NBC Financial Woes: Keith Olbermann--Part-Time Political Hit Man, Part-Time Sports Anchor

Olbermann Helps Media Bias Thrive at NBC

 

Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza, Executive Director

 

After the Democratic Party obtained a majority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in 2006, some believe the mainstream media saw this as an indication the country had made a decided turn to the left.  Suddenly, what was once a clear case of media bias became a strident effort by many in the media to promote a liberal agenda.  No network was more guilty of this departure from journalistic objectivity than NBC and its sister cable outlet, MSNBC.  NBC's news division, which had been losing viewership at an alarming rate, made a decision to roll the dice and devote much of its on-air time towards Republican-bashing.

 

NBC clearly saw the 2006 vote as a mandate from the public.  MSNBC became a virtual mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and "news anchor" Keith Olbermann led the charge.  The network thought it saw an opportunity to fill a niche for some viewers, but MSNBC's management has done little to improve ratings and much to destroy the network's credibility.

 

Olbermann, who formerly worked for ESPN, took the reigns of Countdown, a primetime show which features interviews with political and social leaders primarily from the left, was supposed to challenge Bill O'Reilly and the highly popular O'Reilly Factor (FOX News Channel--FNC) in the ratings.  Unfortunately for MSNBC and Olbermann, O'Reilly's viewership increased and together both CNN and MSNBC's primetime programming at 7 P.M. do not equal that of FOX.

 

Olbermann's Countdown takes a one-sided approach to political news coverage.  Olbermann once referred to President George Bush as the "idiot in chief".  However, MSNBC surprised many television critics when it assigned Olbermann the anchor position on its coverage of the Democratic and Republican Party primaries.  Suddenly, television viewers were expected to believe Mr. Olbermann could switch from liberal attack dog to objective journalist.  It was a move that raised the eyebrows of many in the broadcast industry and jeopardized the reputation of NBC stalwarts, including Tom Brokaw, who had to share the set with the poster boy for liberal media bias.

 

But just when you thought NBC was scraping the bottom of the journalistic barrel, in 2007 Olbermann showed up on NBC's Sunday night football coverage.  Olbermann read game scores and provided his lackluster satire to an effort which was roundly dismissed by critics.

 

The move by NBC to position Olbermann in a leading role in its political and sports programming brings to question the network's financial viability.  There is no doubt each time Olbermann appears on NBC's Sunday night football telecast, many viewers are offended.  However, some see this as a continuation of failed leadership by management. 

 

Jeffrey R. Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, NBC's parent company, has come under fire in recent years.  General Electric stock has fallen precipitously under Immelt's control.  The GE CEO also took a great deal of heat when it was found his company was still doing business with Iran, even after it was learned that rogue nation was playing a significant part in supplying arms to the Iraqi insurgency which caused the deaths of many American military personnel and civilians in Iraq.  Olbermann's dual duties as a partisan political commentator and sportscaster are just another indication of poor decision-making on the part of NBC management.

 

Is Keith Olbermann so valuable to NBC that the company is willing to not only alienate those looking for honest journalism, but those who just want to enjoy a favorite American pastime as well?  Apparently so.

 

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