The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

25 July 2006

Keith Olbermann, Television Critics Association Meeting

IS IT WORKING?

Olbermann's Latest Stunt Attracts Media Attention






A quick question for Keith Olbermann: is it working?

To get the attention of Bill O'Reilly, FOX News and anyone else who will listen, you've tried every stunt known to mankind. Yet despite all of those often- desperate ploys, the only thing you're beating is poker on CNBC.

Is it time for a new target? Perhaps, but with all of the mainstream media attention your latest stunt is generating, we doubt you'll soon change.

If only this course of action could lead to big ratings, however!

What Olby does prove is that serving as a liberal media darling certainly doesn't guarantee an audience.


Or, instead of this "calculated strategy" theory, could the truth really be that Olbermann is simply nuts? After Saturday's stunt at the Television Critics Association summer meeting, your guess is as good as ours.

In a move that is still generating fresh publicity several days later, Olbermann donned a Bill O'Reilly face mask and gave a Nazi salute. This continues his ongoing obsession with O'Reilly, who continues to generate ratings that are several times higher than Keith's.

Can tearing down the competition somehow bring success for the MSNBC laggard? So far, it certainly hasn't worked.


Yesterday, FOX News Channel Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes fired back, calling Olbermann's antics "over the line", according to the AP's Beth Harris:


Fox News Channel chairman and CEO Roger Ailes responded to Keith Olbermann's latest critical volley against Bill O'Reilly on Monday, saying the MSNBC host's behavior "is over the line."

Ailes, appearing Monday at the summer meeting of the Television Critics Association, said Olbermann takes shots at Fox's O'Reilly because it boosts his ratings.

"Clearly he has no viewers except those he gets when he attacks Fox News, and particularly has made himself committed to continuing to attack Bill," Ailes said.

Olbermann opened his Saturday session at the critics' meeting by whipping out a mask of O'Reilly and giving a Nazi salute.

"I really think that's over the line," Ailes said.

During his "Countdown" show on MSNBC, Olbermann regularly tweaks O'Reilly. Olbermann has named O'Reilly his "Worst Person in the World" at least 15 times. The nightly "award" is Olbermann's way of criticizing bad behavior.

O'Reilly has referred to Olbermann - although not by name - as a "notorious smear merchant" and pointed out the low ratings for "Countdown."



At what point does Keith finally work on building himself up, or at the least, finding a new target?

To find out, we'll be watching... a different program.

NOTE: Olbermann Watch has substantially updated its post with a great deal of new information late Tuesday, find it here.

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Air Olby: Pete at IHillary

13 Comments:

  • There's a big difference: our Air America investigative work uncovered the company's sleazy antics and Franken's role in them. We brought facts to the table, whether you like to hear it or not.

    Olby takes every cheap shot possible and brings nothing to the table in his case against O'Reilly.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 25 July, 2006 16:32  

  • O'Reilly consistently clobbers Olbermann by a factor of two 25-54 and three to four for the overall ratings, please show an example of a night where that wasn't true.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 25 July, 2006 18:17  

  • O'Reilly's 4AM dead-of-the night rerun pulls in more viewers than Olbermann's 8PM prime-time slot.

    Slam dunk!

    By Blogger The Benson Report, at 25 July, 2006 19:43  

  • By Blogger none, at 25 July, 2006 20:11  

  • 2nd attempt:
    Olberman Response

    By Blogger none, at 25 July, 2006 20:21  

  • O'Reilly's 4AM dead-of-the night rerun pulls in more viewers than Olbermann's 8PM prime-time slot.

    Slam dunk!


    Released the same year, the movie Scooby-Doo pulled in 25 times more gross than the excellent Spellbound.

    What does this mean? I don't know, but it has the same significance as comparing ratings between TV shows.

    By Blogger @whut, at 25 July, 2006 20:54  

  • What does this mean?

    ...Wow! you really don't get it, do you? I guess I'll have to spell it out for you.

    In the ratings war:
    O'Reilly won.
    Olbermann lost.

    The only way Olbermann can attract viewers is to run stunts like the one mentioned in Brian's posting.

    The Scooby-Doo connection is so far out there, it does not deserve a response.
    .

    By Blogger The Benson Report, at 25 July, 2006 21:25  

  • Benson,
    What it means is the average 71+ person who watches cable televsion news prefers the rants of falafal boy.

    By Blogger none, at 25 July, 2006 21:47  

  • So....so... many 'personalities'...

    but so little original thought.

    A whole cloud of moonbats. Funny how they all look alike to me.

    Anyhow, back to the original point:

    Won't you (all?) agree that Olbermann's standing there with an OReilly mask doing Nazi salutes was a little juvenile? You don't have to go as far as moronic or desparate for attention. Will you just agree that it was juvenile?

    By Blogger Lokki, at 25 July, 2006 22:34  

  • Released the same year, the movie Scooby-Doo pulled in 25 times more gross than the excellent Spellbound.

    What does this mean?


    It means many, many more people wanted to see a movie where Scrappy Doo finally gets his as opposed to a movie about a spelling bee.

    By Blogger RedCard, at 26 July, 2006 09:45  

  • What's the worst is Olbermann is on Dan Patrick's sport show regularly.

    Olberman has exposed Patrick's liberal bias, but on the sport show, it is all liberal talk. I hate Bush; I hate O'Rielly, etc. You get the drift.

    I listen to Patrick for the sports but when Olberman is on, the radio is not on the Patrick show.

    By Blogger tradersmith, at 26 July, 2006 10:03  

  • HeadHunter:

    Check out the ratings for the latest month reported:

    June Rankings

    The second to last column has the total viewers aged 2 and over, 6am to midnight eastern.

    Olbermann's show is on the list, but you might have to scroll down off screen to see it.

    And note how you have pass by O'Reilly's second showing before you get to Olbermann.

    By Blogger Chromium, at 26 July, 2006 13:02  

  • Olbermann's ratings spike this past year make your opinion of him, and your website for that matter, irrelevant.

    By Blogger jaiellojr, at 28 May, 2007 00:56  

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