Keith Olbermann Leaves MSNBC

By Brian Scott
Jan 22 2011

Keith Olbermann, veteran television anchor for MSNBC, announced last night that he is being forced out after the merger between NBC and Comcast. The new merger heads decided that the risk of Olbermann, who has ruffled feathers over the past two years, is just too great for their programming schedule.

Olbermann was suspended late last year after it was learned that he donated to several different democratic political campaigns. His suspension was short-lived though and he was soon back on the air and causing issues for the producers of the show.

He has long been known for his leftist views on the political spectrum and is almost universally hated by newspapers and news outlets around the world. Over the past two years he has been especially hard on the New York Post who referred to him as “An old gas-bag” during their reporting of his event.

Olbermann told his viewers during last night’s program that he has struck a deal with the network. He will receive his full salary to end his contract, which will total about $7 million per year for the next two years. Furthermore, he will not work for another competing network for at least 9 months.

Despite his ability to raise the rancor of many around the world, his television show was the highest ranked program for MSNBC for the past 8 years. Many enjoyed watching as he ripped apart the federal government on issues from economy to environment on a nightly basis.