Countdown Tops CNN Again, But Rates Better Without Olbermann (Olbermann a drag on his own ratings)

Mediaite ^ | 3/30/10 | Steve Krakauer

[highlander_UW]

MSNBC continues its dominance of CNN during prime time as the 2nd place cable news outlet, while CNN remains ahead during dayside hours (with Fox News dominating in 1st place in both categories).

But a strange thing happened in the first quarter of 2010 – the 8pmET landmark show Countdown fared better without regular host Keith Olbermann than with him.

[iowamark]

Libs fighting over last place. I wish it was that way on Election Day.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Keithie The Bum Lay is also a Bum Host

[Brett66]

Then why wouldn’t they get rid of Olbermann and give the show to whoever replaced him?

They must like his particular brand of poison.

[Parley Baer]

I wonder what CNN’s ratings would be if they were not in most airports in the country?

[highlander_UW]

Then why wouldn’t they get rid of Olbermann and give the show to whoever replaced him?

That is a very good question. His form of idiocy doesn't even sell well with liberals.

[ansel12]

Countdown fared better without regular host Keith Olbermann than with him.

I'm not in the entertainment business but I have worked in the restaurant business, and and keeping Olbermann in the job seems a little like selling a meal for ten dollars, that costs twelve dollars to make.

[SmokingJoe]

Countdown fared better without regular host Keith Olbermann than with him.

The only thing is, the guy that replaced him in March, one Lawrence O’Donnell, is if anything, even crazier than Olbermann is. Remember this?

[ansel12]

I don’t get to watch them, so I have to read the descriptions by you guys.

[highlander_UW]

I'm not in the entertainment business but I have worked in the restaurant business, and and keeping Olbermann in the job seems a little like selling a meal for ten dollars, that costs twelve dollars to make.

And I haven't been in the restaurant business but I have been in purchasing and inventory management and worked closely with marketing...there's such a thing as loss leaders, but it's not rational to have one that has a residual loss for everything involved. Whatever management MSNBC has isn't very bright.

[ansel12]

I wasn’t thinking of a loss leader, I just meant that you have to stop the insanity and lose the item that is costing you money.

[highlander_UW]

I wasn’t thinking of a loss leader, I just meant that you have to stop the insanity and lose the item that is costing you money.

I was wondering if Olbermann was a loss leader to get the crazy left wing into MSNBC programming...but then I realized...nah...their regular programming fits that demographic already so they don't need a loss leader.

[Stosh]

“...the 8pmET landmark show Countdown fared better without regular host Keith Olbermann than with him”

A subset of the proposition that anything would fare better without Keith Olbermann than with him.

[highlander_UW]

A subset of the proposition that anything would fare better without Keith Olbermann than with him.

I just did a scientific test of that proposition. I took a bit of a cookie while thinking about Olbermann, and then I took a bite of the same cookie thinking about something other than Olbermann...the second bite was better than the first. So I scientifically proved your proposition, at least in regard to cookies.

[Ticonderoga34]

Then why wouldn’t they get rid of Olbermann and give the show to whoever replaced him?

I've been reading that MSNBC wants rid of Olbermann and is looking for excuse to dump him.

My guess is that MSNBC doesn't want to fire Olbermann and pay off his contract and is looking to fire him for violating his contract or something like that.