Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann (born January 27, 1959 in New York City, New York) is an American news anchor and former sportscaster. He currently hosts Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, an hour-long nightly newscast that counts down the top news stories of the day.

Return to reporting

Olbermann left Fox Sports in 2001 for "other opportunities" and kept a relatively low-profile. He worked for a time as a regular contributor on CNN and provided twice-daily sports commentary on the ABC Radio Network. The attacks of September 11, 2001 provided the impetus for Olbermann to return to full fledged news reporting. He won an Edward R. Murrow Award for reporting from the site of the attacks for 40 days on ABC Radio.

Related Topics:
2001 - CNN - ABC Radio Network - Attacks of September 11, 2001 - Edward R. Murrow Award

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Olbermann was rehired by MSNBC in early 2003 as a substitute host on Nachman and as an anchor for MSNBC's coverage of the war in Iraq. His own show, Countdown, debuted shortly thereafter on March 31, 2003 in the 8pm ET timeslot previously held by Phil Donahue's show. On October 13, 2004, Olbermann launched Bloggermann, his Countdown weblog, hosted on MSNBC.com. Olbermann leverages the open format of the blog to expound on facts or ideas alluded to in the broadcast, to offer personal musings and reactions, and to break news at odd hours. As such, he has distinguished himself by making inroads into the blogosphere and bridging the gap between the "mainstream media" and the "new media".

Related Topics:
War in Iraq - March 31 - 2003 - Phil Donahue - October 13 - 2004 - Weblog - Blogosphere - Mainstream media - New media

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Some conservatives feel that Olbermann's reporting carries a liberal bias. Olbermann insists that he is nonpartisan claiming he has taken shots at both sides.

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In June of 2005, it was announced that Olbermann was returning part-time to his former employer, co-hosting the second hour of his friend and former colleague Dan Patrick's three-hour weekday program on ESPN Radio.

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According to Dash Riprock of americanpolitics.com, Olbermann "tells the truth, and he does it in a sharp, subtlety stated, but unmistakable style. It's sad to realize that it is truly such an oddity these days to see someone with those qualities on TV." http://www.americanpolitics.com/20030401punditpap.html

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