Party For Olbermann Doubles As Taunt To CNN

Tonight, NBC is throwing a party to celebrate Keith Olbermann's 5th anniversary at "Countdown" — and it just happens to be in CNN's backyard. NBC head honcho Jeff Zucker, NBC News president Steve Capus and NBC News senior VP/MSNBC overseer Phil Griffin are hosting the party at none other than Landmarc in the Time Warner Center — a stone's throw from where former NBC-er and current Olbermann challenger Campbell Brown will be broadcasting live.

A little uptown for this particular gang, given how publicly they all came together in midtown earlier this year in their collective home at 30 Rock, no? Wouldn't it make more sense just to find a spot in midtown within walking distance, so that maybe even former MSNBC GM and now 9 p.m. host Dan Abrams could attend? Well sure — unless you're a perennial third-place network trying to send a message to your nearest competitor, on whom you just happen to have been gaining steadily in recent months. Surely the mass exodus up to Landmarc can't just be the spaghetti carbonara (which is apparently delicious, according to a CNN staffer who's actually eaten there)?

Indeed it is not. "We thought it would be fun to hold Keith's party in the building where the third place 8 p.m. cable news show is produced," said MSNBC spokesperson Jeremy Gaines. Gaines is referring to CNN's "Election Center," which Brown recently took over after returning from maternity leave. In March, "Countdown" beat "Election" center, so Gaines is technically correct — though for the entire first quarter of 2008, "Election Center" was ranked 6th among cable news shows in the 8 p.m. timeslot, where Olbermann ranked 20th. In March, Olbermann averaged 1,080,000 total viewers and and 382,000 viewers in the demo, while Brown averaged 995,000 total viewers and 325,000 in the demo. That number was slightly higher than the average for "Countdown's" quarter (1,033,000), which an MSNBC press release said was Olbermann's best-ever. It should be noted that the numbers for Brown — under 100,000 total viewers behind — represented her first-ever.

The upshot? CNN and MSNBC are duking it out for second place after Fox — which remains the clear leader — taking it to a bare-knuckles fight on a timeslot-per-timeslot basis, in total viewers and in the demo. Olbermann beat Brown, but CNN won 8 p.m. in March overall. CNN won the demo in the first quarter of 2008...but MSNBC and CNN tied in the demo for March. While CNN is still in second place, MSNBC continues to breathe down its neck — and tonight, that breath will be so close it might even waft up to CNN, with the faint smell of spaghetti carbonara.

CNN declined to comment on the matter. But who knows, maybe in 5 years Brown will be celebrating her anniversary at the Rainbow Room.

Comments

[Busterdawg]

I have grown weary of the Hillary Bash-fest that Countdown has become over the past few months. Olbermann is CLEARLY for Obama, which is fine, he just needs to come out and preface every Countdown Show with that. To feign neutrality as he did in his "Special Comment" slam on Hillary a few weeks back made him look foolish.

Olbermann thinks he's Edward R. Murrow. But he overlooks the fact that Murrow was a journalist. Which Olbermann is not.

Olbermann is a news COMMENTATOR, just like Bill O'Reilly. Neither are objective nor journalists.

[Weathermaker]

Rachel Maddow will host Countdown tomorrow. :)

[barackingthevote247]

That would be sooo wonderful.... i'm def watching just to see what the big surprise is

[stepintothelight]

That's what I thought they were hinting last night. I am excited to see her in the Big chair. I hope MSNBC is grooming her. Even more hopefully they will pay her the money they save by getting rid of Buchannan and Scarborough.

[Busterdawg]

I want Buchannan and Scarborough to stay. I don't want MSNBC to become the Fox News of the Left.

[NarcissisticFibrosis]

CNN and MSNBC split the blue demo, Fox has the red demo to itself.

The more centrist MSNBC becomes the better. Replacing Tucker Carlson with Dan Abrams may have been a mistake. They need more balance, which CNN and Fox don't even feign.

[barackingthevote247]

Then they need moderates.. not conservatives like tucker.... i think scarborough is the type they need more of because he's not a stark contrast to the rest of the channel

[roncraw]

Once Hillary gone he won't have anyone to bash,so what is he going to do for an hour.

[igiveup]

Bash Bill-O!

[JJI]

I love that Olbermann does not shy away from his time as a sportscaster.

Just once, it would be refreshing for O'Reilly to say, "You know, back when I was on Inside Edition . . ."

[mellene]

It's time that NBC give Olbermann some time weekly on the network. He's clearly a favorite across the board with cable audiences and a fine commentator. I'd like to see a match up between him and Anderson Cooper going over the issues sometime.

[kingofscotts]

They just did. They gave him a primetime spot.

He tanked.

He was beat by a rerun of "King of the Hill"

Actually I believe he took last place overall.

[barackingthevote247]

Lets remember this was SUNDAY night... not a much-watched timeslot

[not one of the sheep]

Olberwho?? Tried to watch his swill but found it too intellectually repulsive. Good show to fight insomnia though, knock you right out.

[Binea]

You speak about the 18-34 year olds in such a disdainful way.This crop of young people are far more astute than any generation before ,because of the internet.They actually research the candidates and compare and contrast their views,rather than just let the TV tell them who they should vote for.This is why both Obama and Ron Paul have gained the most young voters.BTW.. OLBERMAN,I see that you have been going after walmart,could you do some of us a favor? Go after Home Depot and Low's as well,they are killing the smaller hardware stores business,and hurting small contractors like my husband.They are hurting small construction contractors by their expanding into offering very very low prices in work that used to go to small contractors.

[pennyfortheguy]

Astute? Gen iPod? The deadly Halo3 crowd? Surely you jest. Old age and treachery shall overcome youth and ambition.

[Binea]

I don't think my other post made it,when I posted it,it stalled.so forgive me if it made it and I repeat myself.I used to be a FoxNews watcher only,but when the treated Ron Paul ( the lone republican that voted no on Iraq) so badly,even keeping him out of one of their debates,using a lame excuse ( we are only allowing the front guys)when Paul was consistently beating out Guliani in votes,yet they let him in that same debate,I saw Fox for what it is.To make an even longer story short,I started watching CNN and Olberman,and Chris Mathews.As a wishy washy O'Rielly fan,I dispised Olberman before..sorry.Although I never could stomach O'Rielly's narcistic personality,butI respected him and still do for all his work in calling attention to this country's horrible protection of children from Predators,he has helped get Jessic's law passed in many states by his shaming them and hounding them.But I no longer dispise Olberman just because he dispises O'Reilly lol,in Fact I like Olberman quite a bit now that I have watched his show for the last few months.anyway..what I'm trying to say is..You have a new cross over fan Olberman..keep up the good work.

[Charmed]

I switched to MSNBC when Campbell Brown came back....there is just something about her style that I don't like......and Lou Dobbs really needs to stop saleing that damn book.....Glenn Beck looks like he's going to breakdown and cry at any moment.....

I think my favorite person on CNN is David Gergen(sp) he seems to be fair and balance.....

[NWReader]

I switched to MSNBC when CNN sacked Aaron Brown. Stupid, stupid, dumb, asinine move. But I loves me my Keith!

[mojomagic]

I like David Gergan too. He has worked in both R. and D. administrations and appears to be unbiased. He is also very politically astute. I used to like Cooper when he first came on, but now I think he, too, shows some bias, and is definitely an effete snob. Oh where are the newsmen like Morrow, Cronkite and Dan Rather in his younger days? Now we have the immature starstruck Chris, and even KO has become an effete snob and like Chris biased.

[Roose]

Congratulations Keith, may you have many more anniversaries. Love you and your show.

[Witchitalineman]

I love Keith Olbermann. However, MSNBC has to do a lot more to make itself a believe cable news network. It can start by taking off all the sex and crime predatory programs in the evening. It's hard to square contemplating the seriousness of economic and world issues one minute, followed the next minute by a sexual deviant praying on a child. Common get it together and maybe this network will be taken seriously.

[RIBassist]

I agree 100%. The endless repeats of the same episodes of "Lockup Raw" night after night simply degreades the credibility of the network. Are they utterly without any creative thinkers at MSNBC? There's got to be some better programming they could develop to follow Abrams.

[barackingthevote247]

Ok dream MSNBC weekday schedule:

5 pm hardball
6 pm (after race for the white house is over) rachel maddow + david gregory (or shuster)
7 pm a moderate person.. like eugene robinson (?)
8 pm Keith
9 pm Verdict with Abrams
10 pm-10 30 highlights of hardball
10 30- 11 pm highlights of maddow+ gregory hour
11 pm lockup or lockdown whatever the hell its called
12 am repeat all

[irishgawdess]

Congratulations Keith! You make watching the news bearable.

[longislandlol]

Love Keith--- he should get the Schieffer gig when that great one retires after the inauguration-- as for Obama-- couldn't think of anyone better for him to hire to head up his Press than Olbermann--- what intelligent and informative Press Conferences under Olbermann' tutelage--- the Public would love it-- and I hear Keith gets along with everyone in the Press-- with a few possible exceptions from FOX--

[rucognizant]

Evening news died along with Peter Jennings!
Dan Rather got rushed out of CBS & Brochaw retired.
I just had my satillite turned off.
The whole sound thing they ALL insist on gives you ADHD & brain cramps!
However in defense of Dan Abrams ( who I find rude and too ready to interrupt his guests)
DID get Don Siegelman freed from jail inAlabama to testify to Congress.
THAT'S what news journalists are SUPPOSED to do. Sound the alarm when injustices are committed!
I don't evenKNOW what numbers to punch for FOX! A relative prefers that to CNN & the gaps in his
political awareness are so glaring, it's obvious he needs to change the channel!

[deke33]

Keith's litany of all the reasons Bush gave for getting us into and conducting this war is an eye opener. One knows that those who change their stories so frequently are never familiar with something known as the truth. It ought to be made into a campaign video.