"Countdown" & KO got biiiig ol' shout out on NPR's "Marketplace" this AM.

[crispini]

It was a piece about the future of network news, post-Dan Rather, and they talked about how the news needed to change to recapture their audience. As best as I can remember, the commentator said something like, "One program which many people have been talking about as pointing the direction to the way news might go is "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" on MSNBC." and then he gave a brief description of the show, talked about how it was on an hour instead of thirty minutes and talked about the humorous stories as well.

It was tres cool!

I suspect when the audio is up it'll be posted here:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/morning_report/mmr_archive.html

[gkhouston]

1. argh!

The one morning I get in a few minutes early and don't listen to "Marketplace". I'm glad "Countdown" got the mention, though; it's well-deserved. Wonder if Monica will tease him about that tonight during the quiz segment...

[AmyJCNJ]

2. Here it is..

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/
(on the top of the page)

[crispini]

3. Bingo!

"Now that Dan Rather has left his anchor post, CBS is eyeing some real alternatives for its evening newscast. And as Variety's Michael Speier tells host Lisa Napoli, CBS isn't the only network that should be considering an overhaul."

Here's the relevant bits, scroll ahead to about 6:17.

Actually one of the best shows on television right now that a lot of people are starting to go towards is this show on MSNBC called "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann. And everyone kind of thinks that while he might be a little... too nuanced for the average viewer, there are some things he does that make the news interesting. He gets a full hour, first of all, so that's a little different. And also, he talks about thinks that probably aren't always in the news, sometimes he talks about cats surfing, or things like that, but he brings this kind of attitude, this kind of humor to it that maybe networks should look at.

[gkhouston]

4. actually, honest and thoughtful coverage is what keeps me

coming back, but if kitties on surfboards will make the network executives pay attention, let's teach Fluffy how to hang ten!

[Catchawave]

5. Guys, just gotta say......

I've already written CBS suggesting KO as an anchorman, but only if they let our Keefer "run the show". Not since Steve Allen's days has their been such a "serious wit" of talent in our homeboy !

I also let ABC know that Keef would make a lovely replacement for Ted Koppel ((if and when he decides to step down, no like they did to him w/Letterman)) on/and/or Nightline, which would definitely make ABC...finally...a serious contender in the Late Night Wars :)

[Clark2008]

6. Did you guys see the story I posted at the end of a KOEB

thread one night this week?

It had Keith quoted about the future of Network News. This is probably where Marketplace picked it up.

If you're Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's decidedly non-traditional Countdown, it's about time.

"I think Mr. Moonves has hit the nail on the head," Olbermann said in an e-mail. "The format of the nightly newscasts is still very much 1981 - 'Tremble, onlookers! I am the anchorman and now here is a miracle: a report by satellite from many thousands of miles away. I will return to introduce another one in due course.'

"That's why it's been losing viewers, especially young viewers, so steadily. That idea remains impressive only to those who were watching the day the technology arrived (generally meaning those 50 or older) who are kind of grandfathered in. To most others, news is omnipresent."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0309rather09.html

[crispini]

7. Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about that one.

Did you send it to O.org? Even though it's just a mention, Q might want it? I sent the Marketplace blurb.

[gkhouston]

8. I did see it. Pure Keef goodness.

Very snarky and dead on target. I'm hoping the execs at CBS will get desperate enough about their ratings situation that they'll be willing to throw away all the old traditions and go snap up Keith post-haste. I'd love to see him get the additional exposure that would come with being on broadcast television. Yes, there would be the FCC standards to consider, but Keith implies things rather than stating them outright so I don't think the standards would be an impossible barrier for him. I'm more worried that they'll want him to make the news either dumber or blander or both, and that's sure to stick in his craw. He's managed to build an audience where he is without going either dumb or bland; that should tell the suits something.

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. I think they REALLY missed the point about why Keith's show does well

...and that this is NOT a good thing.
And also, he talks about thinks that probably aren't always in the news, sometimes he talks about cats surfing, or things like that, but he brings this kind of attitude, this kind of humor to it that maybe networks should look at.

They think it's his particular sense of humor, plus some of the silly fluff segments pushed on him by his bosses that make his approach stand out. They acknowledge that the show is longer, but there's no real indication they think a more in-depth treatment of the news is truly significant. How about actually daring to cover the REAL stories

Noooo, they think it's being funny with stuff like surfing cats that makes Keith special. This is very bad. If a major network hires him, you can bet they'll want him to concentrate on "being funny" and more surfing cat equivalents. And you know what? That's a great way to suppress the important news that Keith now digs for and presents as the last real journalistic TV reporter in America. They DON'T want the truth or integrity. Stolen elections? Distortiions by the Administration? They don't want that.

Yes, luring Keith over to one of the big networks with a promise of his own show and lots of money is a great way for the blivet**'s pals in the corporate media to suppress the last source of truth on TV.

And I HATE it that they've misjudged him AND his loyal viewers so badly.
:mad:

[crispini]

10. No, they get it:

I think the quote talks about both more in-depth quality of the news AND the humor. And, face it, the snarky attitude is what makes Countdown really different. You can get an hour's worth of "news coverage" on any of the news magazines, but you can bet your bippy that none of 'em feature the anchorguy occasionally acting like he's got his tongue frozen to a pole or something. :7