On Olbermann, Comcast, and NBC

Let me start with the obvious- I was a regular (not religious) Keith Olbermann watcher, and an opponent of the Comcast-NBC merger when I woke up Friday morning- so this is not a conversion for me to say I'm gravely concerned about media consolidation now. To say Keith Olbermann's abrupt ending of his show is concerning is to not do it judgment. It opens a whole can of worms.

Olbermann was the top rated show on MSNBC's evening line-up, and the highest rated cable-news evening show not on FOX News. He literally is the "father of the brand" and MSNBC- Maddow, O'Donnell, and Schultz- all are on the air because Olbermann essentially built the audience for them. The contract Olbermann had was lucrative, if nothing else. This all makes these events even more stunning. MSNBC is paying their top act to stay home. It's remarkable.

Is this Comcast's fault? There's no doubt they are involved. Jeff Zucker, who ultimately had control of MSNBC, and was able to make editorial decisions. He left just before Olbermann's friday stealth move out. It's easy to simply throw around the charge of Olbermann being pushed out for political editorial reasons dictated by Comcast, and I don't want to say that's not true- it might be- but Olbermann may have been pushed out indirectly by Comcast too.

You see, the issue may been between MSNBC and NBC News. NBC News has new power over MSNBC, thanks to Comcast's new ownership of them, and Zucker's departure. NBC News has long been concerned with MSNBC's liberal-leaning, and is afraid of being accused of that "liberal media bias" that the GOP screams about. NBC News is much more David Broder-esque, Beltway consensus in their style. They've always been concerned about Olbermann's rhetoric. Perhaps, just perhaps, Comcast had a less direct impact on Olbermann's firing, and more of an indirect one by giving an opening to get him out.

As Olbermann's contract is ended, new issues need to be addressed. First, there is a question of why Olbermann is equated to Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, and O'Reilly. Beck regularly calls Democrats Nazis. Limbaugh is a flat-out racist. Hannity attempts to re-define Patriotism as conservatism everyday. O'Reilly famously called the slain abortion doctor, Dr. Tiller, "Tiller the Baby Killer." Olbermann? Yeah sure, he called Scott Brown a tea-bagger- is that an equivalent? It seems that simply being an aggressive liberal is considered a media crime to the Beltway critics. Is Olbermann a bit over the top? Yes. His rhetoric is not conducive to a political climate where things get done. Is he the equivalent of Beck "on the left." No, not close. Not even the same league.

There's a larger issue than Keith Olbermann at work here. Comcast's acquisition of NBC only furthers the consolidation of the media. As that media is consolidated, inevitably, voices will be squeezed out. Conservatives will not be squeezed out, because they tend to tune in more to radio and TV, and FOX isn't going away. Can we survive and thrive as a nation with a consolidated media, where editorial decisions are made "for profit?" I think not. Olbermann will land somewhere after he's allowed out. We'll still have a consolidation problem.