Keith Olbermann is looking for a new job after less than a year as a talk show host on Current TV.
The leftist cable network for several hours before airtime announced on Friday that Olbermann's show "Countdown" would be replaced by a new program called "Viewpoint" hosted by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, starting that night.
The sometimes volatile Current Olbermann came in June as the centerpiece of his new prime-time initiative, after a stormy eight years stint at MSNBC - his second on that network followed by his sudden departure in January 2011.
Shortly after, Current announced his recruitment - reportedly with a five-year, $ 50-million contract - as the beginning of an effort to network prime-time slate into progressive talk. His official title was chief news officer in charge of the editorial supervision of the network for all political news, commentary and current events programming.
The leftist cable network for several hours before airtime announced on Friday that Olbermann's show "Countdown" would be replaced by a new program called "Viewpoint" hosted by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, starting that night.
The sometimes volatile Current Olbermann came in June as the centerpiece of his new prime-time initiative, after a stormy eight years stint at MSNBC - his second on that network followed by his sudden departure in January 2011.
Shortly after, Current announced his recruitment - reportedly with a five-year, $ 50-million contract - as the beginning of an effort to network prime-time slate into progressive talk. His official title was chief news officer in charge of the editorial supervision of the network for all political news, commentary and current events programming.
In a statement, Current TV founder Al Gore and Joel Hyatt said the network is "based on the values of respect, openness, collegiality and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately, these values are reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we all ended. "
She offered no details, but it is known that the temperamental Olbermann repeatedly clashed with his employers. During the first season that he refused certain hours of the elections and has missed a number of regular broadcasts, but also complaining about technical problems he said undermined his show.
The present considered a number of those missed shows to be in "serial, material breach of his contract," Terming them "unauthorized absence", said a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because that person was not authorized to discuss details of Olbermann's dismissal.
"We are confident that our viewers can count on Governor Spitzer to critical information on a daily basis to deliver," Gore and Hyatt said in their "open letter" to viewers.
In a statement posted online, Olbermann countered that "the claims against me implicit in Current's statement are false and will be proven in the legal action I will submit this time against them."
He said he had tried "for more than a year" to his differences with Gore and Hyatt to solve internally, "while I am not publishing my complaints." Instead of "investing in a quality news program," he said, his bosses' thought it advantageous to try to get out of my contract. "
He called his decision to join Current "a sincere and well-meaning gesture on my part, but hindsight is a fool."
The break between Olbermann and his bosses echoed Olbermann past employment history. At NBC, there was constant friction between the brash host and his bosses, just as there had been in previous jobs as far back as Olbermann's star making, often tumultuous turn as a "SportsCenter" anchor on ESPN in 1990 .
A few weeks before his departure from MSNBC, Olbermann was almost fired, but instead was suspended for two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns.
In the heart of his complaint with MSNBC, as he later explained, was the media consolidation that he felt threatened his independence in the air.
In January 2011, Comcast Corp., the giant cable operator, acquired control over all of Olbermann's major employer, NBCUniversal.
The night of 21 January Olbermann told his viewers that he would leave. He said, somewhat cryptically, that "there were many occasions, particularly in the last two and a half years, where all that surrounded the show - but never the show itself -. Was just too much for me"
Afterwards, Power, the private network of co-founded in 2005 by former Vice President Gore and Joel Hyatt, seemed the perfect fit: It is an independent media outlet.
"Nothing is more important to my concept of a free media than news that is produced independently of corporate interference," Olbermann said in announcing his arrival to Current.
Current was then started her attempt to redefine itself after ditching its original concept as the go-to site for viewer-generated short videos.
Since "Countdown" premiered, Current has developed its prime-time lineup of liberals with "The Young Turks", organized by Cenk Uygur, and "The War Room" with former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.
This week there was a six-hour morning block conversation, with live broadcasts in the radio program "The Bill Press Show" and "The Stephanie Miller Show."
