CurrentTV fires Olbermann, replaces with Spitzer

[Dalton]

Can't make this stuff up, folks.

msnbc.com

Current TV has fired Keith Olbermann, a network spokeswoman told TheWrap.
The controversial news host has been at the fledgling cable channel for less than a year.
Eliot Spitzer will replace Olbermann starting Friday night, the network announced.

Olberman got into a contretemps with the network over his role during Republican primary election coverage last December. But the host has a history of butting heads with management and other bosses, starting with ESPN, including MSNBC and now with the leadership at Current.
In a series of tweets, Olbermann said he would take legal action against the network.
He also apologized to viewers, but said he had to end his show after he was unable to resolve his differences with Current executives.
"I'd like to apologize to my viewers and my staff for the failure of Current TV. Editorially, Countdown had never been better," Olbermann tweeted.
"But for more than a year I have been imploring @AlGore and @JoelHyatt to resolve our issues internally," he added, saying that they had instead publicized their disputes.
In its move on Friday, Current was clearly fed up with its star newsman.
"Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it," the network wrote in a letter to viewers published on its website.
Back in early January, executives at Current TV said that relations – especially those with Current CEO Joel Hyatt – were at a breaking point after deteriorating over several months.

Olbermann declined to cover the Iowa caucus when he learned he would have to share the hosting chair with others.
According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, that dispute was part of a larger chain of errors by Olbermann, who was fired for a "serial, material breach of his contract" such as the failure to show up to work, sabotaging the network and attacking Current.
That individual said Olbermann missed 19 of 41 working days during January and February and asked for vacation the night before Super Tuesday, giving the network "strong legal foundation" for dismissing Olbermann. Olbermann's contract not only paid him a hefty sum, but gave him equity in the network.
He was Current's Chief News Officer.
Spitzer, the former governor of New York, has minimal broadcast experience, having previously hosted the low-rated CNN show "In The Arena."
His new program will be called “Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer," with the former governor offering up his opinion of the day’s news and inviting guests to discuss, analyze and debate.
Here is the full memo from the Current website:

To the Viewers of Current:
We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before.
Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.
We are moving ahead by honoring Current's values. Current has a fundamental obligation to deliver news programming with a progressive perspective that our viewers can count on being available daily -- especially now, during the presidential election campaign. Current exists because our audience desires the kind of perspective, insight and commentary that is not easily found elsewhere in this time of big media consolidation.
As we move toward this summer's political conventions and the general election in the fall, Current is making significant new additions to our broadcasts. We have just debuted six hours of new programming each weekday with Bill Press ("Full Court Press, at 6 am ET/3 am PT) and Stephanie Miller ("Talking Liberally," at 9 am ET/6 pm PT).
We’re very excited to announce that beginning tonight, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer will host “Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer,” at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Eliot is a veteran public servant and an astute observer of the issues of the day. He has important opinions and insights and he relishes the kind of constructive discourse that our viewers will appreciate this election year.
We are confident that our viewers will be able to count on Governor Spitzer to deliver critical information on a daily basis.


All of these additions to Current's lineup are aimed at achieving one simple goal -- thegoal that has always been central to Current's mission: To tell stories no one else will tell, to speak truth to power, and to influence the conversation of democracy on behalf of those whose voice is too seldom heard. We, and everyone at Current, want to thank our viewers for their continued steadfast support.
Sincerely,
Al Gore & Joel Hyatt
Current's Founders

[Dalton]

Keith will file suit plus other goodies at TVNewser. Try to avoid the comments.

[Aniron]

I saw Eliot Spitzer on Rachel Maddow's show a few times, and I enjoyed what he had to say. I used to watch Olbermann, but it just got so old that I gave it up a couple years ago.

Spitzer is potentially interesting; giving him a shot is good news.

(though kinda moot since I don't have cable any more... I'm sure some of it will make its way out to the internet though.)

Spitzer is really good on Real Time with Bill Maher. He may not be so bad if he has the backbone he does there.

[Mr Bean]

Spitzer is a great guy who happens to have a hypocrisy and hooker problem.
Olbermann, it looks like the man is self destructing. He had a time and a place in our media history but he went overboard and abused a good thing. It looks clear like he does have an ego problem and up until now that's been masked by having been shit on by so many people he might not have deserved it with only for it now to keep happening when he should have no real grounds to complain.

Wonder what Cenk and crew are going to have to say about this as they are the other big former MSNBC name on Current. Chance are he won't say much.

[Dalton]

Wonder what Cenk and crew are going to have to say about this as they are the other big former MSNBC name on Current. Chance are he won't say much.

They will likely speak off the record, if at all, and will probably avoid mentioning it much in social media. I'm trying to think back to last January when he shuffled off of MSNBC and really I think the only people who made much note of it were Lawrence O'Donnell (who replaced him in his timeslot for a while) and Rachel Maddow (former protege who swiftly became MSNBC's breakout star). He swiftly dropped off the network radar and even internally we spoke about him in hushed tones. That was a hell of a crazy weekend.

[Dalton]

Oh man, this shit is gonna get ugly. Keith is definitely tweeting about it, including something from the past of one of CurrentTV's founders (Joel Hyatt).

[Flagg]

Mothefucker. This is the toothpick in this weeks shit sandwhich. And fuck Kieth for sabotaging himself yet again. I just hope he lands somehwere, maybe HBO, and doesn't fuck it up but at this point I think he's too much damaged goods.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Oh man, this shit is gonna get ugly. Keith is definitely tweeting about it, including something from the past of one of CurrentTV's founders (Joel Hyatt).

....

Didn't Tom Hanks star in a movie that is... identical to this case with the names changed?

Not to hijack or anything, I just noticed that the similarity is creepy.

[Dalton]

No, I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Philadelphia. Similar story, but different person.

[The Yosemite Bear]

just now picturing Count-Time with Kieth on HBO.....

[Guardsman Bass]

Olbermann has finally filed his suit. You can read it here.

He obviously has a big axe to grind, but if even some of what he was saying is true, it was just a mess over there at Current. Clause #4 in particular details a huge list of technical issues that repeatedly came up while he was working there.

Then there is just weird stuff, like Current's lax security allowing a homeless guy to wander into Olbermann's private office.

[HMS Conqueror]

First time I've heard of "CurrentTV". Looking at the wiki it seems like a left wing FOX News.

[Guardsman Bass]

It's a new channel that was supposed to be a progressive news and commentary source, with Olbermann headlining the whole situation. Instead, it looks like a combination of low ratings and the Olbermann debacle may end up sinking the channel, since one of the major carriers - Time Warner Cable - is going to drop them if they don't get their ratings up.

[Dalton]

Olbermann Broadcasting Empire?

[Aniron]

I stopped tuning in to CurrenTV when Cenk from The Young Turks was on another program and gave his endorsement of the Kony2012 campaign. It's a very boring network. They even showed The Matrix Reloaded! How is that at all related to politics?

Olbermann's show almost always consisted of group think. I don't recall a single instance, dating all the way back to 2007 when I started watching his program, where he interviewed someone with an opposing view. He's the insecure version of Rachel Maddow. Is his firing unfortunate? I do not know. I will say that the network will continue to be just as useless without him.

[fgalkin]

Olbermann has finally filed his suit. You can read it here.

He obviously has a big axe to grind, but if even some of what he was saying is true, it was just a mess over there at Current. Clause #4 in particular details a huge list of technical issues that repeatedly came up while he was working there.

Then there is just weird stuff, like Current's lax security allowing a homeless guy to wander into Olbermann's private office.

I believe his complaints- all of those issues would plausibly arise if someone with no experience would try to run a news channel. I can also see why someone with no experience would think himself competent to run a TV channel (from personal experience, it looks fairly easy when done by professionals, whereas it really isn't). Although, I must say, that rain interfering with the news feed seems to be a fairly common problem with cheap equipment- our own channel had this problem a few years back.

On the other hand, from reading that document, Olbermann comes off almost as unprofessional as his own bosses.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Guardsman Bass]

Current just fired back with their own legal response. I haven't had time to read it yet.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Forgive me for asking Dalton, but have you ever met and/or interacted with Olberman in a professional context? If so, what was he like.

[Dalton]

Forgive me for asking Dalton, but have you ever met and/or interacted with Olberman in a professional context? If so, what was he like.

I have only ever seen him walking the halls. He was genial with people he knew and liked, and aloof with others.

[JME2]

Then there is just weird stuff, like Current's lax security allowing a homeless guy to wander into Olbermann's private office.

If this is true, then it's a serious WTF.

[Guardsman Bass]

I just finished reading the Current Cross-Complaint. They focus on

1. Olbermann's refusal to engage in any promotional activities for "Countdown", the line-up of shows, or Current in violation of his contract and the purpose for which they brought him on board.

2. His unprofessionalism, including spats with management and frequent use of vacation days with short notice during crucial election coverage periods (like the day before Super Tuesday).

3. His focus on "Countdown" to the exclusion of anything else, in spite of what they hired him for.



No idea how much of it is true. The Cross-Complaint doesn't directly respond to a lot of Olbermann's complaints, with a few exceptions:

1. They claim he's not telling the truth about his conversations over bringing Cenk Uygar on board.

2. They say that they declined David Schuster because his repeated guest appearances did not help to retain ratings, in part because Olbermann never allowed Schuster to promote his guest appearances or "Countdown" on his twitter account or radio show.