They got canned? WOW! Maybe it's because MSNBC decided it wants to get people watching their network (I mean other than Newsbusters people and radio talkshow hosts monitoring them for material.)
I doubt this has much to do with wanting a more mainstream audience. Letting Bathtub Boy and Maddow keep their own shows isn't much of an effort to move back to the center.
As I see it, this goes back to the embarrassing fights between their staff, from Scarborough going off on Shuster to to the rumors about Brokaw and Williams being uncomfortable. People were tuning in more to watch a train wreck than to get the news.
Palin's speech was probably the final straw. When 40 million people heard NBC called out, they knew they had to do something. This is more to save face than move back to the center.
More press on the bickering and less on the substance of their views alienates their audience and their staff. I must say it's interesting to compare the two cable news organizations, FoxNewsChannel and MSNBC, as both have gone towards the center to gain access to the two campaigns. If they are able to secure interviews their ratings will go up, it will depend on how informative the interviews actually are and whether it comes across as balanced in the end.
Still TubBoy, Chrissy, and Mad-one are on the air. If they are going to be contributors, they will more likely be able to spew more partisan attacks without having to worry about trying to be something they are not...Anchors. Of course, we can see they have become true ship anchors to their network.
I agree. It wasn't my initial reaction, but I think this is why.
MSNBC knew it was going to get partisan coverage when it put these two in charge. Neither were really any more extreme than they have shown on their own shows.
What wasn't expected was that they and the staff as a whole would show themselves to be so unprofessional on air in so many other ways.
MSNBC wasn't let down by how partisan the coverage was - it was let down by the egos running amok.
Maybe all those unprofessional moments gave people at NBC and GE the chance to make a move on something they were already unhappy with. Maybe seeing the bias in the form of a tag team at conventions was too much for them.
But, I doubt the bias was too much for the MSNBC big shots.
If it was, then their level of stupidity must be rather high: anybody could have told them they'd the over-the-top bias from those two.
Like I wrote in a previous post, it must have been so embarrassing for Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams to be led in discussion by Keith Olbermann during the conventions!
I saw Tom Brokaw on MTP Sunday....it was really hard to take him seriously after seeing him on MSNBC's journalistic compromising convention coverage.
Sorry cool, but I've lost faith in BOR sometime ago. He's tried to be so F&B that hes been pandering to the left. And, I don't know why Neal would lie about it.
They replaced them with Gregory. Its like adding lettuce to your fried chicken and calling it a chicken salad so it sounds healthier. Still the same crap, just in denial.
It's like fishing. Their little plan to forcefully drag America to the Obama boat backfired. They're just letting out a little line now. They'll try to regain some credibity first with "objective" reporting, and then they'll start reeling again. The plan - an their bias - remains the same.
They got the boot because their unprofessional attitude became the news. When viewers tune into a news program but mistake it for a Jerry Springer episode, then something is wrong.
Mathews and Olberman take a point of view that can be proven to be either false, biased or misleading. They do it loudly, with a certian flair, and they do it often.
But with Youtube and the internet there is a record of what they say, which is then matched up with the facts, to their detriment.
Journalists like to consider themselves professionals and quite frankly, Mathews and Olberman make a mockery of the 'professional journalist'.
People will pay to be entertained, but that isn't what Obly and Chrissy claim to be doing. They make the claim that they are informing you, which they are not.
No one will continue to pay for information that they know to be false if they don't have to. Does anyone remember "Pravda", the official newspaper of the USSR?
People are learning that Obly and Chrissy (they really don't even deserve the courtesy of being addressed properly) simply have no integrity, what so ever. What on earth is the point of listening to them....they aren't telling the truth, they lie about being 'neutral', and they aren't funny.
And I bet NBC and MSNBC have been losing audience and receiving nasty letters and emails from people saying they won't watch anymore. Not to mention sponsors who don't see the point of having their products associated with idiots.
I think they got the boot because the jumped the shark so badly and so obviously that MSNBC had (finally!) become an embarrassment. The Board of Directors may have been concerned at lawsuits regarding unfair campaign contributions to the Democratic Party.
I'll bet Matthews tinkled down both legs when he heard the news and Olbermann locked himself in his dressing room, curled up in a ball under his makeup table and whimpered himself to sleep.
“it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.” - Justice Antonin Scalia
They might be fine to have their own opinion/analysis shows, but they are not anchors and can obviously not deal with reporting objectively on live events. I suspect that David Gregory will not be any better, maybe even worse.
By consciously deciding to be pro-left and politically liberal, MSNBC/NBC has marginalized itself. If you decide to go after a certain 25% of the market, don't be surprised when you end up with 20%+ of the market.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
This just sets them free from any pretext of balanced commentary!
They may not be the News Anchors for the Debates, but they'll be there as commentators spewing their liberal filth and running own the Conservatives with abandon.
If you thought Keith and Chris were obnoxious before, wait until the debates!
Hey Barry, MSNBC has just cleared the decks for your favorite fans to go balistic on your opponents! If you can't make it now, you need to go back to your "Roots" as a Community Organizer! FU Barry
Not that they were too far to the left just that they were too obvious ...no ... WAY too obvious ... and they were so obvious that they were hurting the NBC brand
I believe that the reason the left is having so much trouble (think: screeching and nasty) is because they are all such narcissistic frauds. They have never been able to train their vision to perceive anything beyond a reflective surface and actually appear to believe that what they think they see in the mirror is the genuine article.
They think they’re portraying the thoughtful objectivity of a commentator but their egos are so close to the surface and their rats-in-an-overcrowded-cage eye gouging always shows up to pop the veneer and show us their true selves, just like these two clowns did.
The surprise should be that anyone thinks this kind of thing is aberrant.
With Sarah Palin and John McCain we happily do have the real deal. They have more genuine warmth and authentic quality in their hand gestures than the left can generate even after hours practicing in front of a mirror or a group of rented sycophants.
What the left is so upset about is that the transparency of their fraud is so apparent to everyone and the genuineness of Sarah and John is visible even to the venomous observers on the left. They don’t like it one bit – and this has no doubt led to quite an increase in the incidents of bruxism in some circles – but they can’t pretend they don’t see it.
“Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth,” oh my!
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." - Paul (Rom. 13:1)
They're failing to relate to fly over country with their liberal crap. And we all know that fly over country is the whole ball game. That's where everything counts.
MSNBC head Phil Griffin and NBC News president Steve Capus should have known that the "bold experiment" pitting two pathological egomaniacs against each other on TV was doomed to failure. The buck stops with them. NBC president Jeff Zucker should seriously consider firing Griffin for refusing to reign in Olbermann. Since Olbermann started throwing his weight around with impunity, MSNBC has collapsed into chaos. The internal bickering has been leaked to other media - much to the embarrassment of both networks. Olbermann terrorized and chastised other MSNBC talent on the air during the Democratic convention coverage. He was whisked back to HQ by suits claiming he had to cover Hurricane Gustav. Olbermann re-emerged anchoring the Republican convention coverage from New York.
Lofty NBC News is now overcome by the stench emanating from the farm club. Dumping the warring unprofessional pair will not banish the smell. I suspect the defining moment for NBC's head Zucker was at the Republican convention when the jeering crowd started chanting "NBC! NBC! NBC!" during Sarah Palin's acceptance speech "News Flash" condemning media bias that was seen by 40 million TV viewers - a tsunami compared with MSNBC's highest-rated program - Olbermann's "Countdown." The last thing Zucker wants is NBC tainted with a liberal brush. The internecine battles at MSNBC that ended up on the air are threatening the reputation of NBC Universal brand and parent company General Electric (one of the top U.S. defense contractors). It's reported Zucker was close to flying to St. Paul to quell the on-air antics of Olbermann and Matthews. Zucker cannot afford the perception of his brand as liberal and in chaos. It's all about money. And advertisers. And stockholders. And pressure from the aforementioned. Zucker's own reputation as a manager is at stake with GE corporate CEO Jeffrey Immelt.
It should've never gotten to that point. Surely Phil Griffin and Steve Capus know that Olbermann doesn't know the difference between news and commentary. Although the NYT's Brian Stelter writes today: "MSNBC insisted that Mr. Olbermann knew the difference between news and commentary." The minute Olbermann went off the news reservation and into the tumbleweeds of commentary, Griffin should've called him on the carpet. Instead they fed his paranoid obsessions and venal attacks, repeatedly denying there's a left-wing tilt at MSNBC and spinning Olbermann's bizarre on-air antics as "passion."
Olbermann continually violates the line between news and commentary. Griffin to Brian Stelter: “I think ideology means we think one way, and we don’t." Rather than label MSNBC’s prime time as left-leaning, he says it has passion and point of view.
Five years of "Countdown" airchecks render the above invalid and absurd. The "point of view" appears to be coming from one person who appears to have hijacked MSNBC and is holding not only employees but Phil Griffin hostage.
Neither opinionated Matthews nor Olbermann possess the serious journo cred required to anchor political coverage. Matthews is a former Democratic congressional staffer who springboarded to TV by shooting off his mouth. Olbermann comes from sports with a checkered resume. Matthews got his big TV start with a show on CNBC. Olbermann had a previous short-lived stint at MSNBC anchoring a prime-time show in the late 1990s. But he quit over the wall-to-wall Bill Clinton Lewinsky scandal. He was hired back in 2003 to fill the 8p slot.
MSNBC ignored the internal and external hue and cry and sldiered on in its lust for ratings. Somebody's head has to roll over this. The genie's out of the bottle. It won't be Olbermann's head. NBC's negotating a multimillion dollar contract extension running four years through the next presidential election. Like Dr. Jekyll MSNBC created the monster. Now they have to kill him.
I would think that the other news anchors on NBC & MSNBC must have been voicing concern that Matthews & the bath tub boy were ruining the credibility of both networks as valid news sites. I think that both networks reputations have been diminished greatly and I am not so certain that this move goes far enough into repairing the damage. Someone should be fired, and short of that who can really take either NBC and/or MSNBC seriously?
I think this change is punishment for the boorish and unprofessional behavior during the conventions. They didn't get FIRED, they just aren't going to anchor the election anymore. I agree with the post that said Olbermann and Matthews are now officially in "time out."
I made this comment on another thread -- why is Olbermann called "bath-tub boy"?
I think they were dropped because they are too partisan -- I'd like to think even MSNBC understands that it doesn't help them if they are too in the tank for Obama...a level of objectivity is necessary for credibility.
...are known mainly for shrieking over their guests or ranting uncontrollably over their victims' choice of shoes. This plays well with the very "progressive" folks (over at Kos or Dem Underground), who are largely unknown to support network sponsors (usually because they live in their parents' basement, and are still feeding at their family trough). Regular, thoughtful, working folks are not impressed by Matthews' leg tingles or why Olbermann looks like he has a trickle going down his leg, and don't find obnoxious behavior particularly compelling in political analysis.
But heck - who knows - I could be wrong. Maybe they're out 'cause David Gregory put a hit on 'em.
I guess people missed Leon Panetta before the DNC astounded to why Obama was bending over backwards for Hillary.
I guess people missed Bill Clinton in Africa telling ABC that Constitutional requirements are necessary for any candidate.
I guess people missed Hillary being not asked to campaign for Obama which she is not doing in Florida.
I guess people missed it was Olbermann and Matthews who were smearing Hillary Clinton.
Hillary has been punished by the cartel over what Bill did. She is now back and as I warned Chris Matthews, when she comes back he was the first one she was going to take out.
NBC could care less about fair. Gregory is worse than the volcano mouths combined.
So that leaves the obvious and people better not be cheering too loudly at Newsbusters as while this means Hillary just might take out Obama (DO REMEMBER Bubbles Brzezinski just stood up for Sarah Palin and her old man is the chief adviser to Obama, but Zbigniew screwed up on Georgia, Iran and Syria. So a new dictator is in town and her name is Hillary.)
Obama by these racists on the left will not be President. Their main concern now is leaving a party which Hillary can run in for 2012 as I do not believe she is out of control enough to jump in this year in toppling Obama as it went badly for Hubert Humphrey.
Newsbusters should actually read the comments last night so as not to have to put up polling questions about things people are missing.
I would like to say these too baboon's got the boot because they are awful achor's and the worst at reporting news without any hint of a bias (they don't even try and hide it anymore). However, I'm afraid the big wigs at NBC (Or Obama-vision) did it because these two maroon's got horrible ratings (deadlast for news during the 2 weeks of conventions). With these liberal machines, they need money to work and these poor excuses for news anchors didn't bring in the dough. The american people are too smart to be taken for a ride by these clowns.
So while we might like to think NBC will get their act together, don't count on it. They will just be better at hiding their bias, but continue to bring you 4 to 1 news reports of favorable Obama coverage. Enjoy the programming!
I think I would rather take the Chinese Olympic Gymnastic judges "unbiased" nature over NBC's anyday. ~Meandering
I dont think that this has to do with not beating CNN ratings, or NBC Staffers, or the fact that Bathtub Boy and Chrissy think that their shit dont stick.
This is the culmination of NBC execs seeing how much of a complete embarassment that these guys are to real journalists. It doesnt change the fact that NBC and MSNBC will still be left leaning thinkers. But, they have seen the backlash, and finally realized that they must report a more fair version of the news if they want to remain a relevant source for news. And its not about ratings- They know that MSNBC will not beat FOXNEWS or CNN, but they still want to retain some pride in losing. Their viewer demographic shows them that only far lefties find their news informative and the network execs finally realized that MSNBC is ruining NBC's storied history.
They are jarheads that obviously want CENTER STAGE to themselves. They cat fight in front of the camera. Olbermann wants the entire channel to himself and Cris knows it. I hope they both explode.......Olbermann back to sports and Mathews can run for Senate.
NBC finally figured out they went too far, and the public knows they are trying to get Democrats elected. They couldn't say "We are sorry we are so liberal, but we will change," so they had to throw the proberbial bone. Matthews and Olbermann were the bones. They were sacrificed to appease the gods (the readers and listeners).
The market for liberal media outlets is saturated. MSNBC would be better off going to the right of Foxnews if they cared at all about ratings and making money.
I picked "Other", because I feel they were reassigned for being blatant about their Liberal bias. The Liberal Media want to be able to claim objectivity. With those two idiots, MSNBC couldn't even convince the stupidest person that it was anything other than in the tank for the Liberal Messiah.
Matthews and Olbermann were so unashamedly biased that they made the systemic bias of NBC as a whole completely undeniable. But NBC feels the need to preserve some modicum of "plausible deniability" about their bias, so they flushed them. Of course, putting David Gregory in their place completely eviscerates the plausibility of their deniability, but the hierarchy of NBC are so viscerally biased themselves that they can't perceive that fact. But that's OK. The rest of us "uneducated" "bitter" people, clinging to our guns and religion, who are pleased and eager to vote for anyone other than whoever the demagogues of NBC advocate, we understand who and what David Gregory is. And we can pick who we vote for without the help of NBC or any other member of the Democrat media.
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Comments Policy
Worried
September 8, 2008 - 08:32 ET by allanfI think the folks at GE and NBC are getting worried that McCain might win this thing, and their will be repercussions.
Very Simple Answer
September 8, 2008 - 10:29 ET by pilsenerBrian Williams and Tom Brokaw ( the only people who outrank Olbermann at NBC news) don't want to defend the antics of Olbermann and Matthews.
The straw that broke the camel's back was Jon Stewart asking Willaims about it on The Daily Show.
NBC equals Chrissie and Oberman
September 8, 2008 - 11:48 ET by kiwikitUnless they're fired, there's no change. MSNBC is no different from NBC; it's the Moronic Snotty NBC. But so is NBC itself.
"NBC staffers didn't like
September 8, 2008 - 08:33 ET by Crash"NBC staffers didn't like being so associated with them"
Not just NBC, I think GE had some say in the matter.
They got canned? WOW!
September 8, 2008 - 08:37 ET by mattmThey got canned? WOW! Maybe it's because MSNBC decided it wants to get people watching their network (I mean other than Newsbusters people and radio talkshow hosts monitoring them for material.)
mattm
September 8, 2008 - 08:40 ET by Cool ArrowThey just got a timeout for on- air bickering.
Gregory is taking over the political anchoring.
Uhhh, My Christian Faith
other staffers
September 8, 2008 - 08:38 ET by candanceI doubt this has much to do with wanting a more mainstream audience. Letting Bathtub Boy and Maddow keep their own shows isn't much of an effort to move back to the center.
As I see it, this goes back to the embarrassing fights between their staff, from Scarborough going off on Shuster to to the rumors about Brokaw and Williams being uncomfortable. People were tuning in more to watch a train wreck than to get the news.
Palin's speech was probably the final straw. When 40 million people heard NBC called out, they knew they had to do something. This is more to save face than move back to the center.
I think you're right...
September 8, 2008 - 09:14 ET by UberconMore press on the bickering and less on the substance of their views alienates their audience and their staff. I must say it's interesting to compare the two cable news organizations, FoxNewsChannel and MSNBC, as both have gone towards the center to gain access to the two campaigns. If they are able to secure interviews their ratings will go up, it will depend on how informative the interviews actually are and whether it comes across as balanced in the end.
Still TubBoy, Chrissy, and Mad-one are on the air. If they are going to be contributors, they will more likely be able to spew more partisan attacks without having to worry about trying to be something they are not...Anchors. Of course, we can see they have become true ship anchors to their network.
Ubercon
I agree. It wasn't my
September 8, 2008 - 10:03 ET by usinkoreaI agree. It wasn't my initial reaction, but I think this is why.
MSNBC knew it was going to get partisan coverage when it put these two in charge. Neither were really any more extreme than they have shown on their own shows.
What wasn't expected was that they and the staff as a whole would show themselves to be so unprofessional on air in so many other ways.
MSNBC wasn't let down by how partisan the coverage was - it was let down by the egos running amok.
Maybe all those unprofessional moments gave people at NBC and GE the chance to make a move on something they were already unhappy with. Maybe seeing the bias in the form of a tag team at conventions was too much for them.
But, I doubt the bias was too much for the MSNBC big shots.
If it was, then their level of stupidity must be rather high: anybody could have told them they'd the over-the-top bias from those two.
Like I wrote in a previous
September 8, 2008 - 08:47 ET by txcoLike I wrote in a previous post, it must have been so embarrassing for Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams to be led in discussion by Keith Olbermann during the conventions!
I saw Tom Brokaw on MTP Sunday....it was really hard to take him seriously after seeing him on MSNBC's journalistic compromising convention coverage.
You bet txco
September 8, 2008 - 08:51 ET by Cool ArrowAnd O'Reilly thoroughly trashed Brokaw and Williams for lacking the spine to stand up to Immelt.
Uhhh, My Christian Faith
O'reilly ambushing
September 8, 2008 - 09:24 ET by Paul Gbesides on Boortz this morning, has anyone heard the details on him sending a camera crew to 'ambush' the daughter?
No, Paul
September 8, 2008 - 09:25 ET by Cool ArrowBut I'd bet it didn't happen.
Rocky & Bullwinkle '08
no, I believe he did
September 8, 2008 - 09:34 ET by Paul GSorry cool, but I've lost faith in BOR sometime ago. He's tried to be so F&B that hes been pandering to the left. And, I don't know why Neal would lie about it.
OK, now im reading he sent a
September 8, 2008 - 09:45 ET by Paul GOK, now im reading he sent a crew to 'ambush' Cynthia Tucker, who wrote a story critical of BOR and his double standard on Spears and Palin...
I'll miss Olbie and Chrisy...
September 8, 2008 - 08:44 ET by goldenthroatGee, no more Olbie and Chrissy? (sniff...sniff) You mean, we can't watch their moronic ignorance on display anymore? (sniff...sniff...sniff)
You mean? I won't get that tingle going up my leg anymore? (MMMWWWWhhhhaaaaaaaaaa!)
"The sun's not going down, the horizon's moving up!" - Firesign Theatre
I think their irresponsible
September 8, 2008 - 08:46 ET by motherbeltI think their irresponsible and childish on-air skirmishing was to blame.
There was a bit of sniping by others...Shuster et al, but those two were starting to go at it hammer-and-tongs.
Some things are so embarrassing they are even embarrassing for MSNBC!
They replaced them with
September 8, 2008 - 08:46 ET by ApacheThey replaced them with Gregory. Its like adding lettuce to your fried chicken and calling it a chicken salad so it sounds healthier. Still the same crap, just in denial.
I'm going...
September 8, 2008 - 08:49 ET by Sua Sponte 75to say a bit of all of the above.
"PDS...The New and Improved BDS"
Matthews got booted after
September 8, 2008 - 08:49 ET by kgMatthews got booted after Olbermann whined, cried and stomped his feet. Olbermann even threatened to walk out unless Matthews got his.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
Other
September 8, 2008 - 08:52 ET by Sergeant ROCKI figured 'other' would be the number one answer. Come on! Staffers don't like being associated with them?
Birds of a feather flock together.
PALIN/McCain 2008
Other (credibility play)
September 8, 2008 - 08:54 ET by Edward LeeIt's like fishing. Their little plan to forcefully drag America to the Obama boat backfired. They're just letting out a little line now. They'll try to regain some credibity first with "objective" reporting, and then they'll start reeling again. The plan - an their bias - remains the same.
Other
September 8, 2008 - 09:10 ET by GothampcThey got the boot because their unprofessional attitude became the news. When viewers tune into a news program but mistake it for a Jerry Springer episode, then something is wrong.
They finaly
September 8, 2008 - 09:22 ET by JPR1got the credibility meter working and it rose only to "Wretched".
Had to start somewhere.
Truth actually means somethiing to people....
September 8, 2008 - 09:26 ET by thgrantMathews and Olberman take a point of view that can be proven to be either false, biased or misleading. They do it loudly, with a certian flair, and they do it often.
But with Youtube and the internet there is a record of what they say, which is then matched up with the facts, to their detriment.
Journalists like to consider themselves professionals and quite frankly, Mathews and Olberman make a mockery of the 'professional journalist'.
People will pay to be entertained, but that isn't what Obly and Chrissy claim to be doing. They make the claim that they are informing you, which they are not.
No one will continue to pay for information that they know to be false if they don't have to. Does anyone remember "Pravda", the official newspaper of the USSR?
People are learning that Obly and Chrissy (they really don't even deserve the courtesy of being addressed properly) simply have no integrity, what so ever. What on earth is the point of listening to them....they aren't telling the truth, they lie about being 'neutral', and they aren't funny.
And I bet NBC and MSNBC have been losing audience and receiving nasty letters and emails from people saying they won't watch anymore. Not to mention sponsors who don't see the point of having their products associated with idiots.
I think they got the boot
September 8, 2008 - 09:34 ET by Ruths husband BenI think they got the boot because the jumped the shark so badly and so obviously that MSNBC had (finally!) become an embarrassment. The Board of Directors may have been concerned at lawsuits regarding unfair campaign contributions to the Democratic Party.
I'll bet Matthews tinkled down both legs when he heard the news and Olbermann locked himself in his dressing room, curled up in a ball under his makeup table and whimpered himself to sleep.
“it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.” - Justice Antonin Scalia
it was business decision
September 8, 2008 - 09:38 ET by jkwtradingit was business decision and long overdue one too boot. Olbermann should've been booted long ago.
MSNBC true job is to attract viewers and get ratings, but their format has turned people off and the viewers are just not coming.
... I'll begin running the
September 8, 2008 - 09:45 ET by SickofLibs... I'll begin running the bath water.
They've become
September 8, 2008 - 09:53 ET by NorthCoastertoo obvious in their political opinions when they should be hosting news.
A Sinking Ship
September 8, 2008 - 10:09 ET by CellaFinally, Olbermann and Matthews have been thrown overboard.
Can't I just be happy? Do I have to give a reason?
Now we can put these two in Tony Snow's "Moonbat's Hall of the Immortals."
They are both obviously political pundits, not journalists.
September 8, 2008 - 10:10 ET by c5thenThey might be fine to have their own opinion/analysis shows, but they are not anchors and can obviously not deal with reporting objectively on live events. I suspect that David Gregory will not be any better, maybe even worse.
By consciously deciding to be pro-left and politically liberal, MSNBC/NBC has marginalized itself. If you decide to go after a certain 25% of the market, don't be surprised when you end up with 20%+ of the market.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
Sets Them FREE
September 8, 2008 - 10:13 ET by ChasvsThis just sets them free from any pretext of balanced commentary!
They may not be the News Anchors for the Debates, but they'll be there as commentators spewing their liberal filth and running own the Conservatives with abandon.
If you thought Keith and Chris were obnoxious before, wait until the debates!
Hey Barry, MSNBC has just cleared the decks for your favorite fans to go balistic on your opponents! If you can't make it now, you need to go back to your "Roots" as a Community Organizer! FU Barry
Not a good answer there
September 8, 2008 - 10:12 ET by paulnashtnNot that they were too far to the left just that they were too obvious ...no ... WAY too obvious ... and they were so obvious that they were hurting the NBC brand
VOTE REPUBLICAN
Their level of pomposity is almost unmeasureable...
September 8, 2008 - 10:26 ET by ThalpyTheir level of pomposity is almost unmeasurable and many of us are sick of them!
Genuine -vs- fraud
September 8, 2008 - 10:29 ET by HelenSI believe that the reason the left is having so much trouble (think: screeching and nasty) is because they are all such narcissistic frauds. They have never been able to train their vision to perceive anything beyond a reflective surface and actually appear to believe that what they think they see in the mirror is the genuine article.
They think they’re portraying the thoughtful objectivity of a commentator but their egos are so close to the surface and their rats-in-an-overcrowded-cage eye gouging always shows up to pop the veneer and show us their true selves, just like these two clowns did.
The surprise should be that anyone thinks this kind of thing is aberrant.
With Sarah Palin and John McCain we happily do have the real deal. They have more genuine warmth and authentic quality in their hand gestures than the left can generate even after hours practicing in front of a mirror or a group of rented sycophants.
What the left is so upset about is that the transparency of their fraud is so apparent to everyone and the genuineness of Sarah and John is visible even to the venomous observers on the left. They don’t like it one bit – and this has no doubt led to quite an increase in the incidents of bruxism in some circles – but they can’t pretend they don’t see it.
“Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth,” oh my!
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." - Paul (Rom. 13:1)
The bottom line speaks
September 8, 2008 - 10:33 ET by pocomocoI think O’Reilly had a lot to do with GE’s decision, as he not only kept bashing the two prima donnas but was also going after GE.
He was putting GE in a very bad spotlight especially their working with Iran which has caused some to stop buying GE products.
The bottom line always trumps politics.
I picked the second choice,
September 8, 2008 - 10:38 ET by bigtimerI picked the second choice, although I think it is a combintion of other things too...we have all posted about them over time here.
msnbc is going to be interesting to watch this week in some ways...especially Olbie.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
They're failing to relate to
September 8, 2008 - 10:52 ET by marpelThey're failing to relate to fly over country with their liberal crap. And we all know that fly over country is the whole ball game. That's where everything counts.
Marty Davis
September 8, 2008 - 10:53 ET by ChickaboomerMarty Davis chickaboomer.com
MSNBC head Phil Griffin and NBC News president Steve Capus should have known that the "bold experiment" pitting two pathological egomaniacs against each other on TV was doomed to failure. The buck stops with them. NBC president Jeff Zucker should seriously consider firing Griffin for refusing to reign in Olbermann. Since Olbermann started throwing his weight around with impunity, MSNBC has collapsed into chaos. The internal bickering has been leaked to other media - much to the embarrassment of both networks. Olbermann terrorized and chastised other MSNBC talent on the air during the Democratic convention coverage. He was whisked back to HQ by suits claiming he had to cover Hurricane Gustav. Olbermann re-emerged anchoring the Republican convention coverage from New York.
Lofty NBC News is now overcome by the stench emanating from the farm club. Dumping the warring unprofessional pair will not banish the smell. I suspect the defining moment for NBC's head Zucker was at the Republican convention when the jeering crowd started chanting "NBC! NBC! NBC!" during Sarah Palin's acceptance speech "News Flash" condemning media bias that was seen by 40 million TV viewers - a tsunami compared with MSNBC's highest-rated program - Olbermann's "Countdown." The last thing Zucker wants is NBC tainted with a liberal brush. The internecine battles at MSNBC that ended up on the air are threatening the reputation of NBC Universal brand and parent company General Electric (one of the top U.S. defense contractors). It's reported Zucker was close to flying to St. Paul to quell the on-air antics of Olbermann and Matthews. Zucker cannot afford the perception of his brand as liberal and in chaos. It's all about money. And advertisers. And stockholders. And pressure from the aforementioned. Zucker's own reputation as a manager is at stake with GE corporate CEO Jeffrey Immelt.
It should've never gotten to that point. Surely Phil Griffin and Steve Capus know that Olbermann doesn't know the difference between news and commentary. Although the NYT's Brian Stelter writes today: "MSNBC insisted that Mr. Olbermann knew the difference between news and commentary." The minute Olbermann went off the news reservation and into the tumbleweeds of commentary, Griffin should've called him on the carpet. Instead they fed his paranoid obsessions and venal attacks, repeatedly denying there's a left-wing tilt at MSNBC and spinning Olbermann's bizarre on-air antics as "passion."
Olbermann continually violates the line between news and commentary. Griffin to Brian Stelter: “I think ideology means we think one way, and we don’t." Rather than label MSNBC’s prime time as left-leaning, he says it has passion and point of view.
Five years of "Countdown" airchecks render the above invalid and absurd. The "point of view" appears to be coming from one person who appears to have hijacked MSNBC and is holding not only employees but Phil Griffin hostage.
Neither opinionated Matthews nor Olbermann possess the serious journo cred required to anchor political coverage. Matthews is a former Democratic congressional staffer who springboarded to TV by shooting off his mouth. Olbermann comes from sports with a checkered resume. Matthews got his big TV start with a show on CNBC. Olbermann had a previous short-lived stint at MSNBC anchoring a prime-time show in the late 1990s. But he quit over the wall-to-wall Bill Clinton Lewinsky scandal. He was hired back in 2003 to fill the 8p slot.
MSNBC ignored the internal and external hue and cry and sldiered on in its lust for ratings. Somebody's head has to roll over this. The genie's out of the bottle. It won't be Olbermann's head. NBC's negotating a multimillion dollar contract extension running four years through the next presidential election. Like Dr. Jekyll MSNBC created the monster. Now they have to kill him.
Related: "Keith Olbermann As The Media Equivalent Of Joe McCarthy"
It has become a credibility issue
September 8, 2008 - 10:55 ET by Philly Pete 07I would think that the other news anchors on NBC & MSNBC must have been voicing concern that Matthews & the bath tub boy were ruining the credibility of both networks as valid news sites. I think that both networks reputations have been diminished greatly and I am not so certain that this move goes far enough into repairing the damage. Someone should be fired, and short of that who can really take either NBC and/or MSNBC seriously?
M & O WERE MOVED TO SAT. MORNING CARTOONS
September 8, 2008 - 11:41 ET by john5750McCAIN-PALIN 2008 and HILLARY-ANYBODY 2012
Punishment
September 8, 2008 - 11:45 ET by Secret ConservativeI think this change is punishment for the boorish and unprofessional behavior during the conventions. They didn't get FIRED, they just aren't going to anchor the election anymore. I agree with the post that said Olbermann and Matthews are now officially in "time out."
I made this comment on
September 8, 2008 - 11:55 ET by Richard RomanoI made this comment on another thread -- why is Olbermann called "bath-tub boy"?
I think they were dropped because they are too partisan -- I'd like to think even MSNBC understands that it doesn't help them if they are too in the tank for Obama...a level of objectivity is necessary for credibility.
RR
September 8, 2008 - 18:51 ET by RukusTry this.
"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"
i picked other.
September 8, 2008 - 12:06 ET by larry on LIin business, profits trump ideoology every time!
Olbermann & Matthews...
September 8, 2008 - 12:08 ET by cest moi...are known mainly for shrieking over their guests or ranting uncontrollably over their victims' choice of shoes. This plays well with the very "progressive" folks (over at Kos or Dem Underground), who are largely unknown to support network sponsors (usually because they live in their parents' basement, and are still feeding at their family trough). Regular, thoughtful, working folks are not impressed by Matthews' leg tingles or why Olbermann looks like he has a trickle going down his leg, and don't find obnoxious behavior particularly compelling in political analysis.
But heck - who knows - I could be wrong. Maybe they're out 'cause David Gregory put a hit on 'em.
Adios to Matthews and Olberman
September 8, 2008 - 12:08 ET by HawgdrvrMatthews is hopelessly enamored with Obama and had lost his objectivity.
Olbermann is a pious, rabid, frothing at the mouth, Republican HATER!
Why?
September 8, 2008 - 12:51 ET by Rackie'Cause exploding heads, live and in color, are never a pretty sight.
Hillary is back
September 8, 2008 - 13:21 ET by Lame CherryI guess people missed Leon Panetta before the DNC astounded to why Obama was bending over backwards for Hillary.
I guess people missed Bill Clinton in Africa telling ABC that Constitutional requirements are necessary for any candidate.
I guess people missed Hillary being not asked to campaign for Obama which she is not doing in Florida.
I guess people missed it was Olbermann and Matthews who were smearing Hillary Clinton.
Hillary has been punished by the cartel over what Bill did. She is now back and as I warned Chris Matthews, when she comes back he was the first one she was going to take out.
NBC could care less about fair. Gregory is worse than the volcano mouths combined.
So that leaves the obvious and people better not be cheering too loudly at Newsbusters as while this means Hillary just might take out Obama (DO REMEMBER Bubbles Brzezinski just stood up for Sarah Palin and her old man is the chief adviser to Obama, but Zbigniew screwed up on Georgia, Iran and Syria. So a new dictator is in town and her name is Hillary.)
Obama by these racists on the left will not be President. Their main concern now is leaving a party which Hillary can run in for 2012 as I do not believe she is out of control enough to jump in this year in toppling Obama as it went badly for Hubert Humphrey.
Newsbusters should actually read the comments last night so as not to have to put up polling questions about things people are missing.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
LC... I haven't missed
September 8, 2008 - 13:35 ET by bigtimerLC...
I haven't missed much of anything you are talking about here...
Even if Hill jumped in now or in four years, she doesn't stand a chance against Palin.
Plus I may not love Gregory, but there is absolutely no comparison with him and Matthews and Olbie, combined or singularly.
I love reading your posts LC, agree much of the time with what you post, love to chew on some of the thoughts you put out, but I disagree with this...
Just my two cents, plus I know you never respond anyway.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
I selected 'other' because ...
September 8, 2008 - 14:04 ET by MeanderingI would like to say these too baboon's got the boot because they are awful achor's and the worst at reporting news without any hint of a bias (they don't even try and hide it anymore). However, I'm afraid the big wigs at NBC (Or Obama-vision) did it because these two maroon's got horrible ratings (deadlast for news during the 2 weeks of conventions). With these liberal machines, they need money to work and these poor excuses for news anchors didn't bring in the dough. The american people are too smart to be taken for a ride by these clowns.
So while we might like to think NBC will get their act together, don't count on it. They will just be better at hiding their bias, but continue to bring you 4 to 1 news reports of favorable Obama coverage. Enjoy the programming!
I think I would rather take the Chinese Olympic Gymnastic judges "unbiased" nature over NBC's anyday. ~Meandering
Olbermann and Matthews spanking
September 8, 2008 - 14:54 ET by right_is_rightTheir complete disregard for objectivity ruined their credibility.
Embarrassed!!!!!!
September 8, 2008 - 15:28 ET by JOSH R-NYI dont think that this has to do with not beating CNN ratings, or NBC Staffers, or the fact that Bathtub Boy and Chrissy think that their shit dont stick.
This is the culmination of NBC execs seeing how much of a complete embarassment that these guys are to real journalists. It doesnt change the fact that NBC and MSNBC will still be left leaning thinkers. But, they have seen the backlash, and finally realized that they must report a more fair version of the news if they want to remain a relevant source for news. And its not about ratings- They know that MSNBC will not beat FOXNEWS or CNN, but they still want to retain some pride in losing. Their viewer demographic shows them that only far lefties find their news informative and the network execs finally realized that MSNBC is ruining NBC's storied history.
Chrissy and Keithy
September 8, 2008 - 15:58 ET by charlietexasThey are jarheads that obviously want CENTER STAGE to themselves. They cat fight in front of the camera. Olbermann wants the entire channel to himself and Cris knows it. I hope they both explode.......Olbermann back to sports and Mathews can run for Senate.
Bye bye
Hey……all USMC
September 8, 2008 - 22:29 ET by sick_puppyHey……all USMC jarheads living and dead are insulted by being compared in any way to Olbie and Chrissy.
Five second fuses only last three seconds. (Infantry Journal)
Barry should have studied Murphy’s Laws of Combat. Sin Loy.
If you can't remember . . . the claymore is probably pointed at you. Murphy’s Laws of Combat
Sick is right The correct
September 8, 2008 - 22:35 ET by SemperrightSick is right
The correct term is $hit heads. Once again that answer was $hit heads. Thanks for playing.
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference.
The MARINES don't have that problem."
President Ronald Reagan - 1985
Why did Matthews and Olbermann get the boot?
September 8, 2008 - 16:17 ET by SmorgasbordSmorgasbord
NBC finally figured out they went too far, and the public knows they are trying to get Democrats elected. They couldn't say "We are sorry we are so liberal, but we will change," so they had to throw the proberbial bone. Matthews and Olbermann were the bones. They were sacrificed to appease the gods (the readers and listeners).
Liberal Media Market Saturation
September 8, 2008 - 18:54 ET by deerjerkydaveThe market for liberal media outlets is saturated. MSNBC would be better off going to the right of Foxnews if they cared at all about ratings and making money.
Other
September 8, 2008 - 21:19 ET by Repeal 16-17I picked "Other", because I feel they were reassigned for being blatant about their Liberal bias. The Liberal Media want to be able to claim objectivity. With those two idiots, MSNBC couldn't even convince the stupidest person that it was anything other than in the tank for the Liberal Messiah.
They stink
September 8, 2008 - 21:44 ET by JimGThey stink
Olbie and Chrissy
September 9, 2008 - 00:05 ET by JudithI like Jim's answer: succint and to the point. THEY STINK, THEY STINK, THEY STINK!!!!!!!!
Don't know and...
September 9, 2008 - 00:06 ET by jawebster1don't care. I don't even watch that channel during commercials anymore. Hiring the boylie-m'am did it for me.
M&O made NBC bias undeniable
September 9, 2008 - 09:39 ET by chazskiMatthews and Olbermann were so unashamedly biased that they made the systemic bias of NBC as a whole completely undeniable. But NBC feels the need to preserve some modicum of "plausible deniability" about their bias, so they flushed them. Of course, putting David Gregory in their place completely eviscerates the plausibility of their deniability, but the hierarchy of NBC are so viscerally biased themselves that they can't perceive that fact. But that's OK. The rest of us "uneducated" "bitter" people, clinging to our guns and religion, who are pleased and eager to vote for anyone other than whoever the demagogues of NBC advocate, we understand who and what David Gregory is. And we can pick who we vote for without the help of NBC or any other member of the Democrat media.
All of the Above was not an option
September 9, 2008 - 11:38 ET by PSPCplTherefore I had to put other. Too bad they didn't get the public flogging they so richly deserve.
other
September 9, 2008 - 16:50 ET by lotrRATING$