The big media news last Friday was that controversial, popular and profitable MSNBC Countdown host Keith Olbermann announced that show was at an end and that he and MSNBC would not be working together anymore.
The Twitterverse quickly exploded with talk about it, ranging from suggestions that Olbermann’s departure was some sort of Comast/NBCU merger conspiracy to the fact that it was a miracle that the mercurial Olbermann has lasted eight years at the network.
Today the debate started shifting to the question of whether there would be a negative economic fallout for MSNBC from the loss of Olbermann.
Here are a series of stories you should take a look at as we try to understand what happened and what it means for the media world:
- The Plum Line: Olbermann’s Legacy
- NPR: Comcast had nothing to do with Olbermann leaving
- Mediaite: Why didn’t MSNBC properly “manage” Olbermann?
- Comedy Central: Stephen Colbert mocks Olbermann
- NY Times: Olbermann and MSNBC had years of tension
- Cagel: Cartoons about Olbermann
- Leonard Pitts: On Olbermann’s suspension in November for political contributions
And what might Olbermann’s plans for the future be???