Keith Olbermann will be Chief News Officer as well as host of a nightly news program slated to begin in late spring on Current TV, the former MSNBC host said on a conference call with reporters this morning. He’ll have an equity stake in the company and will be responsible for adding new personalities and executive producing other programming as well as carrying his weeknightly news and commentary show.
The name, time and start date of the program are yet to be determined. Current is available via cable and satellite TV in 60 million households in the U.S. In Denver the network is available through Comcast (Channel 107); DirecTV (Channel 358), and Dish Network (Channel 196).
Current TV executives noted they pursued Olberman vigorously once his contract with MSNBC was ended in January.
“He’s done it twice before,” Current TV’s co-founder Joel Hyatt said of Olbermann’s ability to turn an also-ran network into a real contender. He built “SportsCenter” at ESPN and helped MSNBC evolve from an unknown, ultimately creating a lineup. “Three times is a charm.”
Al Gore, Current TV co-founder, said Olbermann will be allowed to donate to political candidates of his choice, a sticky issue that got the host in trouble with his previous employer. “We believe at Current TV that every citizen has freedom of speech, which includes the ability to donate to candidates of your choice. As news organization, we also believe full disclosure is important.”
Olbermann pledged a fuller description of what exactly happened between him and MSNBC at some point in the future. For now, he said, he is content to focus on launching his new gig at the fully independent Current TV.
Asked his feelings on the difficulties of corporate influences on the news and the importance of editorial independence, he gave a measured response:
“I don’t want to imply that there were massive repressive forces working against individual stories. My meaning in this is that the time for me and my career to continue to evolve and do a better job required an opportunity to work in a much more pristine environment.”
Expect him to explain what wasn’t so “pristine” at his former network at a later date.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
