posted January 21, 2011 10:50 PM            

NEW YORK — Keith Olbermann is leaving MSNBC and has announced that Friday's "Countdown" show will be his last.

In a very abrupt exit typical of his often unpredictable behavior, Olbermann did not explain why he was leaving.

In a statement, MSNBC said : “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.”

MSNBC announced that “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell would replace “Countdown” at 8 p.m., with “The Ed Show” with Ed Schultz taking Mr. O’Donnell’s slot at 10 p.m., The New York Times reported. \

Olbermann did not discuss any future plans, but NBC executives said one term of his settlement will keep him from moving to another network for an extended period of time, the Times reported.

Olbermann, who had signed a four-year contract extension in 2008 for an estimated $30 million, had hosted “Countdown” at 8 p.m. since 2003 and it became the foundation of the channel’s surge to status as the second-ranked news channel on cable television, after Fox News, surpassing the one-time leader CNN.

Olbermann’s often controversial support of liberal positions and Democratic candidates had boosted MSNBC, but it was an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to rival Fox News as a voice of the political left.

Olbermann challenged Fox News publicly on numerous occasions, especially the top-rated cable host Bill O’Reilly, whom he regularly tweaked and frequently placed in the top circle of infamy on a segment Olbermann called “The Worst Person in the World,” the Times pointed out.

Yet he never approached O’Reilly's popularity.

posted January 22, 2011 02:22 PM            

If Olbermann has just quit he would not have been eligible for any further renumeration...he, having broken...violated the terms of his contract with MSNBC.

posted January 22, 2011 08:53 PM            

In several other articles they stated that that Olb was on the outs with MSNBC and several time they almost fired him. He was suspended for putting out there that he supported specific democrat candidates which is a big No No as far as the station is concerned.

posted January 23, 2011 02:06 PM            

either olbermann is a complete nutter for signing such a contract or something OFF is in the mix. i don't watch these shows so i'm not in a position to judge his character or intelligence, just saying that with so much rumour, innuendo and outright lying going on in the media it is wise to check before concluding anything.

posted January 23, 2011 08:57 PM            

Nope, it doesn't sound odd to me at all. When I left my biotech company I had a non-compete clause in my contract that I had to follow for 1 year (it could have been five but since I left on good terms as I was moving to AZ, it was reduced). That meant I could not for another biotech company that dealt in the same type of research or products. I also had a 5 year confidentiality agreement, again, that meant that I could not dicuss any of the company's research, products or inside business information. That expired in 2009.

According to an article I read in the AZ Republic this morning, that Olbermann was very difficult to get along with and had often threatened to leave. He had major issues in the past with MSNBC and other employers (he was described as "mercurial" but if they wanted to continue to keep him, then so be it. But, MSNBC, unlike other stations, has it in their contract that their news people are not allowed to contribute to political parties without prior approval. He went against that contract clause and was suspended.

That is also not unheard of as working with the Military, I cannot endorse any political candidate during work hours or as a rep of the Military. The same holds true for anyone in uniform. It is to prevent the appearance of the company, network or organization endorsing a candidate or party.