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Keith Olbermann to Launch Show on Current TV in Late Spring

1 year ago
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Keith Olbermann, who unceremoniously left his MSNBC "Countdown" show last month, has joined the public affairs channel Current TV and will host a nightly prime-time show starting in late spring.

The liberal public affairs network co-founded by Al Gore can be seen in about 75 million homes worldwide, available only on the digital tier of cable channel systems. At MSNBC, which the unabashedly liberal and outspoken Olbermann left after a storm relationship, his nightly audience was about 1 million.

In a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning, Olbermann, 52, said the new program will be "an improved, and we hope amplified and stronger, version of the show that I just did," according to the New York Times.

Having squabbled with management at MSNBC -- he was suspended for making contributions to Democratic politicians -- Olbermann said that "nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news produced independently of corporate interference."

In a statement, Gore said the channel is "delighted to provide Keith with the independent platform and freedom that Current can and does uniquely offer."

In addition to executive-producing and hosting the news and commentary show, Olbermann will also serve as Current TV's chief news officer.

Current TV until now has been a low-profile channel that runs series such as "This American Life." Before that, it relied on submissions from video journalists. A start date for the new show was not disclosed.
Filed Under: Liberals

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davetice3

CIVILITY?! NO PERSONAL ATTACKS?! PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION?! AAAAAAAAHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

March 23 2011 at 4:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Valerie Ferguson

I'm glad keith will be back on TV; he does not hold back on his passion for a particular issue(s). Like him; hate him; everyone is free to watch it or not.

March 03 2011 at 8:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Margie

I am so happy that Keith will be back on the air, My Husband and i just loved his show. Welcome back Keith we missed you so much. Keep on telling it like it is.

February 10 2011 at 6:28 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
palots

Who would of guessed he could have any less viewers than he did on MSNBC? Looks like he will.

February 08 2011 at 8:00 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
bgeditor11

"The liberal public affairs network co-founded by Al Gore can be seen in about 75 million homes worldwide, available only on the digital tier of cable channel systems. At MSNBC, which the unabashedly liberal and outspoken Olbermann left after a storm relationship, his nightly audience was about 1 million."

This is a confusing statement. The author tells us not how many people watch this network, only how many people have the potential to be watching at any one time. I'm sure millions of people could also be watching MSNBC as they have access to it, most of them just choose not to.

February 08 2011 at 5:16 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
jryurko

Glad to hear Kieth Olbermann is going to be back, I liked his show on msnbc

February 08 2011 at 3:20 PM Report abuse -8 rate up rate down Reply
gjast

To simulacra1, who is asking to tell one lie that Olbermann has told. It is not bold face lies that he does, but putting snippets and cuts out of context, and spinning and misrepresenting their content. One example would be how he signed off every show with the amount of days since Bush declared "mission accomplished", which he constantly misrepresented as Bush meaning the Iraq War, instead of what it was meant as, the specific mission of those troups on that battle ship.

February 08 2011 at 2:31 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
jdcapshew

This puts Current TV on the map. I'll be watching. I hope he can really let it rip now.

February 08 2011 at 2:13 PM Report abuse -9 rate up rate down Reply
vsuzibel

GREAT NEWS , He is one newsman I trust. He tells it the way it really is. Iam looking forward to this in the spring.

February 08 2011 at 1:07 PM Report abuse -17 rate up rate down Reply
Robert Batey

It does not matter if your right or left, the fact is that Olberman, Beck, Hannity, ect. they are not journalists with news to give. They are on the air for entertainment. They get you all worked up and thats what they are good at. Olberman focused too much on Fox and now he is gone. If they give him a script to read on views to the right, he will get people on the left going. He was on ESPN for petes sake! He reads scripts not his views. They make money by telling you want to hear or read and anything opposite of their thoughts or yours is a lie. If you take any of them seriously you are suckers!

February 08 2011 at 12:10 PM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Robert Batey's comment
sgerlyn

I agree that several these shows are "commentaries" and not "news shows". People do need to remember that. I also believe that watching just one channel ALL the time is a mistake. Just as reading ONE news article in a newspaper and thinking that you are truly informed. Americans need to educated themselves about the issues. I believe that too many Americans did not educate themselves about Barak Obama. I'm from Illinois and I KNEW his voting record in the legistature, and I also read his books. If they had done (or the newscasters) their homework they would have known what he wants to do with America. I happen to totally disagree with his vision for our country.

February 08 2011 at 1:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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