Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

[Kalalau]

When the Sarnoff family owned NBC the network actually did news, but the heirs sold the company to General Electric, which has always been a right wing organization--indeed, it kept Ronald Reagan's career alive, and his face in front of the public, as host of "Death Valley Days" in the old B&W days of TV when his career was as dry as the sands of that valley.

Since taking control of NBC, GE has used the network to promote right wing candidates, philosophies, viewpoints almost totally to the exclusion of anything on the Left. And now, with the dismissal of Olberman and Matthews (who isn't any liberal) the exclusion is complete.

Think of it! Expression of the political philosophy that brought the country back from the Great Depression, that invested in the people and in the infrastructure of the people, that produced several of the most successful administrations in history, cannot be heard in America. The muddled slogans, prejudice, and goofy nonsense that passes for conservative "philosophy", and that put the country over a trillion dollars in debt to Communist China, is all that any voters are exposed to. The "philosophy" that has led America to the multiple disasters it is involved in today is the only one voters can hear or see on the public airwaves. How pathetic. This is why the media companies need to be dismantled, all of their licenses cancelled and where appropriate, their executives thrown in prison. Having exclusively right wing media did not help Germans decide the direction of their government in the 1930's, and the exclusive broadcasting of right wing nonsense will not help this country either.

[Ron Whitfield]

We need a bunch of KO's!

[LocalMotion]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

neither will left wing nonsense. maybe you should be thrown in jail

have you bought anything that's made in china lately?

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

Canned? As I read it, the network simply decided that the two gentlemen could not be objective enough to be anchors for their political coverage, that's all. They will still be providing commentary for said coverage, and they are still doing their daily programs.

An understandable decision, considering especially Mr. Olbermann's complaints and comments during the Republican convention coverage.

[TuNnL]

OlbermanN & Matthews reassigned

First of all, this thread is in the wrong section. It should be in The Tube or Nā Kanaka. Secondly, like Leo says, neither Olbermann nor Matthews have been canned. Both have simply been reassigned from the anchor chair to where they were before election season: commentators.

This is a wise move by NBC, considering the seriousness of the coverage at hand. Olbermann, while I may agree with his opinions more than those of O’Reilly, is a left-wing liberal who sees all events through those lens. As was said in another thread, he is a sportscaster who does not possess a journalism degree, and to my knowledge, has never done actual news reporting. That is not the “old-school” standard for fair, balanced, and objective news coverage — a requirement for any news anchor, political or otherwise.

Score one for real journalism which wins a rare battle with ‘media consultants.’

[matapule]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

As I read it, the network simply decided that the two gentlemen could not be objective enough to be anchors for their political coverage, that's all. An understandable decision, considering especially Mr. Olbermann's complaints and comments during the Republican convention coverage.

Of course, Brit Hume of Faux News, is the shinning example of the non-partisan news anchor. And, Edward R. Murrow was way too opinionated to ever be able to get at the truth.

Keep your eye on the ball, friends.

[matapule]

Re: OlbermanN & Matthews reassigned

That is not the “old-school” standard for fair, balanced, and objective news coverage — a requirement for any news anchor, political or otherwise.

Well then, explain to me where Faux News fits in......Fair and Balanced?

It was William R. Hearst who said, "News is not to inform people, news is to entertain people."

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

Of course, Brit Hume of Faux News, is the shinning example of the non-partisan news anchor. And, Edward R. Murrow was way too opinionated to ever be able to get at the truth.

Irrelevant comparisons. Were Mr. Hume an MSNBC employee, perhaps, but you can not compare the actions of one commercial media entity to another; there is no "Ethics Commission" that controls the decicions, directions or operations of the television news media.

Mr. Murrow was not working in the environment of the 21st Century television news business, last time I checked. TV journalism operated in a very different structure during his day. You can not use today's standards to judge newsmen of a half-century ago, or vice versa.

[matapule]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

there is no "Ethics Commission" that controls the decicions, directions or operations of the television news media.

I maintain there is a "de facto" organization. They are called right wing extremist neocons. That is the whole point of what is happening.

TV journalism operated in a very different structure during his day. You can not use today's standards to judge newsmen of a half-century ago, or vice versa.

And therin lies the problem. You nailed it.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

Canned? As I read it, the network simply decided that the two gentlemen could not be objective enough to be anchors for their political coverage, that's all. They will still be providing commentary for said coverage, and they are still doing their daily programs.

An understandable decision, considering especially Mr. Olbermann's complaints and comments during the Republican convention coverage.

Yeah, Kalalau needs to get his/her facts straight. Olbermann is not going anywhere. Like him or detest him, election night anchor or not, Keith remains MSNBC's prime asset. His Countdown show is the top ratings draw on that network.

With the Rachel Maddow Show displacing Verdict with Dan Abrams starting today, it's becoming increasingly clear that MSNBC is positioning itself as the liberal alternative to Fox News. As much as this move might grate on the nerves of conservatives and moderates from a political/philosophical standpoint, people here need to understand it is primarily being driven by demographic/economic factors. By having Chris Matthews, Olbermann, and Maddow back-to-back-to-back, they are trying to capture the younger, more liberal viewers and keep them tuned to their channel. From a ratings standpoint, this makes more sense than when they scheduled programs with hosts that ranged back and forth between liberal and conservative viewpoints. A couple of years ago, not too many Chris Matthews fans kept their channels stuck on MSNBC for a full hour of Joe Scarborough's conservative rants. Similarly, much of the audience that Keith Olbermann generated for the channel quickly dissipated when Tucker Carlson's show followed. The network was losing money and suffered low ratings. Something had to be done. MSNBC is a commercial enterprise. It is not to be confused with C-SPAN.

With all that said, I think it is a good idea for David Gregory to be MSNBC's anchor on election night. It just felt funny when Olbermann took on the role of anchor during the convention coverage, and he asked for commentary from folks like Gregory, Brian Williams, and Tom Brokaw. It should have been the other way around. If you ask me, I think Olbermann and Matthews will enjoy it more being commentators. That way, they can let it loose with whatever they want to say and not have to feel inhibited with trying to be the impartial voice of the network's election coverage.

[TuNnL]

Re: OlbermanN & Matthews reassigned

Well then, explain to me where Faux News fits in......Fair and Balanced?

It was William R. Hearst who said, "News is not to inform people, news is to entertain people."

I agree with Hearst on this. However, neither Matthews nor Olbermann work for Fox News, nor do I think they aspire to employ Fox’s standards in their work. This is about the pairs ability to live up to NBC's standards, so from where I’m standing, your argument is irrelevant.

[Kalalau]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

Nobody would even think of driving down the road with a blinder on their left eye, and a right eye that needed serious correction. You would never want to be a passenger on a plane or a ship where the pilot or captain was similarly blinded on the left and impaired on the right. Yet that is exactly what has happened to the American ship of state. The people--the INFORMED people--are the navigators of this ship of state and yet they have been deliberately blinded to information from the left side and what they get from the right almost always needs correction. Is it any wonder that our ship of state is foundering upon the reefs of uncertainty. The examples are legion. Just from today's news, the $100 billion tax payer funded bail out of FNMA is in major part the result of relentless lobbying by the media of the false notion that private industry always does everything better and cheaper and everything needs to be deregulated. Airlines, mortgages, S&L's, the electricity industry, broadcasting, all deregulated, and all disasters. The right wing bias of the media is a problem that will either be corrected, and the country will have a chance of continuing, or it won't be, and eventually the resulting disasters will take the country down. You either fix the problem, or the problem fixes you.

[timkona]

Re: Olberman & Matthews canned at MSNBC

The suggestion that MSNBC is some kind of right wing outlet is just laughable.

glurg