Keith Olbermann Responds To Spitzer & Parker: 'Best Of Luck'

Keith Olbermann is responding to the news that Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker will compete against him in the 8PM hour on CNN.

"As to Governor Spitzer and Ms. Parker, as they replace my old co-host Campbell as she replaced my friend Roland as he replaced Campbell as she replaced my old guest host Rick as he replaced Campbell as she replaced my old colleague Paula as she replaced my buddy Connie: best of luck," Olbermann told the Huffington Post.

Olbermann's comment underscores the number of CNN competitors he and rival Bill O'Reilly have outlasted at 8PM. "Countdown" launched on MSNBC in April 2003.

Olbermann also responded to Greta Van Susteren's comment that the new show will be bad news for "Countdown."

"CNN just announced that it has a new 8pm show coming up with Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer. This is bad news for Keith Olbermann since if CNN is to be successful, it will have to draw viewers from Keith Olbermann's viewers," Van Susteren wrote on her blog. The total number of cable news viewers seems to be a limited number so they have to grab from Olberman [sic]."

Olbermann's response: "Since Greta agrees with me that Countdown's the only news show not on CNN at 8 PM, I guess she's right."

Van Susteren also explained why she exempted O'Reilly from her analysis:

(You might ask why I don't mention above Bill O'Reilly whose FNC's O'Reilly Factor also airs at 8pm? That's obvious -- O'Reilly is SO FAR AHEAD OF EVERYONE IN ALL OF CABLE NEWS that NO ONE can lay a glove on him. No one even tries to compete with O'Reilly so I don't include him in this discussion! O'Reilly dominates the cable news business. He has been #1 - by a giant margin - in ALL of cable for almost 10 years. )

Comments

[BOin08]

07:20 AM on 07/11/2010

Maybe Spitzer will format his show that attacks only the higher rated competion? Assumig KO can beat him ratings...

[lifepanels]

02:54 PM on 06/30/2010

There's no excuse good enough for what he subjected his family to. But, I have to say I think he did a fine job subbing for Ratigan. As a matter of fact, I liked watching Spitzer more. And Parker is a conservative who appears to be reasonable at times. I say at times.

That said, my channel stays on MSNBC from 5-10 every night. And now that Lawrence will be on at 10, I'll get one more hour of good honest news and commentary from the best in the business.

[BOin08]

07:57 PM on 06/28/2010

Client #9 has no chance against KO in TV ratings...although they both "date" women half their age I see little else in common and Eliot will draw no viewers from Keith.

[BOin08]

08:33 PM on 06/28/2010

"I'm sleeping with someone half my age" cool points or prison?

[GAYF]

01:08 PM on 06/26/2010

Although it is crushingly sad that a non-news commentator, like O'Reilly, has more viewers than Olbermann, it is not rocket science to know why. The overwhelming majority of Americans who view public media are clones of O'Reilly, so why the surprise at his larger numbers? I prefer quality to quantity. Olbermann, and the entire MSNBC evening line-up are superior in intellect, education, research abilities and practices, information and presentation across a broader spectrum of news and information than the O'Reilly watchers and his network could muster in several centuries--at the very least.

I've tried CNN and am bored in less than five minutes. I can hear the hollow balls rolling in the heads of their talkers. Let us hope that few of us get all of our news and commentary from any public medium.

Olbermann can hold his own, although I do wish he could forget the FOX Noise bobbing heads for a month or more in his "worse..." series.

[murphysgirl]

09:35 PM on 06/25/2010

Way to go KO!!

[yeswecanjane]

09:34 PM on 06/29/2010

GO Keith GO!

[MickleVonTickle]

07:58 PM on 06/25/2010

lol- I wonder if Olbermann has ever seen his own show. Probably not, as there is no possible way a reasonable person (assuming he is reasonable) could confuse that vacuous, self-righteous man's tripe for news. I've watched something occur live one day on one station, then watched it be completely misrepresented and taken out of context on his "news" show the next. True garbage.

That, of course, doesn't suggest Bill O'Reilly is, or isn't, any better. Though I guess his several million viewer audience might think he is...

[Catfish1968]

01:05 AM on 06/26/2010

I disagree

[RockiesRiter]

01:24 PM on 06/26/2010

Self-righteous? At times. Vacuous? Never. Ratings does not reflect quality, as anyone who has watched Jersey Shore can attest. But trying to explain that to the more-equals-better crew is just a matter of pearls before swine. Now would that "one station" you watched something occur live be Fox? And would that "something" be a Tea Party rally or the 9/12 march?

[JoeyPolanski]

07:35 PM on 06/25/2010

BillO won't need his boots cleaned for quite a while ... with Greta down on her knees lickin' 'em like that.

[lennapae]

09:02 AM on 06/26/2010

Why do progressive hate successful people?

[cityprof]

09:54 AM on 06/26/2010

Because Greta and Bill O are themselves such haters. I can see you being one as well.

[genjac3213]

12:01 PM on 06/26/2010

O'Reilly has a "pinhead" segment dedicated to people he hates, including people who are very successful. But, like most conservatives you can dish it but can't take it.

[samtee]

06:46 PM on 06/25/2010

No one will watch either Bill owns that time on fox he gets four times the viewer than the next and it sure isn't Keith.

[chromodynamics]

07:13 PM on 06/26/2010

I don't know what is worse, your grammar or your lack of facts.

[trishinpitt]

10:39 AM on 06/28/2010

That is a close call.... Apparently, Samtee's keyboard lacks punctuation symbols and his brain lacks the ability to verify statistics.

[mtrem]

10:51 AM on 06/28/2010

Huh???

[LucieLee]

02:29 PM on 06/25/2010

Keith.....You're a class act!!

[Tena]

11:38 PM on 06/25/2010

Agreed - Keith is a class act.

Elliot Spitzer sure isn't a class anything. And Greta? She's a nonentity.

[NSeagle78]

08:28 AM on 06/26/2010

yes

[lew]

01:09 PM on 06/25/2010

What the heck has Greta got going for her. I'd be worrying about my own show if i were her. I'm not sure what her schtick even is these days and why she even has a show. Go Keith, at least he was classy about the newcomers. Time will tell if they make it or not but why is Great still here?

[ThomB3]

05:52 AM on 06/26/2010

You apparently didn't detect the snarky undertone of Olbermann's remark. It wasn't classy. You don't go through all the people you've basically "survived" as competitors, when wishing your next competitor "good luck." He was basically saying, "...Next!"

Forgot to add: Nothing about Olbermann -- other than his treatment of Rachel Maddow and his own family -- seems "classy." At least, nothing he shows on air. And it's laughable that he can call his televised hour a "news show" when he very, very rarely (extremely rarely) has on anyone who disagrees with him to a great degree. (Such as any kind of conservative.)

[mtrem]

10:59 AM on 06/28/2010

It's all in the eyes of the beholder. Snarkey to one is well placed and well deserved tongue in cheek humor to another. Myself, ORielly makes me ill with his self-riteous proclamations. Can't stand him....Every month or so I give him a chance and last no more than 2 minutes while I find Olberman entertaining and informative..

[NSeagle78]

08:29 AM on 06/26/2010

She licks Palin boots when O'liely gives her time off.

[goodmarina]

01:02 PM on 06/25/2010

What can I say ... KO's still got it!

[regularguynyc]

11:43 AM on 06/25/2010

This is entertainment and CNN finally "got it", so now they will present their own version of the train wreck that is "Countdown"...People will watch just to see if Spitzer can keep his pants on while sitting opposite an attractive woman, which is certainly more interesting to watching Olby work himself into a lather while staring cross eyed into the camera....Olbermann will be back in his mothers basement working on his baseball card collection in 6-8 months...

[Fretslayer]

11:39 AM on 06/25/2010

Every time I see Greta...

...I miss my horse.

[goodmarina]

01:01 PM on 06/25/2010

LMAO

[ThomB3]

05:56 AM on 06/26/2010

Can't believe someone fanned you for that.
How rude. But typical for someone frequenting this site and clearly isn't hurt for her appearance but due to guilt by association (her employer).
Are you a Daily KOSer, by chance?

[mescalitospoke]

07:11 AM on 06/26/2010

I'd assign guilt to anyone who found someone like Palin "inspirational". I'd immediately distrust their motives, or at least their judge of character. She took a swipe at Olbermann, and rather than mirror that calculation he took the opportunity to swipe at her employer, that's way more classy. We probably have a different definition though, mine is not exclusive to people with lady parts. Though I will add Rachel is the best thing on television, since the television signal, I'd take one Rachel for five Keiths, and about 6 million Gretas.

[Fretslayer]

11:57 PM on 06/26/2010

No, I don't go to Daily Kos but just because I'm sort of on the busy side. Perhaps I'll check it out. Thanks for the suggestion. As for being 'rude'... Uh, have you heard some of the nasty things the Reich Wing say about their enemies in America?

Are you a victim of the GOP Propaganda Network by any chance? If my comment was '...typical for someone frequenting this site' why then did you feel the need to point out my comment and call me a name?
How rude of you, sir. How rude of you! LOL!

Guilt By Association? Not really... More like I remember her when she was still on CNN. My dislike or any other feelings I may have toward her has nothing to do with her being a talking meat puppet of the NeoCon's 'Destroy America' agenda.

Plus...
I really did have a horse.
He was a Colonial Spanish Mustang.
I had to sell him when I moved.
Maybe... just maybe, her hair is the same color as his fur.
Ever think that might have been it or did you mean that you think she has a face like a horse?

Because if you did think that...
...I'm right there with ya!

Have a nice day!
:D

[racine111]

11:35 AM on 06/25/2010

Keith Olbermann, tells the truth and you can't lose when you tell the truth.

[Shashi0224]

11:25 AM on 06/25/2010

Freudian slip Greta.......oops!!