No notice, announced at the end of his show today that it was his last.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ... -on-msnbc/

24 p.m. | Updated Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he is leaving “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” immediately.

The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time, especially since he was suspended for two days last November, came to an agreement with NBC’s corporate management late this week to settle his contract and step down.

In a closing statement on his show, Mr. Olbermann said simply that it would be the last edition of the program. He offered no explanation other than on occasion, the show had become too much for him.

Mr. Olbermann thanked his viewers for their enthusiastic support of a show that had “gradually established its position as anti-establishment.”

In a statement, MSNBC said : “MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann’ will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

MSNBC announced that “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell would replace “Countdown” at 8 p.m., with “The Ed Show” with Ed Schultz taking Mr. O’Donnell’s slot at 10 p.m. Mr. Olbermann did not discuss any future plans, but NBC executives said one term of his settlement will keep him from moving to another network for an extended period of time.

Mr. Olbermann had signed a four-year contract extension in 2008 for an estimated $30 million. He hosted “Countdown” at 8 p.m. since 2003 and it became the foundation of the channel’s surge to status as the second-ranked news channel on cable television, after Fox News, surpassing the one-time leader CNN.

Mr. Olbermann’s outspoken, and sometimes controversial, support of liberal positions and Democratic candidates redefined MSNBC from a neutral news channel to one with that openly sought to offer viewers on the left their own voice, much as Fox News has done so successfully for an audience of viewers with conservative opinions.

Mr. Olbermann challenged Fox News publicly on numerous occasions, especially the top-rated cable host Bill O’Reilly, whom he regularly tweaked and frequently placed in the top circle of infamy on a segment Mr. Olbermann called “The Worst Person in the World.”

Ratings for his show grew, though he never really approached the level of popularity Mr. O’Reilly has achieved. But he helped grow the MSNBC liberal brand by his frequent invitations to one guest, Rachel Maddow, who was eventually offered her own show on MSNBC.

Ms. Maddow became the 9 p.m. host following Mr. Olbermann and has built such a successful show that some NBC executives felt less concerned about losing Mr. Olbermann as the signature star of the network.

According to several senior network executives, NBC’s management had been close to firing Mr. Olbermann on previous occasions, most recently in November after he revealed that he had made donations to several Democratic candidates during the 2010 congressional elections — one of them, coincidentally, was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who has been the subject of many of his recent shows after being shot in an assassination attempt in Tucson on Jan. 8.

The top MSNBC executive, Phil Griffin, said the donations had violated NBC News standards and ordered Mr. Olbermann suspended. His fans responded with a petition to reinstate him that attracted over 250,000 signatures. Mr. Olbermann returned two days later. In his response he said the rules on donations had been “inconsistently applied.”

comcast ain't having liberals

how many days has it been since bush declared mission accomplished?

Now we'll never know.

Hrmph.

Time..Marches On.
Of the evening news shows I liked his & Maddow's even though I consider myself fairly conservative, at least by MSNBC viewer, and for that matter this board's, standards. Of course he had his overly pompous prick moments but that's part of the gig. I'm going to miss it.

I haven't regularly watched O'Reilly in years, but I'll have to tune in on Monday and see if he says anything. He learned after the Al Franken dustup to just completely ignore Olbermann.

Suicide Watch: punkdavid

well played

Though I tend to think they both make good points, I couldn't stand to watch him and I can't stand to watch Maddow.

Yeah, I don't care for the whole format.

looking from an outside (canadian) perspective, they make the most sense of regular tv sh ow hosting pundits by far. no comparison really. in terms of facts, hyperbole, whatever. buy anyways.

i'd disagree whole heartedly, this guy is one of the fareed zakaria is probably the most sensible i've seen in cable news in years. olbermann really isn't even in this guys league in terms of being reasonable.

Dear Canada,
Please resist the urge to differentiate yourselves from Americans. You are Americans for all intents and purposes, except that you were too polite to declare your independence. Oh, and your love of trying to pull one over on us when it comes to wood pulp products. Also, there is this business of Tim Hortons, but that is not sufficient to set you apart from Americans. NAFTA came into being in 1994. We are all Americans now. Its time you start accepting this fact.

Respectfully,
North America

this is what happens when i type while distracted.

on topic, i like zakaria as well.

Thanked his viewers?

Please tell me he's either going back to sports... or to the Onion Sports Dome.


I haven't found a lot of use for the political pundit opinion piece/interview format whatsoever.

He was absolutely horrible on Football Night in America.