Keith Olbermann’s fractious relationship with Current TV had been deteriorating for months before his firing last week, according to email excerpts posted by The Daily Beast‘s Howard Kurtz.
In early August, Olbermann’s manager Michael Price sent Current CEO Joel Hyatt a list of dozens of “deficiencies” plaguing Countdown. “Immediate attention” is required and “we are not aware of any demonstrable effort to address the issues,” Price reportedly wrote. On September 21, Current TV’s President David Bohrman reportedly wrote that the network will work “quickly” to resolve the production problems and “we will get almost all the things you need and have been asking for.”
The back and forth continued — but so did the technical problems. The lights went out in Countdown‘s studio more than once. Current cut away from Olbermann mid-sentence to run a promo for former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s show, The War Room. Price emailed Current again saying that the “technical breakdowns have had a negative impact” on the show. Bohrman insisted it wouldn’t happen again.
Because Olbermann served as executive producer of Countdown, he was responsible for addressing the technical problems, a source close to the matter said. Olbermann also hand-picked the show’s studio. It’s live television, the source added, and technical issues do come up. But “the idea that Current has some rash of technical problems is overstated,” the source told TPM.
“Editorially, Countdown had never been better,” Olbermann said in his statement after he was fired by network. But it’s true the progressive cable network’s production value can’t always rival Olbermann’s former home of MSNBC.
Apart from the broadcast concerns, Olbermann also complained about his car service, going through eight different companies. Olbermann complained that some of the drivers “smelled” and “talked to him.” Kurtz reported on Twitter, though, that a source said Olbermann switched car services because Current didn’t pay the bills. Olbermann’s manager, Price, didn’t return TPM’s requests for comment on the emails.
Olbermann said in his statement he plans to file suit against Current TV. The law firm that represents Current has hired the crisis public relations firm Fabiani & Lehane to represent the network. And Olbermann is scheduled to appear on David Letterman’s the Late Show Tuesday night to tell his side of the story.
Hours after parting ways with its star host, Current debuted former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s show, Viewpoint, which avoided the Olbermann issue altogether.
