Jobless Keith Olbermann Wants His Old Job Back

[marble falls]

Jobless Keith Olbermann Wants His Old Job Back
By Adam Clark Estes | The Atlantic Wire – Sun, Mar 3, 2013


By Adam Clark Estes | The Atlantic Wire – Sun, Mar 3, 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/jobless-keith-olbermann-wants-old-job-back-030830741--finance.html

Former Current TV chief news officer and host Keith Olbermann is talking to the head honchos at ESPN, possibly about rejoining the sports news giant where he worked from 1992 to 1997. In fact, based on the details in a just published New York Times piece, the outspoken commentator has been exploring the idea of returning to ESPN for quite a while now.

A few months ago, Olbermann sat down to a very friendly dinner with ESPN president John Skipper at the Four Seasons. Skipper says Olbermann reached out about the dinner date, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. "I agreed to dinner with Keith because I assumed he'd be provocative and witty and fun to have dinner with, and he was indeed lots of fun. We talked sports and politics, and we had a nice chat. He is very interesting," said Skipper. The executive added, "Clearly he was looking to see if there was an entry point to come back."

It already looks like Keith and ESPN are burying the hatchet, though. Olbermann recently participated in an ESPN documentary about baseball cards. (Olbermann loves baseball cards.) Unnamed executives also told The Times that "Olbermann's representatives" had been contacting high-level people at the network in recent weeks about job possibilities. That said, Olbermann's people have apparently been contacting a lot of companies in the past few months and tried to find their boss a job.


So who knows how seriously to take the recent Olbermann-ESPN activity. Olbermann's currently wrapped up in a $70 million lawsuit against Current TV, where he held an ownership stake and the highest editorial position until it all fell apart in a very predictable little scandal. Depending on how that turns out, Olbermann might really need the money. His sunset photography doesn't quite scream "second career."

Why can't DU hire him? I will start watching ESPN if he goes there.

[graham4anything]

1. Why doesn't Keith run for Congress?

Surely he could do an Al Franken if he really wanted to.

[shenmue]

3. Yes!

I hope he does someday.

[Shivering Jemmy]

4. His skin is too thin

[graham4anything]

5. I bet before Al Franken decided to actually do it, his was too

The best way to avenge is to win
Surely he could find a district he could win that has a retirement, or someone moving to a higher position or a special election where he could enter late and just by his celebrity win

And I bet he could have people with him to attempt to reign him in a bit, temper wise

[GoCubsGo]

8. In order to "do an Al Franken"...

...Keith would have to go to Harvard to earn a Political Science degree, and become a Kennedy School fellow. Because, that's what Al Franken did before he became a comedy writer/actor.

[whathehell]

21. Maybe, but most members of congress don't have those lofty creds either..

Keith is intelligent, well read and well educated...He could do it.

[marble falls]

2. I'd work for him.

[onpatrol98]

6. Too Unpredictable...

Keith is a powder keg. Maybe he should use some of his millions to start his own network. Can you imagine an entire network powered by Keith? Seriously, he doesn't seem to play well with others (company bosses). Maybe, he should be his own boss.

[GoCubsGo]

7. "Why can't DU hire him?"

A site that relies on the donations of its users is going to be able to afford to hire Keith Olbermann? You're kidding, right?

That being said, I don't trust this article, either. I wouldn't be surprised if KO has approached ESPN. From his Twitters and appearance on Craig Ferguson's show, I get the impression that he really misses being able to spend more time on baseball. Whether or not ESPN has outright reject him remains to be seen. This story was posted on Yahoo, and they can't be trusted.

[graham4anything]

10. It is possible he could go to Fox1 the new sports station that Regis Philbin is hosting

soon.
Of course that would mean working for Fox but then again Fox got Kucinich for some reason.

[GoCubsGo]

12. Surely, you jest.

[marble falls]

11. I think he'd work for the opportunity of a forum, he's got enough money.

[GoCubsGo]

13. If he wanted to do that, he'd start his own forum.

[marble falls]

14. If he wanted to, he could. But I don't think he wants to become a left 'Glen Beck'....

in a lucrative but very narrow and isolated niche. I think he needs a broader audience.

[GoCubsGo]

15. He is not going to pin himself to one political party.

The guy doesn't even vote, because he doesn't want to come off as partisan. There is NO WAY he would become involved in DU or any other Democratic-linked web site. Or, any republican-linked one. Or, any Green Party-linked site, Or....

[marble falls]

17. He has made contributions to political campaigns.

[GoCubsGo]

18. So what?

[marble falls]

19. Kinda works aginst that non partisan thing, in that there were no GOP candidates, doesn't it?

[GoCubsGo]

20. No. Not at all.

He supported a couple of candidates, not a party.

[Laurian]

9. From Twitter, I know KO loves baseball, but what a waste

Last edited Tue Mar 5, 2013, 05:30 PM - Edit history (1)

it would be for him to confine himself to that subject. I really miss his voice in the discussion of current events. As far as I'm concerned, no one comes close to matching his intellect and commentary regarding political and social issues. I think the reason he's so good at it is the same reason he's left or been fired from so many positions. He refuses to cater to or compromise his principles for the corporate hierarchy controlling our media.

[nana sew dear]

16. It would be a real loss

for political discourse. I'm kind of stumped at why the idiots a Fox can yammer on forever about their personal politics but whenever Keith goes on a rampage he's suspended or fired. I really miss him but he has to do what makes him happy and none of us are getting any younger.