ESPN will not renew the contract of Keith Olbermann

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Getting rid of two of the people I like.

Keith Olbermann is leaving ESPN for a second time, according to a report from James Andrew Miller, the co-author of a book about ESPN, These Guys Have All The Fun.

Olbermann got his start with ESPN, before moving into covering politics for Fox News and MSNBC. In 2013, he returned to the network, where he got his own show to talk about sports and whatever else was bugging him.

ESPN appears to be moving away from high-priced talent who can be inflammatory, as this decision follows the much-talked-about move by the network to not renew the contract of former Grantland editor Bill Simmons.


http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/report-espn-will-not-renew-the-contract-of-keith-olbermann/ar-AAcJNMh

[El Supremo]

1. He needs his own network!

Like Oprah.

[KamaAina]

2. Back to MSNBC? Please??

Although "Worst Person In The World" might get kind of predictable: "Donald Trump..."

[GoCubsGo]

3. Unfortunate.

He is about the only good thing ESPN has going for them. His baseball knowledge can't be matched, and he's about the only one at that network who knows anything about hockey. Too bad.

[JonLP24]

4. Not a fan of the sports talk show

Especially the ones on ESPN but from time-to-time there would be a clip I'm interested in though not very often, I don't even watch Real Sports all that often. I think watched 3 episodes in nearly a year.

They sure do get rid of the better ones and hold on to the hacks like Colin Cowherd (he was inflammatory for all the wrong reasons), Bayless, and any of the other regular co-hosts though not as bad as those who were on Around the Horn. Woody Paige was alright probably because he was familiar with the Denver teams.

One guy I'm glad to not see any more is Jim Rome -- He's very insulting to the most random person and using terrible logic in the process.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Never been a fan of Jim Rome either

[TZ]

6. Olbermann

Is a toxic asshole. Honestly he's gotten himself fired from every job he's had. He might be a liberal but I can't stand him. Never watched his show. FWIW I'd glad Rome is gone and I'd love to see cowherd go but I'm shedding no tears for Keith

[bigwillq]

7. I don't like him either.

You said it. Toxic ahole.

[JonLP24]

8. You are probably right

I have no idea what went on in prior disputes -- certainly I can see that with Current. MSNBC they let go of their best people -- I'll never forget when Phil Donahue was fired and news coverage across the board was dishonest or in GE's case didn't want anything that might jeopardize their defense contracts though don't know too much about Olbermann's split, there was an issue with donating to candidates and it boiled over from there. Not sure what the issue was.

In this case though I think it was probably conservative viewers calling in to complain but probably more so for criticizing cows such as Goddell. This network put on Dennis Miller & Rush Limbaugh and conservatives but more than that with Simmons canned there is a pressure to mute their opinions in order to keep their careers and ESPN probably wants to cozy up to their Conservative viewers in time for football season & the SEC Network.

Disney CEO defends ABC, ESPN against shareholder's complaints of liberal bias

Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the reputations of ABC News and ESPN at the company's annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday after one shareholder accused both networks of contributing to liberal media bias and the nation's declining trust in the media.

Speaking on behalf of the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research, a Disney Company shareholder, Justin Danhof cited Brian Ross's coverage of the Aurora theater shooting and Rob Parker's remarks about Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III as evidence that Disney was responsible for liberal bias.

"Disney's media platforms, from ABC News to ESPN, deserve their share for the nation's skepticism -- whether its ABC News reporter Brian Ross rushing to [falsely accuse the Tea Party] for the deadly shooting and massacre at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, or then-ESPN columnist Rob Parker saying that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was a, quote, 'cornball brother' who was not down with the black cause because his [fiance] is white and he is a Republican -- liberal bias pervades Disney's media outlets," Danhof, the director of the NCPPR's Free Enterprise Project, said.

"It's time to stop denying the bias and do something about it," Danhof continued. "Our company's leaders should show the intellectual honesty to admit it exists, it is a problem, and let's start working together on a solution."

Danhof argued that the appearance of such bias harmed Disney's revenue potential, because it alienated "such a large market" of conservative viewers and therefore turned away potential advertisers. Danhof cited a Feb. 2013 Gallup poll, which shows that self-identified conservatives outnumber liberals by almost two-to-one. (For the record: 38 percent of Americans identified themselves as "conservative", 36 percent as "moderate" and 23 percent as "liberal.&quot

"I'm not asking that you turn ABC News into Fox News, or that you start airing Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh daily on ESPN," Danhof said. "I'm just asking you to start playing it straight with the American people. Stop the bias and return to an era of honesty and objectivity in the news."

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/03/disney-ceo-bob-iger-defends-abc-espn-against-shareholders-158728.html

With Keith Olbermann there was one thing I did value was his honesty and his consistency, he probably he is toxic though I imagine management probably had their own toxic personalities which most would go along to get along. I wasn't a big fan of him or anything, especially of his sports programming & the symbolism rhetoric was too much for me. I think in this situation though it seems like a civil split.

[Logical]

9. LOL, hurt your feelings at some point I assume? nt

[TZ]

10. Me, no

I just know people who know him and they have NOTHING nice to say about the guy . I like my sports without politics thank you very much

[a kennedy]

11. Weird......politics IS connected to EVERYTHING, including sports. Hate it, but....such is life now.

and I really enjoyed Keith's view of it all. JMHO.

[mythology]

12. If he gets fired from every job he's ever had

The problem might not be every boss he's ever had.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. There's A Difference Between Fired and Non-Renewal, Right?

It may be that his ratings just aren't high enough and he's fairly high priced talent. So, might not be a problem.

Besides, they ESPN cooked their own goose when they moved him to afternoons. His show was better as a one hour gab fest late at night. Gave more time for interviews.

I'm not sure either he or they knew exactly what the show was going to be when they started. This might be a mutual agreement that it was an experiment that didn't work.