Keith Olbermann, formerly a popular and controversial host on MSNBC, will announce tomorrow that hea4a4s joining Current TV, according to a report in The New York Times.
Actually, what the Times says is that Olbermann is a4Asaid to be goinga4 to Current TV, according to sources who point to a4Aa possible deala4. That&'s a lot of waffling, which suggests that the sources are only hearing about the deal secondhand and may not have all the details. (It could also suggest that the deal isna4a4t finalized, but since Olbermann is scheduled to announce his plans tomorrow, that seems unlikely.) The Times suggests that Current may only be one part of Olbermana4a4s future.
The host abruptly left MSNBCa4a4s Countdown program last month. He had become the cable news channela4a4s highest-rated host, but he also attracted a fair amount of criticism for his liberal politics, and he reportedly had a combative relationship with coworkers and management. MSNBC temporarily suspended him last fall over his campaign donations to Democratic candidates.
Current, which runs a news channel and online video site, seems like it would be a good fit for Olbermann, if it can afford him. (The Times said Olbermann will receive Current equity as part of the deal.) Co-founded by Al Gore in 2005, the channel is unabashedly liberal, so Olbermann would probably have the freedom to do what he wants. In a message posted on Twitter earlier today, Olbermann criticized AOLa4a4s acquisition of the Huffington Post and hinted that hea4a4s not interested in working for a large media company.
The move would be a huge coup for Current. The company says ita4a4s available in 60 million households in the United States, but it hasna4a4t attracted much attention recently, and it suffered through multiple rounds of layoffs in 2008 and 2009.
Olbermanna4a4s deal with MSNBC precludes him from joining another TV news program for what The Times says is an undetermined period of time, so he probably wona4a4t be going on-air right away.
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Companies: Current Media, Current TV
People: Keith Olbermann
Companies: Current Media, Current TV
People: Keith Olbermann
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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