Ratings are in for MSNBC and the other cable news networks for the first full quarter since its highest-rated host, Keith Olbermann, abruptly left the network, reports the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog, and it appears that the channel is holding up just fine.
On weekdays in prime time, MSNBC averaged 945,000 total viewers during the second quarter, or about 3% more than it had a year earlier, the story says. Fox News averaged 2.1 million viewers during the period, while CNN averaged 768,000 viewers.
Olbermann’s replacement at 8 p.m., "The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell," averaged 974,000 viewers during the period, which the piece calls "only a small dip" from the 1.06 million viewers who previously tuned in for Olbermann’s "Countdown."
In his new job on Current TV, Olbermann wasn’t on the air for much of the period. But his new Current TV show drew 354,000 viewers during its first week, the story says.
Olberman is a blow-hard.
He use to be a very good sports announcer and anchor, but now, even when talking sports, he is a pompous, arrogant ass.
KO needs to be humbled. Lose his job and take a weekend sports anchor job in Anchrage, Alaska!