Matthews Takes Record for Hot Air at Chilly Inauguration

(NEWSER) - After Keith Olbermann introduced Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s rebuttal to President Obama’s congressional speech last night, MSNBC broadcast snickers and a hushed voice intoning “Oh, God,” Fox News reports. The voice is thought to have been Olbermann’s or that of co-host Chris Matthews. Both have been publicly critical of the Republican establishment, often on-air. More»

Host only shines in clashes with the right

(NEWSER) - Despite all the hype and the glowing blogosphere reviews since she got her own MSNBC slot Sept. 8, Rachel Maddow’s program has turned out to be a clone of the Keith Olbermann vehicle that precedes her: “less a show than an annex,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times. With guests fitting MSNBC’s liberal, Anti-Fox News tilt, “that kind of echo chamber doesn’t make for very interesting television.” More»

'Keith sees himself as the star,' says an insider

(NEWSER) - As Keith Olbermann prepares to return to MSNBC tomorrow, it’s the network, not the host, that’s reportedly apologizing. Olbermann “insisted that MSNBC bosses apologize to him before he would agree to return,” a network insider tells PopEater . “Keith sees himself as the star of MSNBC, the person who put them on the map and discovered fellow network anchors Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell. To be treated like this by the network he helped shape, he considers disgusting.” More»

'Countdown' host appears to breach NBC ethics rules

(NEWSER) - Keith Olbermann donated $2,400—the maximum individual contribution—apiece to three Democrats before Election Day, apparently breaking NBC rules, Politico reports. The MSNBC host, who has acknowledged the contributions, gave to two Arizona representatives the day one of them, Raul Grijalva, stopped by his show (the other was Gabrielle Giffords); he also gave to failed Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway. Like many news outlets, NBC bans its employees from giving to campaigns. More»

Bloom is off the mouth, but Fox still sitting pretty

(NEWSER) - Glenn Beck's TV audience has plunged nearly 30% since the beginning of the year—but his Fox News home is still sitting comfortably on top of the ratings heap. Beck's continued viewership slippage was revealed in the latest audience figures on cable news operations. Fox News averaged some 1.9 million viewers in April, which beat the combined audiences of MSNBC, CNN and HLN. Fox has now led its rivals for 100 months running. And while Beck has lost some 800,000 viewers since the start of the year, he still boasts 2.1 million watchers and leads cable programs in his 5 pm slot. More»