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Keith Olbermann Was Never That Keen On Current TV
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 31, 2012
Modified Apr 1, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 31, 2012
Modified Apr 1, 2012
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We've spent the better part of today curled in a ball, surrounded by our hardcover copies of Pitchforks and Torches, wondering where it all went wrong. How could Current TV do this to Keith "Just a Regular Guy" Olbermann? Based on various reports, it sounds as if Keith didn't feel like working for a low-budget TV network—and that low-budget TV network, headed up by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, were tired of putting up with a high-maintenance talking head.
The Daily Beast's Rebecca Dana notes that Olbermann "balked at the cheap sets and lo-fi production values at the scrappy Current." To that end TMZ has procured an email circulated at the network last summer noting that the printers were out of toner. Meanwhile, Olbermann continued to collect his annual salary of $10 million, despite refusing to work on crucial election night coverage.
Gore reportedly "begged" Olbermann to listen to his presentation on ManBearPig play ball and stay at the network, but those entreaties failed. Leave it to Al Gore to fail where Roger Ailes succeeds: better to be feared than loved.
As Dana notes, both Current and Olbermann may be staring at a court battle, even as they may "end up on parallel glide paths to obscurity." If Olbermann's tweet-statement wasn't enough for you yesterday, he'll be on Letterman Tuesday night to dish on the situation.
It has been exactly one day since Current TV announced that Keith Olbermann had accomplished his mission.
Tagged
al gore
current tv
keith olbermann
media
msnbc
roger ailes
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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