer Granholm and the Young Turks. The only problem is since The War Room and the Rachel Maddow Show are on at the same time, I have to keep switching channels between commercials.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. West coastie

I watch one n the repeat.

They are both brilliant.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

43. "I even watched as Keith had to do his show by candlelight."

Yes.....he had to do it by candlelight.

The last day or so has really, really revealed to me how easily worked people are.

[MrMickeysMom]

48. I'm gonna draw the line down the middle of the paper here-

Bad Keith versus Good Keith traits -

Okay, maybe he is a self- proclaimed asshole / But not to his mom and dad

He may have said, "God-Damn" a lot / But, he spoke truth and didn't care who got a dose of it, full press.

He may have an ego / big deal... he's paved the way for great shows like Rachel Maddow and TYT's

I've run out of the negatives already...

Keith interviewed the most important people during the beginning of Occupy movement, and never stopped... He had great guests on who filled in for him, like, Sam Seder, like Spitzer, like Bill Court...

I just don't see a problem with any network letting what works as a flagship show continue to be featured, unless the propriators are a bunch of idiots.... which I'm pretty MSNBC execs were and perhaps Al and Joel are.

[Bluenorthwest]

49. This is far, far from the first firing at Current that I took issue with. They keep setting

their own house on fire the moment they get anything rolling. I watched Current from their inception, and it has gone downhill and turned into a poor xerox of MSCNN. They were actually at one point doing new things. Imagine that.
So while much is made of Keith's end in this, I see a history at Current that includes mass firings.From what I see on screen my guess is that Current failed to keep their contractual agreements in terms of production quality and and in other ways while expecting that Keith would keep his part of the contract anyway. This is what it looks like to me, and what their history indicates.
At any rate, this is a dispute in which as usual, I tend to expect that management is doing the rat fucking. I side with the talent, the worker, the athlete not the owners, the Union not the factory, etc....

[sabrina 1]

60. I heard they were going to cancel their documentary team also. I did not think that was a good

thing as those shows were really good. But when they decided to hire Keith and others, it seems they didn't need them anymore. I don't know if they have done so, but that would be pretty sad if they did.

When Current first started I thought it was great news but then I rarely heard anything about it. I didn't even know we could get it. They do not advertise, no one knows they even exist. If it had not been for Keith, I would have never found them.

Also read that his ratings were the highest on Current.

I don't know what happened, so I'll wait and see. But I will definitely miss him.

[rustydog]

50. Too bad. It appears an enormous ego resulted in two firings

I used to watch Current TV ages ago on satellite tv. it is very good.
Olbermann would have been a good addition, he is not the end all be all. sorry.

[Bluenorthwest]

51. They did not 'add' him. The fired all on air talent just prior to the 'new format' and Keith.

So it was good. Now it is if nothing else, not at all the same as it was then.