Aaron Brown: Olbermann Is "Smarter, Funnier, Better Read, And Eminently More Talented" Than O'Reilly

Aaron Brown is back. Earlier this week, it was reported that he will be joining PBS' "Wide Angle" show and now, in an interview with TVNewser's Gail Shister, he's throwing punches and taking sides in the Olbermann-O'Reilly battle:

Brown says he never felt like a real cable guy. That doesn't exclude him from having opinions about it, thankfully.

His take on the battle at 8 p.m. between MSNBC and Fox News Channel, for example:

Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly "are both larger-than-life figures," he says, but Olbermann is "smarter, funnier, better read and eminently more talented."

Read Shister's entire interview here.

Comments

[vonryansexpress]

For Mr. Brown to laud Mr. Olbermann over Mr. O'Reilly in the manner expressed suggests an animus predicated on something distinct from sincerity.

Having personally observed Mr. Brown preen at La Quinta Resort when his employer CNN was demanding his return from a bourgeois golf holiday to cover the Challenger explosion, I'll pass on fawning awe of his judgment.

Since Keith Olbermann's days in Los Angeles as a putative sportscaster on a local independent station, he's been the strangest thing on TV since Rev. Ike.

Mr. Reilly is an impassioned commentator with more than a bit of self-awareness. He is in the tradition of Joe Pyne. Passion is attractive on stage and in ‘l’amour’ but it makes for enmity by those with less to offer and less to announce. Just as Joe Pyne was bellicose and opinionated, so we see O’Reilly.

As to Olbermann's humor, you want funny? Go check the footage of him trying to talk sports with Los Angeles players in the early 1980's. They look at him like that little boy hostage did Saddam in the run up to the first gulf war ... can you say, incredulous?

I don't know how much Mr. O'Reilly or Mr. Olbermann read. One can listen to their use of language and determine which has likely gone past the sports page in any of the newspapers Mr. Brown loved to tell the CNN audience he routinely perused.

Intellectual nouveau riche is as tacky as it gets.

[DesertLight]

Not to mention Olbermann's fixation with BillO. I predict it will only be a matter of time before it takes him down. This guy is beyond arrogant and cocky.

[rgblue]

Olbermann has a bit of cockiness but most of them do. He's just more honest about it. When you're that good and sure of yourself it's bound to be the case. I couldn't care less about that.
The only part of his show I don't like is the part his producers force him to do.

His supposed "fixation" with Billo is enjoyment for him and his loyal listeners. I look forward to it. Far from taking him down, it's a money-maker for MSNBC.

[rgblue]

Oh, please....­. get a grip on reality.

There's no comparison, regardless of what anyone thinks of either of these men.

Olbermann is SO superior to O'Reilly it's ridiculous. To O'Reilly's credit, he knows it. That's why he's obsessed with Keith. It's a natural level of excellence he'll never have no matter what.

[DakotaMinnesota]

Mr. O'Reilly is an embezzling fascist mouthpiece with truly quite a bit of self-awareness.

Google "Smedley Butler." Thanks.

[fignozzle]

i wish everyone would watch countdown every day.
it is the closest thing we have to true reporting.

[Raymondf]

he he he he he he he ,your out of your mind.

[bigfated]

Keith Olbermann was the first talking head to get his head out of his ass and clearly examine the pathetic record of George "The Moron" Bush. And the first to go on a major TV show and give a perfectly accurate description of what Bush really is..."A CHEAP POLITICAL HACK!" Bingo, Keith! You nailed it! Good for you! There is absolutely nothing about the Bush family that is not cause to vomit blood. They are scum who have set out to destroy America---and the vile pigs almost succeeded! Why would anyone want to give McInsane a shot? He's simply more of the disgusting same.
And if I know Olbermann---if a Democrat is our next president----and he---or she---screws up....Olbe­rmann will be all over them too! But it is unlikely that ANYONE could be as much a loser as our so-called "War President.­" He's not just a schmuck...­.he's a certified, registered schmuck who really belongs in either a prison---or a zoo....wit­h the other chimps!

[mmmullen]

Billo is a GREAT American. How else would we know about the war on CHRISTMAS? And if GE's Immelt did not have him to answer to, who would he answer to? And if Bill didn't give Dick Morris a job, who would? And who else told the hard truth about Gitmo? It's a COUNTRY CLUB. Get over it. Can you name another TV star generous enough to give his young female producer MILLIONS? Even after she sued him for being a sex creep. That is a big man, I don't care what you say. Yes, any Fair and Balanced observer must conclude that Bill is the BOMB!

[queensboro]

holla if you hear me!

[ObserverinVancouver]

C'mon, tell us what you really think.

[CTmom13]

O'Reilly is another comedian like Rush Limbaugh.

[fignozzle]

i never laugh when i listen to those two.
bill o is a sleaze.
rush is a big fat ego.

[queensboro]

now who were you talking about again?

[surfcitysteven]

Did you hear what Rush said today? No?
Neither did he! PARUMPUM CRASHHHH!

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all the week!

[Scytherius]

lol. Talk about damning by faint praise. My dog is smarter and more well read than Bill O'Reilly

[Redrover666]

I want your breeder's phone number.
I'd like to have a dog with a Harvard education too.

[bygollymissmolly]

He may have a Harvard education, but something serious happened to him along the way to where he is now. Now he is dumb as dirt.

[Skool80]

It's not the education it's the way you use it.

See: Bush, George W.

[Skool80]

Ha! I just posted the exact same thing without reading your comment.

[seenitall]

bill-o needs to be back with Pat O'Brien reporting gossip and sh*t. what an idiot...

[ctbutte]

Hey Aaron, Don't be a hater dude.

Just because O'Relly has five times the audience that the sportscaster turned left wing paranoid does, don't get all bunged up.

Enjoy your new life at PBS with its 30 viewrs and Bill Moyers to boot.

[whiteboyblues]

Yeah and O'Reilly said we never invaded Iraq

[Scytherius]

Actually you are wrong. Olberman beats O'Reilly in the 25-54 Demographic (you know, the one's that spend money). O'Reilly does have better overall ratings (no by that much) once you include the old people. Furthermore, the only reason that Fox has significant viewership is that it is the ONLY place the wingnuts go. And since every study has shown that wingnuts are the least educated among us, they don't actually look at any other news outlets. (Would that I had some FLA swamp land). So while the rest of the world that doesn't drag it's knuckles is split up among all the news agencies, the wingnuts all congregate around one fire. So it is more appropriate to add up all the other news outlets and compare them against Faux News. When done, it is so far behind as to not be seen.

[ctbutte]

Your logic is a bit skewed dontcha think? I am a bit disappointed in that you failed to call me a mouthbreather, just a kuckledragger. But oh well. Say tell me something sparketta, if your Hero Olby is killing in the democgraphics race, then why oh why is he still stuck going up against Bill O? Seems to me that MSNBC would want hime to get in a slot where he could win somewhere.

Damn, there I go being all logical and making sense again. Forgot I was here at Huff Puff.

Go Obama

[Redrover666]

And apparently you think your little screed is some sort of evidence of intelligence life.

[nyboomer]

There have always been more idiots than bright people. That is 99% of the explanation for O'Reilly's greater audience. The other 1% are just clicking through.

[PansyRose]

ctbutte obviously is not intelligent enough to watch and appreciate all the excellent programs on public television. Keith Olberman's show is so superior to O'Rielly there is no comparison. Of course, all those who like hate and lies when they agree with them will watch Fox. Heaven, Fox cannot even get the correct Douglas who debated Lincoln--how lame is that!!!!!!!

[bygollymissmolly]

There are two reasons why O'Reilly has a larger audience than Olberman. The first is because he has the over 70 audience, and they are dying off faster than he is gaining new viewers. The second is because TV's in pretty much every bar and restaurant across the nation is turned into Fox at O'Reilly's time slot. They all get counted. The problem is, no one is listening. They are all too busy eating, drinking and talking.

Here's a funny story. I was in a bar in a hotel last year. The TV was on Fox. I was alone and I wanted to watch the news. I asked the bartender to please change to another channel so I could watch some real news. You know what he told me...that the TV only ran Fox. He couldn't turn it to another station. It was a feed from the national headquarters of the hotel chain. I was shocked. I then asked him if he could turn it off (no one else was at the bar at that time). He told me that he would be fired if the boss came in and saw the TV off. I wonder how much Fox pays bars, restaurants and hotels to keep their TV's tuned to their station.

[Raymondf]

O'Reilly's viewing audience is between 35- -65 do your research before you make a comment. He's done more to get perverts of the street than anyone on any network, exposed crooked judges, one for giving a guy a 60day sentence for rapeing a 6 year old for 4 years, exposed the quack doctor in kansas for doing illigal long term abortions, like I said do your reserch before you make a comment. O' Reilly is a good person just like Arianna even thouh she is miss guided politically.

[rgblue]

Sad statement about some Americans, but a great story.

[queensboro]

TELL ME THE CHAIN SO I CAN WATCH WHERE I SPEND MY MONEY

[surfcitysteven]

Comcast basic cable has FOX but not MSNBC. Trailer park people can't afford more that basic.

[Manx]

I miss Aaron Brown. CNN has been on the decline ever since he left. And he is right - Olbermann is brilliant. Too bad he can't replace Katie Couric on CBS but Aaron Brown is too principled a journalist to play the corporate media game.

[nyboomer]

I first ran across Aaron Brown when he worked at ABC doing the late night stint . That show was a major hoot. World News and a sense of humor tempered with intelligence. I especially like the Sumo wrestling reports each night.

[ObserverinVancouver]

I used to watch Aaron Brown a lot. Anderson Cooper gives me attention deficit disorder.

[TruthHandler]

Speaking of Oreilly, I have a question?

I was off a week last month and decided to watch FOX news channel all week to see why everyone says they are biased.
What I found is that they are a 24hour Rebublican commercial.

I don't see any Liberal leanings on CNN or MSNBC (except Keith Olbermann), but FOX is like Republican headquarters.

From what I understand, they get excellent ratings because every bigot and hatemonger has a Network to watch now, which means they actually do more to divide Americans.

My question is, Is this legal?
I mean McCain does not need any advertizing money on FOX.

[Redrover666]

You took a week off and watched FOX to see why everyone says it's biased!?

Are you some sort of nut?

[oldvet]

How could you stand to watch Fox for a whole week? The only thing worse would be to listen to Limbaugh.

[JohnDewey]

FOX News is a cable station, which means they're not using the, "public airwaves," hence they don't even have to pretend to be unbiased, if they don't wish to. FOX TV, OTOH, is a public broadcaster and therefore subject to the same restrictions as the big three - ABC, CBS & NBC.

Of course, Reagan ash-canned the equal time requirements years ago, Clinton enabled copyrights-for-life for the wealthiest media owners & Junior Bush packed the FCC with cronies and pro-business sycophants who green-lighted ridiculous levels of media consolidation. The end result - a tiny minority of filthy rich, right-wing corporate media factories who own/control nearly every available media outlet in America that isn't on the internet. Don't worry though, they have their sights set on the web next.

[Redrover666]

Brown's comments about Olbermann would have much more impact if anyone outside of the far left knew who the hell Brown and Olbermann were.

Do they have some sort of show on Air America or something?

[jmyoung666]

I don't believe either Brown or Olbermann qualify as the far left. They are both pretty centrist and more interested in Truth rather than politics.

[em0199]

Yeah kind of like the X-Files but with politics.

[LiberalBuzz]

Sure Red, keep telling yourself that. As though ANYONE believes anything you say anyway, but you just keep telling yourself that no one listens to people you don't like and I'm sure you'll sleep just fine at night.

MEANWHILE the rest of us who live in the real world know that Aaron and KO are two of the most honest journalists and I mean JOURNALISTS and not pandering rightwing sycophants who would sell their own mothers to horny Arabs for a "get" with the preznint.

So keep telling yourself all those silly little lies, no one here is buying them.

[Redrover666]

OK.
I don't dislike them.
I sleep really well.
About as many folks listen to me as Olbermann.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Welcome back, Aaron.

But come on, the sun DOES come up in the east.

[Bluedog12]

Bill O'Falafel is at home right now Aaron scribbling in a small wrinkled notebook the names Olberman, Immelt ...Brown!! GRRRR! You are in great company.

[getoffmedz]

Bill O'Reilly comes across like a drunken uncle ranting in a bar someplace.

He plays off emotion and irrational blather much like Limbaugh with a only slightly less irritating voice.

People who voted for Bush/Cheney, TWICE love these two faux-patriot noisemakers.

[Bluedog12]

Yeah, a drunken uncle choking on a falafel while trying to pick up a Coulter lookalike tranny..

[dutchess2]

Aaron Brown!

On CNN duty when 9/11 happened..

A really great and careful commentato­r...

So glad he's back where we can find him...

[nerakami]

Well, at least he nailed Bill O Reily dead on...