The Final Countdown

In a surprise to many Keith Olbermann has abruptly counted down for the last time.

On Friday Mr. Olbermann announced he has taped the final edition of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and is leaving MSNBC.

During his farewell speech Mr. Olbermann did not give a reason for this sudden departure.

Mr. Olbermann has hosted the show on the cable network since 2003.

We have contacted NBC brass in attempt to get some kind of explanation for this change in programming, but as would be expected there is no response.

It would seem by the statement MSNBC put out that Mr. Olbermann will not be lurking in the hallways of Rockefeller Center anytime soon, rather by all appearances it seems he is gone for good from the cable news channel.

That statement reads,

"MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

Making this sudden departure baffling is "Countdown" was often MSNBC's highest rated program and is often cited as one of the main reasons for the network shifting to a liberal tone in recent years.

In his goodbye speech aired in the last minutes of his program Mr. Olbermann thanked the audience for sticking with him and read a James Thurber poem.

Speaking kindly of the audience the departing Mr. Olbermann said, "This may be the only television program where the host was much more in awe of the audience than vice versa."

Along with thanking the audience Mr. Olbermann thanked several other people at the network, but curiously omitted from the praise of thanks were MSNBC President Phil Griffin and NBC News President Steve Capus.

What fills the void now?

According to New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter MSNBC's new lineup will be, Lawrence O'Donnell anchoring at 8 p.m. EST and Ed Schultz anchoring at 10 p.m. EST, with Rachel Maddow staying at her current time slot.

The Speculation

From media pundits, gossip columnists to internet comment forms many people are chiming in on just what happened and what comes next.

Well, Nikki Finke and Nellie Andreeva at Deadline Hollywood report the the merger between Comcast and NBC-Universal may have had something to do with the sudden departure.

According to the Deadline founder and writer, respectively, there could be a political shift in the works,

[W]ord has been circulating for months now that the new owners have wanted to "tinker" with MSNBC and had many changes in store, including a right turn for the left-wing cable channel so that it represents both political points of view more evenly.

MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said the acquisition of NBC-Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval this week and set to be officially completed next week, had nothing to do with the decision.

Meanwhile over at The Daily Beast Howard Kurtz reports,

A knowledgeable official said the move had nothing to do with Comcast taking control of NBC next week, although the cable giant was informed when it received final federal approval for the purchase that Olbermann would be leaving the cable channel. This official described the dramatic divorce—Olbermann was about halfway through a four-year, $30-million contract—as mutual.

Olbermann, who quit MSNBC once before—in 1998, ripping his bosses in the process—almost single-handedly revived the network by leading it on a leftward march and aggressively attacking the rival operation he called Fox Noise. But his relations with top NBC and MSNBC executives sharply deteriorated when he was suspended for making donations to Democratic candidates, and they began to talk about how the channel was now on solid enough footing to survive without him.

[...]

At a meeting with Olbermann’s representatives last September, NBC chief executive Jeff Zucker and NBC News President Steve Capus said that some of their client’s behavior was unacceptable and had to stop. Griffin said that Olbermann’s personal problems were affecting his work and he looked angrier on the air, eclipsing the smart and ironic anchor they had once loved.

Likely in the days to come Mr. Olbermann's camp and the brass at NBC-Universal-Comcast (or whatever the new name of the merged corporation will be) will issue more statements and perhaps interviews in attempting to explain just what happened, along with maybe fueling more speculation.

Aside from speculating on just what led to the seemingly abrupt departure the next question is, where will Mr. Olbermann end up? Well, even if another media outlet wanted his services next week contractual obligations, by all appearances, are in the way as Mr. Olbermann still has about two years left on his $30 million, four year contract with MSNBC. So either, and this is all pure speculation at this point, NBC and company will force Mr. Olbermann on the bench to countdown the months until his contact comes to an end, or maybe the Rockefeller Center suits would be willing to accept a lucrative contract buyout.

[Saturday UPDATE: From the Huffington Post,

The New York Times' Bill Carter reports that Keith Olbermann's exit from MSNBC was "weeks in the making." According to Carter, Olbermann and MSNBC have both signed on to an agreement which bars Olbermann from returning to television for a period of time, though he is free to take a job on the Internet or the radio. Olbermann is also not allowed to comment publicly on the specifics of the deal, and there are restrictions on when he can give interviews about his departure.

Carter notes that the terms of the deal are similar to the one NBC struck with Conan O'Brien upon his exit from the network—exactly a year before Olbermann's.]