Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Encyclopedia
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV
, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of the day, with commentary by Olbermann and interviews of guests. At the start of Countdown, Olbermann told television columnist Lisa de Moraes
:
The show is known for Olbermann's fast-paced rhetoric, historical and pop culture references, and liberal commentary. Olbermann melded news stories, both serious and light, with commentary, much of it critical of Republicans
and conservative politics. The show has been the source of controversy due to these criticisms, as well as the host's ongoing commentary against Fox News and his feud with its leading primetime personality, Bill O'Reilly
.
During the January 21, 2011, edition of Countdown, Olbermann announced that it would be his last appearance on the show but gave no explanation as to why that was the case. The New York Times
reported the following day that Olbermann had negotiated his exit from MSNBC
, with a secret deal. After being hired by Current TV
, Olbermann announced on April 26, 2011, that his nightly news program on the new network would begin June 20, 2011, and would also be called Countdown with Keith Olbermann. As of September 2011, Countdown is one of three news and opinion programs airing on Current, alongside The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur
and The War Room with Jennifer Granholm
.
hosted by Phil Donahue
. Olbermann -- who left MSNBC in the late 1990s -- returned to the network around this time and replaced Holt, becoming the permanent host for the renamed Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The show did not feature political commentary in its first few years, simply recapping the news of the day in a "5-4-3-2-1" format as the title suggested.
Countdown began to attract liberal
and progressive
viewers in 2005, when Olbermann began critiquing and satirizing conservative media commentators. Olbermann focused his attention to Fox News and its main primetime anchor, Bill O'Reilly
. He criticized Fox and O'Reilly for purportedly deceiving their viewers in service to their alleged right-wing biases
, frequently including the latter in Countdowns "Worst Person in the World" segment. O'Reilly, while not directly naming Olbermann, launched an online petition asking MSNBC to fire him, and allegedly threatened a caller to his radio show for merely mentioning Olbermann by name. O'Reilly and other Fox News personalities accused MSNBC, NBC
, and parent company General Electric
of facilitating a liberal media bias, leading to a long-time feud between the two networks.
In 2006, Olbermann started delivering occasional "Special Comments" in which he has expressed sharp criticisms of members of the George W. Bush administration
, including then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
, Vice President Dick Cheney
and President George W. Bush
. While further Special Comments were directed at members of the Republican Party
, Olbermann occasionally targeted Democrats
as well. Issues addressed in the Special Comments dealt with the Bush Administration's foreign and domestic policies, mainly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of Olbermann's Special Comments spoke out against the passage of Proposition 8
in California on November 4, 2008, for which he was awarded the 2009 GLAAD Media Award
for "Outstanding TV Journalism Segment". Olbermann's Special Comments were compared to Edward R. Murrow
's signature essays.
On two occasions, guest hosts for Countdown proved popular enough to be given their own MSNBC shows, contributing to a widespread perception of MSNBC being a left-leaning network. In 2008, Air America Radio
personality Rachel Maddow
hosted Countdown in Olbermann's absence, leading to the debut of her own program, The Rachel Maddow Show
. In 2009, left-wing political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell hosted Countdown for an extended period, leading to the eventual launch of his show The Last Word
. Subsequent guest hosts included progressive radio hosts Cenk Uygur
and Sam Seder
, Obama biographer Richard Wolffe
, journalist Chris Hayes
, and DNC
chairman Howard Dean
.
, Olbermann donated $2,400 each to three Democratic candidates for Congress: Kentucky
Senate candidate Jack Conway
, and Arizona
Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva
and Gabrielle Giffords
. In response, on November 5 MSNBC President Phil Griffin
suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating a network policy regarding political contributions which required prior approval from management. An online petition calling for his reinstatement received over 250,000 signatures, and two days after the suspension began, Griffin announced that Olbermann would return to the air starting with the November 9 program.
On the January 21, 2011, episode of Countdown, Olbermann abruptly announced that the show would be his final MSNBC broadcast. Olbermann thanked viewers, producers, and technical staff for his show's eight-year success. However, he did not thank Griffin or NBC News
president Steve Capus
. Neither Olbermann nor MSNBC divulged the reason for the cancellation. Many liberal bloggers and commentators blamed the cable operator Comcast
for Olbermann's departure, accusing the company of silencing the host for political purposes just days after acquiring NBC Universal
on January 18. Statements from MSNBC and Comcast denied this allegation. Media critic Howard Kurtz
, former MSNBC anchor David Shuster
, and an anonymous NBC executive said that Olbermann's 2010 suspension was a more likely precipitating factor in Countdowns cancellation.
In subsequent interviews, Olbermann went into greater detail about the circumstances surrounding his exit from MSNBC. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter
published on June 7, 2011, Olbermann claimed that he faced increasing opposition from network management after Tim Russert
died in 2008, because the Meet the Press
moderator had been Olbermann's ally and a peacemaker at the network. He further stated that "there were lots of people who were forced to choose sides" over his presence at MSNBC, including Maddow. Olbermann further stated that he didn't know he had been released from his MSNBC contract until less than a half-hour before his on-air farewell.
and businessman Joel Hyatt
; in April, it was announced that the show would retain the Countdown title. Olbermann also became Current TV's "Chief News Officer" and bought an equity stake in the network. On May 11, Olbermann announced that Daily Kos
founder Markos Moulitsas, filmmakers Michael Moore
and Ken Burns
, and comedian Richard Lewis
would become contributors to the new Countdown. During a June 16 interview on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
, Olbermann further announced that journalists Matt Taibbi
and Jeremy Scahill
, author John Dean
, actor Donald Sutherland
, and astronomer Derrick Pitts
would also be contributors.
On June 20, Countdown aired its first episode on Current TV, concluding with an abbreviated "Special Comment" in which Olbermann outlined his mission statement
, quoting Harriet Beecher Stowe
. The program drew 179,000 viewers, a significant increase from Current TV's normal 30,000 viewership; it drew more viewers than CNN
in the key 25-54 audience demographic. Countdown continued to beat CNN in the 24-54 demo throughout its first week on Current TV.
For the first two weeks of its Current TV run, Countdown ran slightly longer than an hour at sixty-three minutes. However, Olbermann changed his mind and reverted the running time to the usual sixty minutes, realizing the move "would only serve to annoy fans of" both Olbermann and Maddow's MSNBC show while not benefiting his own program's ratings.
and NBC Nightly News
themes from the 1960s and 1970s. During the opening sequence of each nightly episode, Olbermann, in voice-over
, previews upcoming stories after asking, "Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?" On MSNBC, the stories featured in the show's "countdown" was introduced by a "5-4-3-2-1" format; this format, however, has been downplayed since Countdowns move to Current TV.
, silver
, and gold
levels, respectively. While many of his targets are not political, the overwhelming majority are conservatives
, Tea Party
activists, and, at the time, Bush Administration officials. The segment is introduced by Bach
's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
. On a few occasions, during the show's MSNBC run, the segment was either briefly suspended or renamed in response to concerns that it contributed to an atmosphere of political divisiveness.
Based on this segment of the show, a book titled The Worst Person in the World
was published in September 2006. It includes transcripts of segments that aired from this feature's inception on July 1, 2005, through May 31, 2006, as well as some original material. Another such book, Pitchforks and Torches — named after Olbermann's catchphrase in introducing the segment — was released in 2010.
.
season, Olbermann began using the term "Keith number" in reference to the sum of a pre-election opinion poll's
margin of error
and the percentage of respondents who are undecided. Olbermann believes this value tends to be predictive of the extent to which a poll may vary from actual election results, and also of the volatility of the electorate's leanings.
To summarize:
On the January 11, 2008, episode of Countdown, Olbermann described the number as follows:
Olbermann's "Keith number" is unrelated (mathematically or otherwise) to the more traditional use of the term.
(MRC), a conservative media content analysis organization, has been very critical of Keith Olbermann since he became the Countdown host. MRC issued a press release describing Olbermann's November 1, 2006 Special Comment as "preaching hate speech", and describing Olbermann as "a brown-shirted left-winger
spew[ing] hate from an NBC-owned podium." ("Brown-shirt" is a term that was used to describe the Sturmabteilung
paramilitary organization of the German Nazi party).
In response, Olbermann has on a number of occasions named MRC founder Brent Bozell, whom he has described variously as "Redbeard the pirate", and "humorist", the "worst person in the world" for various comments he has made about Countdown and other topics, such as Bozell's criticism of the New York Times for sponsoring the 2006 Gay Games
. The anchor has also said that the MRC desires "an institutionalized, pro-Republican slant" in the media.
Olbermann has addressed the assertions of liberal bias by stating that he would be equally critical of a Democratic
president who had invited criticism by his actions:
However, Howard Kurtz
has written that Olbermann departed MSNBC the first time as a result of the Clinton-Lewinsky coverage, which he did not personally agree with.
On November 25, 2006, Fox News Watch
panelist Cal Thomas
named Olbermann as his choice for 2006's "Media Turkey Award" for what Thomas alleged were Olbermann's "inaccuracies" and "hot air". Olbermann in turn gave the show the Bronze for "Worst Person in the World", not for naming him "Turkey of the Year", but for spelling his name "Olberman" on the onscreen graphic.
Olbermann gave Michael Medved
"Worst Persons" honors on October 1, 2007 in response to his Townhall.com
column titled "Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery," and chided him to "go back to reviewing movies."
In a commentary published in the Los Angeles Times
, Howard Rosenberg
comments on the show's absence of guests who challenge Olbermann's views, writing "'Countdown' is more or less an echo chamber in which Olbermann and like-minded bobbleheads nod at each other."
, petitioned his viewers to donate money to provide free clinics in several major cities across the country. This effort has spread to other MSNBC shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews
and The Dylan Ratigan Show, and continues on the Current TV edition of Countdown.
run as of June 2011 include:
Regular contributors in the show's broadcast history on MSNBC
have included:
Interviews with comedians are featured regularly during the final segment of the show; notable appearances have included George Carlin
, Lewis Black
, Mo Rocca
, and John Cleese
.
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of the day, with commentary by Olbermann and interviews of guests. At the start of Countdown, Olbermann told television columnist Lisa de Moraes
Lisa de Moraes
Lisa de Moraes is an American television columnist. Her writings, titled "The TV Column," appear regularly in the Style section of The Washington Post....
:
"Our charge for the immediate future is to stay out of the way of the news.... News is the news. We will not be screwing around with it.... As times improve and the war [in Iraq] ends we will begin to introduce more and more elements familiar to my style."
The show is known for Olbermann's fast-paced rhetoric, historical and pop culture references, and liberal commentary. Olbermann melded news stories, both serious and light, with commentary, much of it critical of Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and conservative politics. The show has been the source of controversy due to these criticisms, as well as the host's ongoing commentary against Fox News and his feud with its leading primetime personality, Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
.
During the January 21, 2011, edition of Countdown, Olbermann announced that it would be his last appearance on the show but gave no explanation as to why that was the case. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported the following day that Olbermann had negotiated his exit from MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, with a secret deal. After being hired by Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
, Olbermann announced on April 26, 2011, that his nightly news program on the new network would begin June 20, 2011, and would also be called Countdown with Keith Olbermann. As of September 2011, Countdown is one of three news and opinion programs airing on Current, alongside The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur
The Young Turks (talk show)
The Young Turks is a progressive Internet talk show via live web stream and YouTube, and starting in late 2011, a weeknight news and political commentary program airing on Current TV. It was Sirius Satellite Radio's first original talk programming. The Young Turks claims to be the first Internet...
and The War Room with Jennifer Granholm
The War Room with Jennifer Granholm
The War Room with Jennifer Granholm is an upcoming news and political commentary program to be hosted by former Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm on Current TV...
.
MSNBC period
Countdown with Keith Olbermann debuted as Countdown: Iraq on March 31, 2003, hosted by NBC anchor Lester Holt; the program featured live updates on the then-unfolding War in Iraq. Countdown was broadcast at 8:00 p.m. on weekday nights, having replaced a cancelled talk showDonahue (MSNBC program)
In 2002, Phil Donahue returned to television to host a show called Donahue on MSNBC. Its debut Nielsen ratings were strong, but its audience evaporated over the following months. In late August 2002, it got one of the lowest possible ratings , less than MSNBC's average for the day of 0.2. On...
hosted by Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue
Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S...
. Olbermann -- who left MSNBC in the late 1990s -- returned to the network around this time and replaced Holt, becoming the permanent host for the renamed Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The show did not feature political commentary in its first few years, simply recapping the news of the day in a "5-4-3-2-1" format as the title suggested.
Countdown began to attract liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and progressive
Progressive
Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a period of reform in the United States Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a...
viewers in 2005, when Olbermann began critiquing and satirizing conservative media commentators. Olbermann focused his attention to Fox News and its main primetime anchor, Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
. He criticized Fox and O'Reilly for purportedly deceiving their viewers in service to their alleged right-wing biases
Fox News Channel controversies
Critics of Fox News Channel have accused the network of having a bias favoring the political right and the Republican Party. Fox News has publicly denied such charges, stating that the reporters in the newsroom provide separate, neutral reporting....
, frequently including the latter in Countdowns "Worst Person in the World" segment. O'Reilly, while not directly naming Olbermann, launched an online petition asking MSNBC to fire him, and allegedly threatened a caller to his radio show for merely mentioning Olbermann by name. O'Reilly and other Fox News personalities accused MSNBC, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and parent company General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
of facilitating a liberal media bias, leading to a long-time feud between the two networks.
In 2006, Olbermann started delivering occasional "Special Comments" in which he has expressed sharp criticisms of members of the George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
, including then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. While further Special Comments were directed at members of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, Olbermann occasionally targeted Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
as well. Issues addressed in the Special Comments dealt with the Bush Administration's foreign and domestic policies, mainly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of Olbermann's Special Comments spoke out against the passage of Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
in California on November 4, 2008, for which he was awarded the 2009 GLAAD Media Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for "Outstanding TV Journalism Segment". Olbermann's Special Comments were compared to Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
's signature essays.
On two occasions, guest hosts for Countdown proved popular enough to be given their own MSNBC shows, contributing to a widespread perception of MSNBC being a left-leaning network. In 2008, Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
personality Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
hosted Countdown in Olbermann's absence, leading to the debut of her own program, The Rachel Maddow Show
The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)
The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
. In 2009, left-wing political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell hosted Countdown for an extended period, leading to the eventual launch of his show The Last Word
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Thursday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell...
. Subsequent guest hosts included progressive radio hosts Cenk Uygur
Cenk Uygur
Cenk Kadir Uygur , is the main host and co-founder of the liberal Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks . A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career...
and Sam Seder
Sam Seder
Samuel Lincoln "Sam" Seder is a comedian, writer, actor, film director, television producer-director, and talk radio host...
, Obama biographer Richard Wolffe
Richard Wolffe
Richard L. Wolffe is a journalist, MSNBC commentator, and author of the Barack Obama books Renegade: The Making of a President and Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House .-Background:Born to an English father and Moroccan mother in Birmingham, England, Wolffe is a 1992...
, journalist Chris Hayes
Christopher Hayes (journalist)
Christopher L. "Chris" Hayes is an American broadcaster, journalist and liberal political commentator. Hayes hosts Up with Chris Hayes, a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes had formerly been a frequent guest host and commentator on shows such as The Rachel Maddow Show and...
, and DNC
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chairman Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
.
Hiatus
On October 28, 2010, five days before the 2010 U.S. electionsUnited States elections, 2010
The 2010 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate were contested in this election along with 38 state and territorial...
, Olbermann donated $2,400 each to three Democratic candidates for Congress: Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
Senate candidate Jack Conway
Jack Conway (politician)
John William “Jack” Conway is an American politician from Kentucky. Conway is a Democrat and has served as the Attorney General of Kentucky since 2008. Prior to his election as attorney general, he was a candidate in the 2002 U.S. House of Representatives election for , narrowly losing to Anne...
, and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva
Raul Grijalva
Raúl M. Grijalva is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes half of metro Tucson, all of Yuma and Nogales, and some peripheral parts of metro Phoenix.-Early life, education and career:...
and Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress...
. In response, on November 5 MSNBC President Phil Griffin
Phil Griffin
Phil Griffin is President of United States cable news MSNBC. He was named President in July, 2008.-References:...
suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating a network policy regarding political contributions which required prior approval from management. An online petition calling for his reinstatement received over 250,000 signatures, and two days after the suspension began, Griffin announced that Olbermann would return to the air starting with the November 9 program.
On the January 21, 2011, episode of Countdown, Olbermann abruptly announced that the show would be his final MSNBC broadcast. Olbermann thanked viewers, producers, and technical staff for his show's eight-year success. However, he did not thank Griffin or NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
president Steve Capus
Steve Capus
-Early life and career:Steve Capus was born in 1963. He graduated from William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania and went on to attend Temple University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1986. Capus began his journalism career in radio and print, working at several...
. Neither Olbermann nor MSNBC divulged the reason for the cancellation. Many liberal bloggers and commentators blamed the cable operator Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
for Olbermann's departure, accusing the company of silencing the host for political purposes just days after acquiring NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
on January 18. Statements from MSNBC and Comcast denied this allegation. Media critic Howard Kurtz
Howard Kurtz
Howard "Howie" Alan Kurtz is an American journalist and author with a special focus on the media. He is host of CNN's Reliable Sources program, and Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He is the former media writer for The Washington Post. He has written five books about the media...
, former MSNBC anchor David Shuster
David Shuster
David Martin Shuster is an American television journalist who has been an anchor for MSNBC and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN. He anchored MSNBC Live weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow on their respective shows...
, and an anonymous NBC executive said that Olbermann's 2010 suspension was a more likely precipitating factor in Countdowns cancellation.
In subsequent interviews, Olbermann went into greater detail about the circumstances surrounding his exit from MSNBC. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
published on June 7, 2011, Olbermann claimed that he faced increasing opposition from network management after Tim Russert
Tim Russert
Timothy John "Tim" Russert was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview...
died in 2008, because the Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
moderator had been Olbermann's ally and a peacemaker at the network. He further stated that "there were lots of people who were forced to choose sides" over his presence at MSNBC, including Maddow. Olbermann further stated that he didn't know he had been released from his MSNBC contract until less than a half-hour before his on-air farewell.
Current TV period
On February 8, Olbermann announced that he had been hired as the host of a new primetime show on Current TV, the cable television network founded by former vice president Al GoreAl Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
and businessman Joel Hyatt
Joel Hyatt
Joel Z. Hyatt is a prominent businessman and former attorney and American politician of the Democratic party. He is the founder of Hyatt Legal Services, and was featured in the law firm's television commercials speaking the slogan, "I'm Joel Hyatt and you have my word on it."Hyatt graduated from...
; in April, it was announced that the show would retain the Countdown title. Olbermann also became Current TV's "Chief News Officer" and bought an equity stake in the network. On May 11, Olbermann announced that Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
founder Markos Moulitsas, filmmakers Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
and Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
, and comedian Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis (comedian)
-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
would become contributors to the new Countdown. During a June 16 interview on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, Olbermann further announced that journalists Matt Taibbi
Matt Taibbi
Matthew C. "Matt" Taibbi is an American author and journalist reporting on politics, media, finance, and sports for Rolling Stone and Men's Journal, often in a polemical style. He has also edited and written for The eXile, the New York Press, and The Beast.- Early years :Taibbi grew up in the...
and Jeremy Scahill
Jeremy Scahill
Jeremy Scahill is an American investigative journalist and author whose work focuses on the use of private military companies. He is the author of the best-selling book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, winner of a George Polk Book Award. He also serves as a...
, author John Dean
John Dean
John Wesley Dean III is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In this position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent Watergate scandal cover-up...
, actor Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
, and astronomer Derrick Pitts
Derrick Pitts
Derrick H. Pitts is an American astronomer. He is Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been named as one of the 50 most important African-Americans in research science. He is the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the...
would also be contributors.
On June 20, Countdown aired its first episode on Current TV, concluding with an abbreviated "Special Comment" in which Olbermann outlined his mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
, quoting Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
. The program drew 179,000 viewers, a significant increase from Current TV's normal 30,000 viewership; it drew more viewers than CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
in the key 25-54 audience demographic. Countdown continued to beat CNN in the 24-54 demo throughout its first week on Current TV.
For the first two weeks of its Current TV run, Countdown ran slightly longer than an hour at sixty-three minutes. However, Olbermann changed his mind and reverted the running time to the usual sixty minutes, realizing the move "would only serve to annoy fans of" both Olbermann and Maddow's MSNBC show while not benefiting his own program's ratings.
About the show
The show's theme music is the opening bars of the second movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, a nod to NBC's Huntley-Brinkley ReportHuntley-Brinkley Report
The Huntley-Brinkley Report was the NBC television network's flagship evening news program from October 29, 1956 until July 31, 1970. It was anchored by Chet Huntley in New York City, and David Brinkley in Washington, D.C...
and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
themes from the 1960s and 1970s. During the opening sequence of each nightly episode, Olbermann, in voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
, previews upcoming stories after asking, "Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?" On MSNBC, the stories featured in the show's "countdown" was introduced by a "5-4-3-2-1" format; this format, however, has been downplayed since Countdowns move to Current TV.
"Worst Person in the World" segment
The "Worst Person in the World" segment is a nightly feature in which Olbermann recounts three news stories involving people saying or doing things that Olbermann finds objectionable. "Nominees" for the dubious "Worst Person in the World" award are declared "worse", "worser", and "worst", which Olbermann refers to as bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
levels, respectively. While many of his targets are not political, the overwhelming majority are conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
activists, and, at the time, Bush Administration officials. The segment is introduced by Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, video games, to rock music, and ringtones...
. On a few occasions, during the show's MSNBC run, the segment was either briefly suspended or renamed in response to concerns that it contributed to an atmosphere of political divisiveness.
Based on this segment of the show, a book titled The Worst Person in the World
The Worst Person in the World
The Worst Person in the World: And 202 Strong Contenders is a book by former MSNBC newscaster-commentator Keith Olbermann. Published in September 2006 by John Wiley & Sohns, Inc., it is based on the regular feature of the same title prominent in MSNBC's week-nightly television program Countdown...
was published in September 2006. It includes transcripts of segments that aired from this feature's inception on July 1, 2005, through May 31, 2006, as well as some original material. Another such book, Pitchforks and Torches — named after Olbermann's catchphrase in introducing the segment — was released in 2010.
"Time Marches On" segment
The "Time Marches On" segment is another nightly feature, in which Olbermann shows footage of strange news stories from around the world. The segment was originally called "Oddball", as a reference to MSNBC program Hardball with Chris MatthewsHardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
.
The "Keith number"
During the 2008 U.S. Presidential PrimaryUnited States presidential primary
The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses is one of the first steps in the process of electing the President of the United States of America. The primary elections are run by state and local governments, while caucuses are private events run by the political parties...
season, Olbermann began using the term "Keith number" in reference to the sum of a pre-election opinion poll's
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
margin of error
Margin of error
The margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results. The larger the margin of error, the less faith one should have that the poll's reported results are close to the "true" figures; that is, the figures for the whole population...
and the percentage of respondents who are undecided. Olbermann believes this value tends to be predictive of the extent to which a poll may vary from actual election results, and also of the volatility of the electorate's leanings.
To summarize:
- The greater the poll's margin of error, the farther the results may be from the current views of the voters.
- The more undecided voters, the more likely voters are to change their views in the future.
On the January 11, 2008, episode of Countdown, Olbermann described the number as follows:
Olbermann's "Keith number" is unrelated (mathematically or otherwise) to the more traditional use of the term.
Criticism and response
The Media Research CenterMedia Research Center
The Media Research Center is a content analysis organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1987 by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III...
(MRC), a conservative media content analysis organization, has been very critical of Keith Olbermann since he became the Countdown host. MRC issued a press release describing Olbermann's November 1, 2006 Special Comment as "preaching hate speech", and describing Olbermann as "a brown-shirted left-winger
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
spew[ing] hate from an NBC-owned podium." ("Brown-shirt" is a term that was used to describe the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
paramilitary organization of the German Nazi party).
In response, Olbermann has on a number of occasions named MRC founder Brent Bozell, whom he has described variously as "Redbeard the pirate", and "humorist", the "worst person in the world" for various comments he has made about Countdown and other topics, such as Bozell's criticism of the New York Times for sponsoring the 2006 Gay Games
Gay Games VII
The 2006 Gay Games , colloquially called the Chicago Gaymes, is part of a family of international sports and cultural festivals called Gay Games, sanctioned by the Federation of Gay Games and organized by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community of the host city of Chicago, Illinois in the...
. The anchor has also said that the MRC desires "an institutionalized, pro-Republican slant" in the media.
Olbermann has addressed the assertions of liberal bias by stating that he would be equally critical of a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
president who had invited criticism by his actions:
"I mean, no one in 1998, no one accused me of being a liberal in 1998 because I was covering the Lewinsky scandalLewinsky scandalThe Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
. And whatever I had to do about it, I tried to be fair and honest and as accurate and as informed as possible, and allow my viewer to be the same way. And nowadays it's the same thing. And now all of a sudden I’m a screaming liberal."
However, Howard Kurtz
Howard Kurtz
Howard "Howie" Alan Kurtz is an American journalist and author with a special focus on the media. He is host of CNN's Reliable Sources program, and Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He is the former media writer for The Washington Post. He has written five books about the media...
has written that Olbermann departed MSNBC the first time as a result of the Clinton-Lewinsky coverage, which he did not personally agree with.
On November 25, 2006, Fox News Watch
Fox News Watch
Fox News Watch is a current events debate program on the Fox News Channel, hosted by Jon Scott.-Format:The show features a panel composed of two conservatives and two liberals, moderated by Scott. Similar in premise to CNN's Reliable Sources, the panel on Fox News Watch discusses how the media...
panelist Cal Thomas
Cal Thomas
John Calvin "Cal" Thomas is an American conservative syndicated columnist, pundit, author and radio commentator.-Life and career:...
named Olbermann as his choice for 2006's "Media Turkey Award" for what Thomas alleged were Olbermann's "inaccuracies" and "hot air". Olbermann in turn gave the show the Bronze for "Worst Person in the World", not for naming him "Turkey of the Year", but for spelling his name "Olberman" on the onscreen graphic.
Olbermann gave Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
"Worst Persons" honors on October 1, 2007 in response to his Townhall.com
Townhall.com
Townhall.com is a web-based publication primarily dedicated to conservative United States politics. It was previously operated by the Heritage Foundation, but is now owned and operated by Salem Communications...
column titled "Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery," and chided him to "go back to reviewing movies."
In a commentary published in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Howard Rosenberg
Howard Rosenberg
Howard Rosenberg is a retired TV critic for the Los Angeles Times. He worked there for 25 years and won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. In recent years he has written the book No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-Hour News Cycle with Charles S. Feldman and compiled an anthology of...
comments on the show's absence of guests who challenge Olbermann's views, writing "'Countdown' is more or less an echo chamber in which Olbermann and like-minded bobbleheads nod at each other."
Free health clinics
Starting in 2009, in a response to the controversy over Obama's health care proposal, Olbermann, in conjunction with the National Association of Free ClinicsNational Association of Free Clinics
The National Association of Free Clinics is a national non-profit association of free medical clinics in the United States, which are themselves community-based, non-profit, volunteer-supported free clinics serving the people without or with little health insurance.The national organization...
, petitioned his viewers to donate money to provide free clinics in several major cities across the country. This effort has spread to other MSNBC shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
and The Dylan Ratigan Show, and continues on the Current TV edition of Countdown.
Guests
Regular contributors featured on the show in its Current TVCurrent TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
run as of June 2011 include:
- David ShusterDavid ShusterDavid Martin Shuster is an American television journalist who has been an anchor for MSNBC and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN. He anchored MSNBC Live weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow on their respective shows...
, former MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
anchor and "primary substitute anchor" since June 7, 2011 - Matt TaibbiMatt TaibbiMatthew C. "Matt" Taibbi is an American author and journalist reporting on politics, media, finance, and sports for Rolling Stone and Men's Journal, often in a polemical style. He has also edited and written for The eXile, the New York Press, and The Beast.- Early years :Taibbi grew up in the...
, Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
journalist - Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, filmmaker - Cenk UygurCenk UygurCenk Kadir Uygur , is the main host and co-founder of the liberal Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks . A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career...
, host of The Young TurksThe Young Turks (talk show)The Young Turks is a progressive Internet talk show via live web stream and YouTube, and starting in late 2011, a weeknight news and political commentary program airing on Current TV. It was Sirius Satellite Radio's first original talk programming. The Young Turks claims to be the first Internet...
and former MSNBC host - Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
, documentarian - Richard LewisRichard Lewis (comedian)-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
, comedian and actor - Markos Moulitsas, creator of Daily KosDaily KosDaily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
- John DeanJohn DeanJohn Wesley Dean III is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to United States President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In this position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent Watergate scandal cover-up...
, former White House CounselWhite House CounselThe White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
to Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
—political - Heather McGhee, Director of the Washington office of Demos
- Jonathan TurleyJonathan TurleyJonathan Turley is an American lawyer, legal scholar, writer, commentator, and legal analyst in broadcast and print journalism...
, law professor at The George Washington University School of Law - Maysoon ZayidMaysoon ZayidMaysoon Zayid is an actress, comedian and activist. She was born in New Jersey in 1974. She described herself in a BBC interview as "a Palestinian Muslim virgin with cerebral palsy, from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian and activist". Zayid has been a resident of Cliffside Park, New Jersey...
, comedian and activist - Kate SheppardKate SheppardKatherine Wilson Sheppard Some sources, eg give a birth year of 1847; others eg give a birth year of 1848. was the most prominent member of New Zealand's women's suffrage movement, and is the country's most famous suffragette...
, Mother JonesMother Jones (magazine)Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
energy and environmental reporter - Jeremy ScahillJeremy ScahillJeremy Scahill is an American investigative journalist and author whose work focuses on the use of private military companies. He is the author of the best-selling book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, winner of a George Polk Book Award. He also serves as a...
, investigative journalist and author - Donald SutherlandDonald SutherlandDonald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
, actor - Mark RuffaloMark RuffaloMark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zodiac, Shutter Island, Just Like Heaven, You Can Count on Me and The Kids Are All Right for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best...
, actor - Derrick PittsDerrick PittsDerrick H. Pitts is an American astronomer. He is Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been named as one of the 50 most important African-Americans in research science. He is the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the...
, astronomer - Nicole Lamoureux, the executive director of the National Association of Free Clinics
Regular contributors in the show's broadcast history on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
have included:
- Jonathan AlterJonathan AlterJonathan Alter is an American journalist and author who was a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek magazine from 1983 until 2011. He is currently a lead columnist for Bloomberg View, a new commentary website. He is also a contributing correspondent to NBC News, where since 1996 he has appeared...
, senior editor for NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine—political - Margaret CarlsonMargaret CarlsonMargaret Carlson is an American journalist and a columnist for Bloomberg News.-Biography:She is best known for being the first female columnist at TIME magazine. Carlson joined Time in January 1988 from The New Republic, where she was managing editor; in 1994, she became the first female columnist...
, TIME Magazine columnist and author of Anyone Can Grow Up: How George Bush and I Made it to the White House - Chris Cillizza, blogger for The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
- Howard FinemanHoward FinemanHoward Fineman is an American journalist who is senior politics editor at the Huffington Post. Prior to his move to Huffington Post in October 2010, he was Newsweek’s Chief Political Correspondent, Senior Editor and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief. An award-winning writer, Fineman also is an NBC...
, NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
contributor—political - Christian FinneganChristian FinneganFletcher Christian Finnegan , better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City.-Early life:Finnegan was born in Albany, New York...
, comedian—tabloid/entertainment - Christopher HayesChristopher Hayes (journalist)Christopher L. "Chris" Hayes is an American broadcaster, journalist and liberal political commentator. Hayes hosts Up with Chris Hayes, a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes had formerly been a frequent guest host and commentator on shows such as The Rachel Maddow Show and...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
editor for The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation... - Chris Kofinis, Democratic political strategist
- Howard DeanHoward DeanHoward Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
, former Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chairman - Eugene RobinsonEugene Robinson (journalist)Eugene Harold Robinson is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist and former assistant managing editor for The Washington Post. His columns are syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group...
, newspaper columnist for The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation... - Paul F. TompkinsPaul F. TompkinsPaul Francis Tompkins , best known as Paul F. Tompkins, is an American actor and comedian.-Life and career:Tompkins was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a receptionist mother and railway worker father. He started out in stand-up comedy in 1986 at The Comedy Works, Philadelphia, PA, where he...
, comedian—tabloid/entertainment - Richard WolffeRichard WolffeRichard L. Wolffe is a journalist, MSNBC commentator, and author of the Barack Obama books Renegade: The Making of a President and Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House .-Background:Born to an English father and Moroccan mother in Birmingham, England, Wolffe is a 1992...
, NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
—politicalHouse—journalistic, political - Lynn WoolseyLynn WoolseyLynn C. Woolsey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and its co-chair...
, chair of the Congressional Progressive CaucusCongressional Progressive CaucusThe Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions.... - Melissa Harris-Perry, professor of politics and African-American studies, Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
—political - Jason BatemanJason BatemanJason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
, actor—pop culture - Shannyn MooreShannyn MooreShannyn Moore is an American political blogger based in Alaska. Moore is a writer for The Huffington Post and has been a prominent critic of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. She has appeared on such television shows as The Rachel Maddow Show and Countdown with Keith Olbermann...
, contributor to Huffington Post - Wesley ClarkWesley ClarkWesley Kanne Clark, Sr., is a retired general of the United States Army. Graduating as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and later graduated from the...
, retired four-star general—military analyst for MSNBC - E. J. DionneE. J. DionneEugene Joseph "E.J." Dionne, Jr. is an American journalist and political commentator, and a long-time op-ed columnist for The Washington Post...
, columnistColumnistA columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation... - John HarwoodJohn HarwoodJohn Harwood is an American journalist who is the Chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC and a writer for The New York Times. He writes a weekly column entitled "The Caucus" that appears on Monday about Washington politics and policy...
, New York Times writer and CNBCCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
contributing reporter—political - Richard JusticeRichard JusticeRichard Justice is a sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle. He used to work for The Washington Post and The Dallas Morning News. Justice is an alumus of The University of Texas at Austin....
, Sports Writer for the Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States... - Rachel MaddowRachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
, who also served as a substitute anchor from April through August in 2008 before getting her own MSNBC showThe Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
. - General Barry McCaffreyBarry McCaffreyBarry Richard McCaffrey is a retired United States Army general, former U.S. Drug Czar, news commentator, and business consultant....
, Ret. — military - Joel McHaleJoel McHaleJoel Edward McHale is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television producer, television personality, and voice artist. He is best known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on Community....
, host of the E!E!E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
show The SoupThe SoupThe Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
- pop culture - Maria Milito, New York disc jockey — American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
- Michael MustoMichael MustoMichael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
, editor of The Village VoiceThe Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
— tabloid/entertainment - Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC political analyst and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'DonnellThe Last Word with Lawrence O'DonnellThe Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday-Thursday, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell...
- Tom O'Neil, editor of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
—entertainment - Clarence PageClarence PageClarence Page is an American journalist, syndicated columnist, and senior member of The Chicago Tribune editorial board.-Early years:...
, columnist and member of the editorial board of the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is... - Sam SederSam SederSamuel Lincoln "Sam" Seder is a comedian, writer, actor, film director, television producer-director, and talk radio host...
, who like Rachel Maddow, hosted a show on Air America RadioAir America RadioAir America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
— political - Nate SilverNate SilverNathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
, founder of FiveThirtyEight.comFiveThirtyEight.comFiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...
- for 2008 presidential election predictionUnited States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365... - Jon SoltzJon SoltzJon Soltz served as a United States Army Captain in the Iraq War and served as the chairman and co-founder of VoteVets.org, before taking a leave of absence for a year beginning in 2011, while deployed as part of Operation New Dawn . As a member of the army, he served in both the Kosovo Campaign ...
, Iraq War Veteran, Co-Founder and Chairman of VoteVets.orgVoteVets.orgVoteVets.org is organized as a non-partisan political action committee and non-profit 501 status in the United States. It was co-founded in 2006 by Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard.... - Chuck ToddChuck ToddCharles David “Chuck” Todd is an American journalist, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, and contributing editor to Meet the Press...
, political director for NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is... - Clint Van Zandt, former FBI profiler—abductions/murders
- Robin WrightRobin Wright (author)Robin B. Wright is an American foreign affairs analyst, and an award-winning journalist and author.A graduate of the University of Michigan, she lives in Washington D.C.-Career:...
, diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post —terrorism and international events
Interviews with comedians are featured regularly during the final segment of the show; notable appearances have included George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
, Lewis Black
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
, Mo Rocca
Mo Rocca
Maurice Alberto "Mo" Rocca is an American writer, comedian and political satirist.-Early life and work:...
, and John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
.