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[Mr. Roboto]

Keith Olbermann will return to cable television this spring as host of a new primetime news and commentary show on Current TV.
"Nothingis more vital to a free America than a free media," Olbermann toldreporters Tuesday. "And nothing is more vital to my concept of a freemedia than news that is produced independent of corporate interference."

Olbermann, who abruptly left MSNBC last month following high-profile battles with the network brass, will also take on a management role at Current, the public affairs network founded in 2005 by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.The veteran broadcaster will be be chief news officer, a role thatallows Olbermann to help shape the network's editorial programming.

HiringOlbermann is a bold move for Current, which has struggled with itsidentity since launching as a mix of in-house programming and"pods"—short, viewer-generated videos. The network dropped the "pods" concept in 2009 amid other staff changes. (Current also partnered briefly with Yahoo! a few years back).

Nowwith Olbermann at the network—which also cut him in on some equity inthe business—Current will boast one of the most recognizable liberalvoices in media five nights a week.

Olbermanncalled the move to Current his "most exciting venture" in adecades-long television career that's included stops at CNN, ESPN, FoxSports, and MSNBC (twice!). He described Current as "one of thefastest-growing television networks in history."

Currentis available in 60 million households. Gore, on the conference call,suggested that Current has a larger potential audience than MSNBC hadwhen Olbermann launched "Countdown" in 2003. (MSNBC, however, wasavailable in over 78 million homes then and 95 million now). Current isalso available in 15 million households outside the United States.

"We now live in a world with fewer and fewer opportunities to hear truly unique, truly unfettered voices on television," Gore said during the conference call, noting that Olbermann's voice is truly "unique."

Olbermanndidn't hold back his political views on "Countdown," but he got intotrouble in November after donating to three Democratic candidates inwithout alerting MSNBC's management. Those contributions led to a brief, November suspension that set the stage for his departure a couple months later.

Goresaid that Olbermann, along with other Current employees, is free tocontribute to political campaigns as long as the donations aredisclosed.

Olbermann hits the air this spring, but Current didn't announce what time his show will air each night.

Update: This post did not previously note that MSNBC was available in over 78 million homes in 2003.

(Screengrab of Olbermann on Oct. 27, 2010: AP/MSNBC)




http://news.yahoo.co...how-this-spring

[Mr. Roboto]

I liked him better when Bush was president. Ben what's his face impression of him on SNL was funny as hell though.

[Austin]

I used to watch him 2-3 times a week but I can honesty say I don't really miss him even a little bit. But we're in day 2 of Jon Daily and Steven Cobert's vacations and I'm going stir-scary without my daily fix of those two guys.

I look forward to his return. I didn't get to watch him every night, but, like you, I would catch his show a two to three times a week. I like the idea of a sort of loud mouthed liberal on TV. But, strangely, I don't miss his program either! lol I will check out the new channel when he comes back though.

[Austin]

I used to watch him 2-3 times a week but I can honesty say I don't really miss him even a little bit. But we're in day 2 of Jon Daily and Steven Cobert's vacations and I'm going stir-scary without my daily fix of those two guys.

I look forward to his return. I didn't get to watch him every night, but, like you, I would catch his show a two to three times a week. I like the idea of a sort of loud mouthed liberal on TV. But, strangely, I don't miss his program either! lol I will check out the new channel when he comes back though.

I think I liked him mostly because he bugged the conservatives as much as Beck bugs me.

Me too! lol