MSNBC Pulls the Plug on Donny Deutsch’s Weeklong Anchoring Stint (For Deriding Olbermann & Schultz)

[Turborama]

April 21, 2010, 1:35 PM

By BRIAN STELTER

A weeklong anchoring stint on MSNBC by Donny Deutsch ended abruptly on Wednesday, and four people briefed on the decision said the cancellation stemmed from an unflattering mention of that channel’s No. 1 anchor, Keith Olbermann, a day earlier.

Mr. Deutsch had labeled his hour on MSNBC “America the Angry,” and Mr. Olbermann was shown briefly in a series of clips of media bloviators during a segment that pondered what role the media plays in fomenting the public’s anger. The four people briefed on MSNBC’s decision said Mr. Olbermann’s anger about the segment prompted the cancellation of the weeklong “America the Angry” series.

Mr. Deutsch would not confirm that, but he said Wednesday afternoon that “for whatever reason they decided they didn’t want to go with it the rest of the week.”

“I was disappointed because I think I’m on to something really special here that needs to be done,” he added, something that is neither red nor blue in terms of its politics. “It’s time the purple voice is out there,” Mr. Deutsch said. “Enough already.”

Full article: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/msnbc-pulls-the-plug-on-donny-deutchs-weeklong-anchoring-stint/

The offending segment: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x457727

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[Kahuna]

1. Um hum. And know you know why Mika didn't want to answer

Joan Walsh's question. They all think that Keith and Shultz are just as bad as beck and company.

[Gman2]

2. I'm going to just say it. Olbermann and Shultz are showmen.

If they acted hateful, they would be just as bad as Beck and Limbaugh. That they fight for truth, and human rights, makes them righteous partisans. And instillers of hope. You can lump them all in, as long as you discuss them as showmen, not haters. This is seeming to be a distinction lost on too many.

[sybylla]

23. No kidding.

I'm beyond tired of people unable to grasp such a distinction.

[xultar]

3. ...and I won't name any names cuz I pucker and I think it is cute Mika? OH...

and out of all the people in the world to pick about "Angry America"? WTF?

[grasswire]

4. so bring back David Shuster already

Just do it, Phil.

[Gman2]

9. Isnt it time for the whole crew to "I'm Sparticus"?

The jerk was a plant, trying to get lefties against each other. Stand up, close ranks, and insist their brethren, wrongly harmed, needs better terms, soes he WANTS to stay.

[Lugnut]

27. +1000 n/t

[Dappleganger]

5. Good.

I watched him for all of three minutes then turned the channel.

Bring back David Shuster, please!

[lisa58]

6. ditto

[csziggy]

30. SAme here - I've been avoiding that hour since Monday at 3:03

Turned over accidentally today at 3:30 and was surprised to see Alix whatshername on.

I miss David Schuster!

[Skidmore]

7. Explains Mika's meltdown with Joan Walsh earlier this week.

Deutsch is her main man for shoe supply. Maybe she'll have to buy her own shoes now. BTW, I saw his program on Monday?. It was pretty lame.

[Supersedeas]

8. Maybe they will both have future stops with FOX like Beck and Tucker C

[Skidmore]

12. Doesn't say much about Deutsch's talents as a person in charge of

branding as a profession, does it?

[NotThisTime]

10. He's no purple, straight to Faux news for Deutsch.....

[alstephenson]

11. Good. Bye bye, Donny!

[whathehell]

13. Good!...Let Deutsch join Morning Joke if he doesn't like it! n/t

[bluedeminredstate]

14. No comparison.

Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. are stirring up anger and hatred toward the government and the Obama administration using fear and lies. The craziness coming from the teabaggers is based on lies that something has been taken away from them and that the Constitution is in jeopardy. The talk of socialism, marxism and totalitarianism is bullshit and they know it. When Victoria Jackson gets up at the teabagger rally and sings "There's a communist in the White House" the rightwing bloviaters know it's crap pure and simple.

Mika can't possibly believe that Keith and Ed are spreading hate and fear and lies the way the talking heads on the right are doing. There is no comparison. If Keith and Ed are fired up it's because the lies and manipulation of the right are being ampified in the media and stoked by people who know better. She should be ashamed of herself for that display toward Joan Walsh yesterday. I used to think she was a harmless fool, but she has 15 hours of television a week to broadcast her idiocy.
She spent 3 hours one day equating the FALSE story about Eric Cantor's death threats with the hatred shown toward Democratic lawmakers.

I think she just serves as a human coathanger to show off her pretty clothes and shapely legs next to the men on the panel who she lets handle the daily discussion while she nods her laquered head.

[winstars]

20. Mika Mouse and Joey the Intern ****** have gotten me into great shape!!!

Living here on the west coast, Schmo is on from 3-6am. My GF DVR's it everyday. (I have tried to stop it but she thinks its entertaining for some reason I cannot fathom.)

She wakes up and starts to watch it around 7:30ish and that is my cue to get the fuck up and GO TO THE GYM!!!! It's a shitty way to wake up but those idiots have been a great motivator to get my ass up and out of the house. I do take real pleasure though in personally deleting each show every few days to make room on the DVR.

There is NOTHING better (worse?) to get me to the treadmill each day. Saturday and Sunday I manage to do it without Schmo's help...

And remember kids: don't trip and hit your head on the desk whilst in perfect shape at the congressmen's office.

[whathehell]

15. They keep trying the "false equivalence" thing...It's bullshit and they know it.

When Keith or Ed or Rachel or anyone on the left starts talking "armed and dangerous", Then, maybe they'll have a point...But our side doesn't do that.

When one of their idiots is challenged about the "violence on the left"...THEY've got to go back to freaking Patty Heartst in the early to mid-Seventies.

[Zen Democrat]

16. Hewitt called KO and Ed Schultz the biggest haters on TV, and Deutsch didn't disagree.

THAT, should keep him off MSNBC for a while. Deutsch is an adman. Roger Ailes is an adman. It's all about ratings to an adman. They have no soul.

[spanone]

17. this bullshit that keith o. is tantamount to rush limpshit needs to be stopped right now

good for m$nbc

[samsingh]

18. why doesn't deutsch attack fox news personalities like

hannity and beck or limbaught. surely these three are fanatics spreading hatred.

Olbermann is a great human being who has had the courage to stand up to the insame, rabid rightwing.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. Mr. Deutschbag needs to go on over to FOX and take Mourning

Joe with him.

[WatchWhatISay]

21. Don't forget to take Mika

Can't beleive I used to have hope for her.

[Lex]

22. I wish the rightwing gasbags would stop with their "America is Angry" crap.

Maybe some old potbellied anti-government often racist white people are "angry" but it's not that many in the larger picture. Really.

[spanone]

25. i hear this all day long from the media...'if you go around the country everybody is angry' prove it

[MadBadger]

24. You NEVER see KO attack somebody from MSNBC

So not surprised at all by this.

[butterfly77]

26. The difference is...

Limbaugh and the right blatantly lie. Keith,Rachael, and Ed tell the truth and back it up with facts. there is no comparison. Ms. hunter says if you don't have shoes go make some. Hewitt is a piece of lying shit..

[Bitwit1234]

28. So he has

rush, beck, hannity, o'reilly, malkin, drudge, palin, boehner, cantor, demint, bachmann mcconnell, mcdonnell, christie and all the rest of the crapola at Fox and he goes after Keith O as being angry. that's what the right wing does. they try to step over the hate and violence the GOP has generated and try to blame everything on the left.

[RamboLiberal]

29. According to this it was Griffin who got pissed

More, More: Olbermann responds about his involvement: "What I know of what happened is this: Phil Griffin phoned me yesterday enraged at what was on that show and I didn't disagree with him." Olbermann himself will be off his show for the next two days. "Colonoscopy, nothing wrong, just a new fact of life after my late Dad's issues," he tells TVNewser.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/donny_deutsch_off_the_air_after_criticism_of_keith_olbermann_159147.asp

[WeDidIt]

31. Donny Deutsch is a Rightwingnut Glenn Beck Wannabe

and that's why he went after Olbermann.

Fuck Deutsch.

Oh, and how long before CNN picks his nutball ass up?

[SoCalDem]

32. Yes Donny, enough already, indeed.

Joe (dead intern) and Mika & crew are doing their level best to lump the few voices of sanity (Ed, Rachel & keith) in with the crazies on the right.. It's all part of that "well, BOTH sides are equally guilty, so we'll not be too harsh with the racist, gun-toting, birthers" crap.

Deutsch has very liberal tendencies, but he's way off base here, and I'm glad they yanked him.

NOW, if they'd only yank Joe..

I was one of the few people who actually wanted him to run for the senate in Fla, so we'd we rid of him:)

[chill_wind]

33. Isn't that special-

"I think I’m on to something really special here that needs to be done.."

But we already have so many "special" egos on soooo many special missions, like Beck, Limbaugh,
Hannity, Scarborough, and all of them of course claim they are speaking for "middle America" (whatever the hell that is.) Guess he will have to take a number and get in a long line in the "special" department, lol.

[newspeak]

34. when a repuke is in trouble

most of the blatherheads point out "the democrats do it too." My SIL said this once and I told her it is not the same. Yes, there are some democrats that are in trouble too, but one must also look at the frequency and the damage done and the repukes win hands down.

[chill_wind]

35. And we have 8 years of staggering damage

to bolster your argument. How can people claim to be so oblivious? It's damn depressing.