COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN

'''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''' is an hour-long nightly newscast on MSNBC which airs live at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and reruns at midnight on weekdays. The show, hosted by Keith Olbermann, debuted on March 31, 2003 and counts down the top news stories of the day with news reports and interviews with guests, along with commentary by Olbermann.
The show is the highest-rated program on MSNBC. In January 2007, the show averaged 715,000 viewers per night, according to Nielsen Media Research. This was up 85% from January 2006.[1]. Countdown has been referred to as the "flagship" MSNBC franchise, so much so that on February 15, 2007 Olbermann received a four-year contract extension which will include two ''Countdown'' primetime specials on NBC and appearances on ''NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams'' as a commentator.
The show is notable for Olbermann's elaborate writing style, fast-paced delivery, historical and pop culture references, and signature witty interjections, which make ''Countdown'' more colorful than most newscasts. Olbermann combines serious news stories with humorous segments and, of late, with commentaries critical of the Bush administration.
The show has come under some controversy due to Olbermann's back-and-forth feud with pundit Bill O'Reilly of FOX News Channel's ''The O'Reilly Factor''.

History

''Countdown'' originally was titled ''Countdown: Iraq'' and was a show focused on a single pressing topic, which at its inception on October 7, 2002 was the military and diplomatic actions which would become the Iraq War. ''Countdown: Iraq'' aired at 7 p.m. and replaced a flailing eponymous show hosted by the late Jerry Nachman, which was moved up to 5 p.m. before its eventual termination. The original ''Countdown: Iraq'' was hosted by Lester Holt. In addition, a daytime version of ''Countdown'' entitled ''Countdown: 2002 Election'' aired from October 25, 2002 to November 2002.
After the new incarnation of ''Donahue'' was terminated on February 28, 2003, and because of the build-up to the start of the war, ''Countdown: Iraq'' expanded to a two hour program, from 7-9 p.m. Eastern. On March 28, 2003, MSNBC announced it was hiring Keith Olbermann to host the 8 p.m. hour of ''Countdown''. The show dropped the ''Iraq'' subtitle and was retitled ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''. The 7 p.m. hour of ''Countdown'' was turned over for ''Hardball with Chris Matthews''. Holt was moved to anchor rolling news coverage during the day.
At the start of ''Countdown'', Olbermann told television columnist Lisa de Moraes that "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 ends we will begin to introduce more and more elements familiar to my style." On O'Reilly, which Olbermann would later have a grudge with, "I'm not looking to take down Bill. It will be a totally different program. It will not be a show in which opinion and facts are juxtaposed so as to appear to be the same thing."

About the show

While other MSNBC shows such as ''Scarborough Country'', ''The Abrams Report'' and ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' consist mainly of opinion and analysis, ''Countdown'' is a nightly newscast, covering major national and international stories, albeit with commentary from the host. Clips from NBC network news broadcasts are featured on a regular basis. Olbermann typically treats guests on the show courteously, eschewing the aggressive style of interrogation employed by some of his competitors and colleagues. The program is advertised as ''News Not Snooze'', because of the quick pace of the show.
According to ''The Cornell Daily Sun'', Olbermann has a staff of roughly ten to twelve people who work on the show. They spend the morning looking for noteworthy or interesting stories. The group meets via conference call at 11:00 a.m. for a half-hour discussion to toss around possible subjects for the evening's show (many times pulling information from online sites like Fark.com and MediaMatters.org). By 12:15, Olbermann receives a final list of story prospects, picks what he likes, and puts them in order. He emails the list back to the staff, and the writing process begins. He arrives at MSNBC's studios in Secaucus, New Jersey by 2 p.m. and works on writing the show's material in his office until 7:30, when he goes to makeup, before going on air at 8 p.m.
The punctuating theme music to the show's countdown is the opening eight measures of the second movement, a scherzo, of Ludwig van Beethoven's ''Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125,'' the "Choral". Knowing Olbermann's frequent appeal to levity when commenting on hard news, this musical selection is most appropriate since a scherzo, from the Italian word for "joke", is a lively, fast passage in ¾ time used as a response to a more serious first movement. The theme is also a historical reference to NBC's pioneering newscast Huntley-Brinkley Report with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, which featured the scherzo of Beethoven's 9th over the credits.

Format

★ 'Open/Headlines' - A preview of some of the stories to be featured throughout the hour

★ 'Number 5 Story' - Generally the day's most important or "top" story. Elements usually include one or more interviews, as well as a series of soundbites, or a report from an NBC reporter. This is usually the show's longest segment.

★ Commercial break 1

★ 'Number 4 Story' - Similar in format to number five, and sometimes a continuation of that story. This segment is somewhat shorter than five.

★ Commercial break 2

★ 'Oddball' - A fast-paced look at quirky stories and odd or humorous video. The segment usually begins with a historical reference, followed by the host saying "Let's Play Oddball!" A short "stinger" plays, which ends with a prerecorded clip of Chris Matthews laughing. Between two and five stories are shown, with the soundtrack usually being Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance," though Boots Randolph's Yakety Sax has occasionally been used. This segment is sometimes skipped if there is a current "Breaking News" story or if such a story dominates most of the MSNBC coverage during the day (such as the Virginia Tech Massacre).

★ 'Countdown's Top 3 Newsmakers' - A collection of dumb criminals, strange characters and folks winding up in unusual situations. Despite the name of the segment, only rarely does this segment feature well-known individuals. This is also skipped if a "Breaking News" story dominates the news day.

★ Commercial break 3

★ 'Number 3 Story' - Another top story of the day. This segment is similar to stories four and five.

★ 'Top 3 Sound Bites of the Day' - Three clips from a variety of sources, including late night shows, NBC affiliate packages, or news video feeds. The soundbites are generally humorous. This segment does not appear in every broadcast.

★ Commercial break 4

★ 'Number 2 Story' - This story is almost always a lighter piece, often focusing on pop culture, science or general life. The story is usually a replay from NBC News programs (either Today or NBC Nightly News). This segment occasionally focuses on sports or Olbermann's feud with O'Reilly.

★ 'Keeping Tabs' - A look at "tabloid and entertainment news". This segment starts with some attempt at a segue from the number two story. Two to five short items are featured.

★ 'Worst Person In The World' - A list of three individuals or organizations deemed by Olbermann to fit the segment's title (see below). Skipped when there is a guest host, except for one occasion when Olbermann once called in his Worst Person list from an "undisclosed location" while Alison Stewart was guest-hosting.

★ Commercial break 5

★ 'Number 1 Story' - The final segment falls in to one of two categories. Most often it is a lighter piece, focused on pop culture, strange happenings, or the top "Oddball" segments from the previous months. Otherwise, it is dedicated to Olbermann's "Special Comments" (see below). The host then signs off and tosses to the next MSNBC program.

Substitute hosts

Brian Unger, who does commentary on VH1's ''I Love the...'' series and was a correspondent during the Craig Kilborn era of ''The Daily Show'', occasionally substitutes for Olbermann.
Other guest hosts include Alex Witt and former ''The Most'' host Alison Stewart. Stewart and Amy Robach filled in for Olbermann from June 11 to June 15, 2007.

Signature style

Each night, Olbermann begins with "Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?" and signs off since February 6, 2006 with "That's ''Countdown'', for this, the [''for instance''] day since the declaration of 'Mission Accomplished' in Iraq. I'm Keith Olbermann, good night and good luck." Olbermann crumples up his notes and throws them at the camera, which "shatters" (a digital video effect) and the next show begins (usually to a split screen of Olbermann on the right and Dan Abrams on the left, then saying "Our coverage continues now with MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams. Dan, good evening.", which follows with either banter of the last story Keith reported or immediate segue into Live with Dan Abrams), unless the day's news is dominated by a somber story or a "Special Comment", in which case the shatter effect is skipped. Some of the more incredible items, especially ''Top 3 Newsmakers'', are capped with Olbermann grabbing and tossing his notes into the air if he is in the main MSNBC studios (he does not do this when in the New York studios).
Until he began the "Mission Accomplished" count, the sign-off was "That's ''Countdown'', thank you for being part of it." The quote following ("Good night, and good luck.") is a tribute to Edward R. Murrow.
Stories such as Tom Cruise's strange behavior or his relations with Katie Holmes, "Brangelina" (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and their child, Shiloh), Britney Spears and her estranged husband Kevin Federline and ''American Idol'' results (or Simon Cowell) were originally said to be, in Olbermann's own words, "stories my producers are forcing me to cover." These stories were given their own segment, "Keeping Tabs".
Several times a week, Countdown's only correspondent Monica Novotny files a story and has a friendly banter with Olbermann.

Special comments

In late August of 2006, Olbermann started delivering occasional "Special Comment[s]" in the style of Murrow's monologues, in which he has expressed sharp criticisms of members of the current administration, including Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush. As of September 4, 2007, Olbermann has delivered a total of twenty-three commentaries designated as "Special Comments".

#	Date	Title	Topic
1	August 30, 2006	Feeling morally, intellectually confused?	Remarks by Donald Rumsfeld
2	September 5, 2006	'Have you no sense of decency, sir?'	Reaction to a Presidential press conference
3	September 11, 2006	This hole in the ground	Anniversary of 9/11 and the "laziness" to mark or rebuild Ground Zero. One of the two Special Comments that were made outside of MSNBC's main studios (this one at the Ground Zero site).
4	September 18, 2006	Bush owes us an apology	Reaction to a Presidential Rose Garden address
5	September 25, 2006	A textbook definition of cowardice	Bill Clinton's Fox News interview
6	October 5, 2006	A special comment about lying	The difference between terrorists and critics
7	October 18, 2006	'Beginning of the end of America'	The Military Commissions Act and its effect on habeas corpus
8	October 23, 2006	Advertising terrorism	Alleged fearmongering by the GOP
9	November 1, 2006	Bush owes troops apology	Kerry's comment and subsequent apology and the apology owed the troops from Bush
10	November 6, 2006	Where are the checks, balances?	Accusation that President Bush has been 'making it up' for too long, and the people have let him
11	November 20, 2006	Lessons from Vietnam	Response to President Bush's comparison between Vietnam and Iraq
12	November 30, 2006	Free speech, failed speakers, and the delusion of grandeur	Regarding former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's comments regarding free speech protections
13	January 2, 2007	Special comment about 'Sacrifice'	Reaction to President Bush's plan to send more American troops to Iraq, despite public opinion and the Iraq Study Group's recommendations
14	January 11, 2007	Bush's legacy: The president who cried wolf	Reaction to President Bush's announcement that he will send more troops to Iraq.
15	January 30, 2007	Bush shoots for 'Jaws,' delivers 'Jaws 2'	Regarding evidence of President Bush's State of the Union claims about having stopped four terror plots.
16	February 26, 2007	Condi goes too far	Regarding comparison of Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler by Condoleezza Rice. The only Special Comment to be made in a satirical tone.
17	March 26, 2007	DeLay's DeLusions	Regarding comparison of liberals to Adolf Hitler by Tom DeLay.
18	April 25, 2007	Republicans equal life; Democrats equal death?	Rudy Giuliani exploiting fear for power and personal gain. One of the two Special Comments that were made outside of MSNBC's main studios (this one in the New York studios).
19	May 23, 2007	The entire government has failed us on Iraq	Reaction to "compromise" between Democratic Party leaders and the Bush Administration on Iraq War funding
20	July 3, 2007	Bush, Cheney should resign	Reaction to Bush's commuting of the sentence of Scooter Libby, followed by a call for Bush and Cheney to resign
21	July 12, 2007	All hail the prophetic gut!	Reaction to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's remarks regarding "gut feelings" of possible terrorist attacks
22	July 19, 2007	Go to Iraq and fight, Mr. President	Response to a leaked Defense Department memo blaming Hillary Clinton and war dissension for failures in Iraq
23	September 4, 2007	Bush just playing us with 'troop withdrawl'	Reaction to statements made by President Bush on a suprise trip to Iraq earlier in the day in light of his previous comments in Robert Draper's book "Dead Certain"

Before this segment of occasional "Special Comment[s]", Olbermann would give occasionally what he called "editorial commentary". The most notable, Commentary on Hurricane Katrina, also known as "The City of Louisiana," was given on September 5, 2005 when Olbermann criticized the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. [2]
On December 18, 2006, MSNBC first aired a show dedicated entirely to Keith's Special Comments. The show, which aired during Countdown's normal time slot during Countdown's holiday hiatus featured four Special Comments -- "This hole in the ground", "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?",
"A special comment about lying", and "Where are the checks, balances?". Keith revealed during this show that his first Special Comment, "Feeling morally, intellectually confused?" was written on the back of a travel itinerary while waiting for a flight in Los Angeles.
Olbermann originates and writes his Special Comments himself, which he has described as a two day process that begins with "get[ting] pissed off" and involves a number of rewrites and rehearsals before the show airs. Comment at http://www.firedoglake.com Firedoglake], November 5, 2006
A new book written by Olbermann entitled ''Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values'' is currently scheduled to be released on December 26th of 2007, and looks to capitalize on the popularity of his Special Comments.

What Have We Learned?

For a while, the show ended Friday broadcasts with a light quiz segment in which Monica Novotny would grill Olbermann with trivia questions based on the week's news, submitted by Countdown viewers. If he got more questions right than wrong, he would receive a "prize", sometimes stolen from his own office (or, on one occasion, a talking Ann Coulter doll which Olbermann destroyed on camera). Olbermann pledged $50 to charity for each question he got wrong. According to an online chat with Olbermann at Firedoglake.com, former MSNBC president Rick Kaplan disliked the segment, and had it removed.

Puppet Theatre

Beginning with the Michael Jackson trial, Countdown presented comedic puppet "reenactments" of news which, due to court protocol or for other reasons, could not be captured on film.
Simplistic puppets created from printed photographs glued to popsicle sticks were manipulated in front of a bluescreen while Olbermann performed voiceovers.
Other puppet theatre skits followed Michael Jackson Puppet Theatre, including Karl Rove Puppet Theatre, Anna Nicole Smith Supreme Court Puppet Theatre, Mel Gibson Puppet Theatre, and Paris Hilton Puppet Theatre.

'Oddball' segment

Done in the middle of the show, ''Oddball'' (a play on ''Hardball'', the show that airs before ''Countdown'' each night) is a segment devoted to offbeat news items. The 'laugh' that comes between the intro graphics and the first item is actually Hardball's host Chris Matthews' laugh. Olbermann traditionally begins the segment with some interesting historical fact about that date (for example, the incident on August 24, 1980, when Olbermann hit his head on the subway^[1] which damaged his depth perception). The segment is usually done with Aram Khachaturian's Sabre Dance playing in the background, though Boots Randolph's Yakety Sax has also been used on certain stories, such as Joe Mikulik's infamous 2006 tirade. Typical stories for this segment include weird Internet video; crazy news stories, especially from Florida or India; just about anything coming out of Japan, including a batsu game from the Japanese comedy variety show ''Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!;'' and, beginning on February 19, 2007, actual footage from the Fox News Channel with laugh tracks added - a reference to Fox News' laughtrack-laden The 1/2 Hour News Hour.
At the end of the month, Olbermann features "Oddball Plays of the Month," a compilation of some of the Oddball segments from that month. At the end of the year, a special show (sometimes two shows) covering the "Oddball plays of the year" is shown during Christmas Week. It is generally a compilation of all the Plays of the Month.

'Worst Person in the World' segment

Olbermann frequently names members of the "Fox Noise Channel" ''Worst Person in the World''.

The "Worst Person" segment is a nightly feature in which Olbermann humorously recounts a recent news story involving "nominees" for Worst Person in the World at the bronze medal level ("Worse"), silver ("Worser") and gold ("Worst"). While many of his targets are not political, those that are tend to be conservative. The “Worst” of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann The segment is usually done with Toccata and Fugue in D Minor playing in the background.

Honorees

The most frequent recipient of the honor is Bill O'Reilly. Olbermann frequently lampoons O'Reilly, and refers to him using several nicknames, including: "The Big Giant Head" (a reference of William Shatner's character on the television series ''3rd Rock from the Sun''), "Ted Baxter" or "Ted Baxter's Evil Twin" (after the news anchor character portrayed by Ted Knight on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''), "Bill-O", "Bill Orally", and the latest one "America's Conscience". O'Reilly is, to date, the only person to receive all three spots in the World's Worst countdown in a single broadcast (which took place on the November 30, 2005 edition of the show).
Other frequent honorees include:

★ Ann Coulter (nicknamed "Pirate Annie", "Coultergeist" or "The Connecticut Screech" and often mocked for her Adam's apple.)

★ Rush Limbaugh (known as "Comedian" or after the 2006 midterm elections, referred to as an "admitted liar".)

★ Brent Bozell ("humorist," "Bozo the Clown," "Red Beard the Pirate".)

★ Sean Hannity ("The Terrible".)

★ Michael Savage ("Michael Weiner Savage", referring to Michael's real last name)

★ Roger Ailes ("Jabba The Hutt" and other fat jokes)

★ Neal Boortz, radio talk show host.

★ Fox News Channel ("Fox Nothing Channel," "Fox Noise", "Fixed News", "Fixed Noise", "Foxed News", "Ministry of Truth".)

★ Glenn Beck ("This yutz," "CNN's Wolf in Sheep's Clothing".)

★ Pat Robertson.

★ Melanie Morgan.

★ Various members of the Bush administration (Donald Rumsfeld, Tony Snow, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and even George W. Bush himself).

★ Members of Congress (Senators Orrin Hatch, John McCain, Jim Inhofe, Joseph Lieberman and former senators Rick Santorum and Conrad Burns; Representative Jean Schmidt and former Representatives Tom DeLay and Newt Gingrich).

★ Olbermann himself (for failing to mention ''The Dan Patrick Show'' while appearing on the February 22, 2007 edition of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''; and for hypocritically giving Glenn Beck a March 22, 2007 Silver over fat jokes aimed at Rosie O'Donnell when he himself had done the same about Roger Ailes).
Non-political honorees include:

★ Baseball players Kenny Rogers, Livan Hernandez, Barry Bonds, Joel Zumaya, and Manny Ramirez

★ Major League Baseball and MLB teams including the Florida Marlins, the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs.

★ Non-baseball athletes like David Beckham, Mike Tyson, and Michael Vick.

★ The National Football League.

★ Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight.

★ Actors Tom Cruise and Ralph Fiennes.

★ Rapper Snoop Dogg.

★ NASA.

★ Numerous cheapskates.

★ Numerous dumb criminals, including a kid named Ronald MacDonald who held up a Wendy's.

★ CBeebies character "Mr Tumble" (Justin Fletcher) from Something Special, who uses the Makaton sign language version of the word "happy" as in "I'm happy to see you" that turns out to also be in British sign language of "an Anglo-Saxon swear word that is a synonym for the physical act of love.".^[2]

★ Casino mogul Steve Wynn, who accidentally punched a Picasso painting, damaging it.

''Worst Person in the World'' book

In September 2006, a book version of the "Worst Person in the World" was released, containing transcripts of the segment from July 1, 2005 to May 31, 2006. The book contains a few Honorary Worsts, including George W. Bush (later actually named a Worst Person winner), pitcher Roger Clemens, the members of the Baseball Hall of Fame special Negro Leagues committee that failed to induct Buck O'Neil, and the Boston Red Sox. The book further named O'Reilly as "Worst in Show" for his comments regarding the Nazi Malmedy massacre, and contains a glossary of O'Reilly-related terms such as falafel and Fox Security.
In the intro to Olbermann's book ''Worst Person in the World'' [3], the segment was influenced by "an ominous character" created by radio comedians Bob and Ray, known as the Worst Person In The World (or W.P.I.T.W. for short), who spoke only in "a series of crunching and slurping sound effects," and routinely ate sandwiches through the wax paper. As Olbermann reveals, the W.P.I.T.W. turns out to be ''New York'' magazine reviewer John Simon, who panned the radio duo's Broadway show. When ''New York Times'' columnist Alessandra Stanley gave fellow MSNBC commentator Tucker Carlson's new show a bad review Olbermann felt to be premature, the segment came to mind, and Stanley thus was given the "bronze" in Olbermann's first "Worst Person in the World" segment (the silver and gold going to Saddam Hussein and Robert Novak, respectively). The segment was also fueled in part by George Carlin's observation that by process of elimination, one can rank the worst doctor in the world, and that "somebody has an appointment to see him tomorrow!"

Deviations

Keith usually ends the segment by saying "[Name of Worst], today's worst person in the world," in which the words "worst person in the world" are, for the most part, stretched and shouted in a humorously frightening manner. However, on several occasions he has strayed away from this and uttered the line in a much more somber or angry tone to signify that the Worst recipient had done something that deeply offended him. Examples include:

★ After reporting on a man who drove into a building maniacally with his child in the passenger side with no concern for the child's safety.

★ Once after discussing Bill O'Reilly's comments concerning rape and murder victim Jennifer Moore.

★ Two separate incidents (two nights in a row) involved O'Reilly's comments about the March 7, 2007 apartment fire in the Bronx resulting in the deaths of 10 people, including 9 children. This was also the only time where the background music for the segment had been omitted.

★ On March 26, 2007, involved the New York Sanitation Department and then Mayor Rudy Guilani, when it was discovered that debris and ash left behind after the 9/11 attacks that contained remains of some victims was used to fix potholes on the streets of New York City.

★ The day after the Virginia Tech Massacre, Olbermann listed three conservative bloggers (Debbie Schlussel, Nathaniel Blake, and John Derbyshire) who each made reprehensible comments about the massacre. Schlussel initially said that the shooter might have been a "Paki" Terrorist, then later listed him as Chinese (when he was in fact Korean) and said that is why the university should "stop letting in so many foreign students" (despite the fact that the shooter had spent a majority of his life in the United States). Blake openly questioned the manhood of the male students, saying that they could've done more than "duck under desks" and "hold doors shut". Derbyshire, who was deemed "Worst Person", said "Why didn't (the students) count the shots and charge while he was reloading or switching hands" and "If I knew I was gonna die anyway, I'd have at least taken a run at the guy!"

★ After George W. Bush had commuted the prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

★ On August 14, 2007, after Fox News anchor John Gibson claimed that America needed another 9/11 to create national unity, and Gibson and his producer mocked comedian Jon Stewart's tearful expression of personal anguish over the attack on the World Trade Center, from The Daily Show broadcast of September 20, 2001.
Geraldo Rivera was named the first (and to date, only) "Best Person in the World" on the April 6, 2007 show for standing up to Bill O'Reilly (to the song of "Happy Days Are Here Again" by Tiny Tim).

Guests

Guest commentators regularly featured on the show include:[4]

★ Michael Musto, editor of ''Village Voice'' — tabloid/entertainment

★ Howard Fineman, ''Newsweek'' contributor — political

★ Margaret Carlson, ''TIME Magazine'' columnist and author of ''Anyone Can Grow Up: How George Bush and I Made it to the White House'' — journalistic, political

★ Pat Buchanan, Conservative commentator, former and author — political

★ Craig Crawford, columnist for the ''Congressional Quarterly'' — political (on location in Washington, D.C.)

★ Jonathan Alter, senior editor for ''Newsweek'' magazine — political

★ John Dean, former White House Counsel to Richard Nixon — political

★ Jonathan Turley, professor of law and Constitutional scholar — political

★ Savannah Guthrie, Court TV correspondent — Michael Jackson trial

★ John Harwood, ''Wall Street Journal'' political editor and CNBC contributing reporter — political

★ General Barry McCaffrey, Ret. — military

★ Dana Milbank, national political reporter for ''The Washington Post'' — political

★ Tom O'Neil, editor of ''Entertainment Weekly'' — entertainment

★ Mo Rocca, comedian — pop culture

★ Paul F. Tompkins, comedian — tabloid/entertainment

★ Robin Wright, diplomatic correspondent for ''The Washington Post'' — terrorism and international events (''not'' actress Robin Wright Penn)

★ Clint Van Zandt, former FBI profiler — abductions/murders

★ Richard Wolffe, also of Newsweek — political

★ Maria Milito, New York disc jockey — ''American Idol''

★ Rachel Maddow and Sam Seder, Air America Radio hosts — political

★ Wesley Clark, retired four-star general — military analyst for MSNBC

★ Derek Pitts, The Franklin Institute - Space and astronomy-related news

★ Richard Justice, Sports Writer for the ''Houston Chronicle''

O'Reilly vs. Olbermann

Olbermann's show on MSNBC occupies the same time slot as Bill O'Reilly's ''The O'Reilly Factor'' on Fox News Channel. Olbermann has repeatedly named O'Reilly his “Worst Person in the World," naming him the winner (gold medalist) at least 60 times through July 6, 2007 including a clean sweep of all three positions ("worse", "worser" and "worst") on November 30, 2005.^[3]. O'Reilly has petitioned for the ousting of Olbermann from MSNBC and the return of Phil Donahue to Olbermann's time slot, stating that Donahue's ratings far exceeded Olbermann's. The rivalry first became obvious around May 5, 2003. After doing a piece on Senator Joseph McCarthy's infamous 1950s anti-communist witch hunts, Olbermann said that "it was like shooting fish in a barrel, much like how Bill O'Reilly does his show."
During the January 30, 2006 edition of the "Talking Points Memo" segment on ''The O'Reilly Factor'',"Network Rivalry" transcript, FoxNews.com, January 31, 2006 O'Reilly lambasted NBC Universal, the parent company of MSNBC for "taking cheap shots at Fox News on a regular basis...for some time" and noting that NBC is "dead last in prime time, [and] its cable operations are ratings failures" adding "that is no excuse for unprofessional behavior." O'Reilly also claimed that FNC has "good relationships with ABC News, CBS News, and generally CNN."
Olbermann responded to O'Reilly's criticism by pointing out that Fox News has had less than cordial relations with CNN, referring to when: Fox News had set up a billboard across the street from CNN Center in Atlanta, taunting them about their lesser TV ratings; Fox News, through an anonymous statement, once compared CNN to the ''Titanic''; Fox News, though a press release, claimed CNN founder Ted Turner "lost his mind" after he criticized Fox News; and finally when Fox News chairman Roger Ailes compared CNN host Paula Zahn to an outhouse and a dead animal after she left Fox News.

Save the tapes

When O'Reilly was sued for sexual harassment by his former producer, Andrea Mackris, Olbermann urged Mackris to take a payout of $99,000 (US) in exchange for the tape of a phone call O'Reilly made to Mackris that included references to falafel and loofahs, which has become a running gag on the program when O'Reilly matters have been brought up.

"Fire Keith" petition

On February 22, 2006, O'Reilly initiated an online petition to have MSNBC remove Keith Olbermann from the 8 p.m. EST timeslot, supposedly for the purpose of having old time-slot host Phil Donahue's show reinstated. The petition is in the form of a letter addressed to Wright saying: "We, the undersigned, are becoming increasingly concerned about the well-being of MSNBC and, in particular, note the continuing ratings failure of the program currently airing weeknights on that network at 8:00 p.m. EST".BillOReilly.com: Petition, February 22, 2006 Olbermann responded two days later on Countdown by playing a collection of O'Reilly's "greatest hits""Late Night: Olbermann signs O'Reilly's Petition". Crooks and Liars. February 24, 2006 and mocked the whole affair by joining several MSNBC staffers, including Tucker Carlson and Dan Abrams, in signing the petition to have himself fired.

"Fox News Security" incident

Two weeks later, on March 3, Olbermann reported on an incident in which O'Reilly dropped a caller, identified as "Mike" from Orlando, Florida from his live radio show, seemingly for mentioning Olbermann's name. O'Reilly accused the caller of being part of a larger group of individuals that had been calling O'Reilly with the sole purpose of mentioning Olbermann. The caller said, “I like to listen to you during the day. I think Keith Olbermann's show…” when O'Reilly cut in, responding to “Mike” as follows:
While Westwood One broadcasts O'Reilly's radio show, the program does originate from Fox News Channel's New York City studios.^[4] Olbermann noted that it would be unlawful for O'Reilly to send anyone to a listener's home for purposes of intimidation.
Six days later, Olbermann played the phone call from the FNC security director which was left on the caller's answering machine and also interviewed the man in question, who was a member of the weblog callingallwingnuts.com. The man, who was interviewed live but shown in silhouette, claimed that a woman also affiliated with the website called O'Reilly's show and mentioned Olbermann by name, and that a person identifiying himself as Fox News security called her as she was picking up her daughter from school "fifteen minutes later." The woman was allegedly reduced to tears because of the call.
More ammo was fired during a guest appearance on Comedy Central's ''The Colbert Report'' on March 14, 2006, when host Stephen Colbert asked about O'Reilly, whom Colbert called "my hero," and Olbermann commented that "Well, Stephen, he's an idiot." The next day (March 15, 2006) on Al Franken's Air America Radio show, the barbs continued.

Allegations of bias

A conservative Internet think tank, the Media Research Center (MRC), coordinating with the blog Newsbusters.org (whose mission is to pinpoint what they view as liberal media bias), has been very critical of Keith Olbermann ever since he became the ''Countdown'' host. The think tank has accused him of having a liberal bias in the form of criticizing President George W. Bush, attacking FOX and O'Reilly, starting off his newscast with what they claim to be unimportant stories with a left wing motive, avoiding the Bush administration's side of the story, allegedly supporting the president's impeachment, and so forth."Keith Itching for Impeachment". MRC.org February 13, 2006 and "NewsBusters.org - Keith Olbermann"
In response, Olbermann has sometimes named MRC founder Brent Bozell, whom he calls "humorist Brett Bozell", "the worst person in the world" for what Olbermann claims is hypocrisy. The anchor has also said that the MRC desires "an institutionalized, pro-Republican slant" in the media.Olbermann: MRC Wants "Institutionalized, Pro-Republican Slant". MRC.org. March 16, 2005
To support its allegation of bias, the MRC researched Countdown's ''Worst Person in the World'' segment and found that of the approximately 600 nominees, 174 had conservative political views and 23 had liberal political views, with the remaining 403 having no apparent political affiliation. Olbermann interpreted the results differently and pointed out that 71% were not conservative. ^[5]
Olbermann has addressed allegations of liberal bias by claiming that he would be equally critical of a Democratic 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 scandal. 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, he has stated he departed MSNBC the first time as a result of the relentless Clinton-Lewinsky coverage which personally sickened him.[6] The MRC responded by noting that they gave him their "Corporal Cueball Carville Cadet Award" for comparing Ken Starr to Heinrich Himmler in 1998.^[6]
On November 25, 2006, ''Fox News Watch's panelist Cal Thomas named Olbermann as his choice for 2006's "Media Turkey Award" for what Thomas alleged were Olbermann's "innaccuracies" and "hot air".^[7] 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.

International broadcasts

MSNBC and NBC News programming is shown for several hours a day on the 24 hour news network Orbit News in Europe and the Middle East. This includes ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''.

Notes

1. 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for August 24
2. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007130148,00.html TV's Mr Tumble in sex fumble (20 March 2007), accessed 21 March 2007
3. [5]
4. Westwood One's Web site for ''Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly''
5. 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for June 28
6. Waxing Hypothetical, Olbermann Hails Demise of Fox News as 'Best Hope of Mankind' Tim Graham
7. FNC's Cal Thomas Names Keith Olbermann Turkey of the Year Brad Wilmouth

External links

★ Bloggermann, the past Countdown blog

★ The News Hole, the current Countdown blog

★ A Cornell Review article on his coverage of the 2004 U.S. presidential election results

★ "Counting Down With Keith Olbermann '79" - ''The Cornell Daily Sun'', November 29, 2004

Fan sites

★ Olbermann.org, an Unofficial Keith Olbermann Fan Site

★ KeithOlbermann.org, an Unofficial Keith Olbermann Fan Site

★ Either Relevant or True Keith Olbermann blog ''Updated July 9, 2007 to reflect new web address.''

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