So much has been discussed about the split between Keith Olbermann and Current TV that I'm reluctanct to take the matter up again, but since I've never heard this one aspect addressed, here goes.
It is a fact that Keith and MSNBC parted company in a manner that left this viewer longing for a new Olbermann platform. It's also true that some time later Keith recorded low-production-value web communiques, probably from an apartment overlooking the East River. Those simple pieces were curiously satisfying, especially given the modest circumstances from which they originated. I was one of his viewers that greeted the announcement of his joining Current TV with great excitement. I was familiar with Current TV, which was (and is) a fledgling liberal channel distributed sparsely on a small number of cable systems, but the notion that Keith would have a role in shaping it into a more mature and relevant information source was promising.
For the first two weeks or so following Current's launch of Countdown, it seemed as though the transition was going well. Soon after, though, I became dismayed when Keith appeared less and less frequently in the chair, always signaled by the voices of guest hosts delivering the opening billboard. Regular viewers like me must have known conflicts were brewing, but remembering the typical kerfuffles of any startup, we continued to tune in, and to hope for a good outcome.
Over weeks and months it became obvious that the chow-chow was fixin' to hit the fan. I got the distinct impression that Keith felt threatened by Current TV adding Cenk Uygur's Young Turks program to the lineup as a lead-in to Countdown, mainly due to the dearth of cross-promotion that one might expect when a new show is announced. By the time Jennifer Granholm's much-hyped program was added to follow Countdown I didn't to hear a word about it from Keith, and I wasn't wrong. It is obvious to me that he didn't consider a first time broadcaster (though she was a good two-term governor) a worthy colleague, and his silence said it all. This wasn't going to work out.
The tipping point, for me, came on the 10th anniversary of the Young Turks, when Andrew Breitbart appeared live on the Young Turks set to defend his recent drunken verbal assault against Occupy participants. It was great television, no matter which side one chooses -- wild-eyed Breitbart debating a sober Cenk Uygur and furiously attempting to explain his embarrassing conduct. It was riveting, and cemented Cenk as one of the most qualified defenders of the progressive flag.
Countdown followed, but instead of battleing a live and slobbering Andrew Breitbart, Keith was left to debate tape of Breitbart's Occupy confrontation, and the obvious comparisons of how Cenk and Keith covered the same topic made Countdown appear to be old school. That night Keith must have realized that his academic coverage was effectively trounced by Countdown's lead-in, and, to me, that was the final straw.
Countdown, even on the odd days that Keith showed up, was never the same program. The separation that followed was no surprise, though it has been uglier than expected.
Keith Olbermann is a great progressive voice and once he's had time to find his footing again, I hope he'll reappear on a regular platform.