A Well Deserved Kiss Off

You've got to hand it to the Fox News PR people. They've got a way with words when they want to give a celebrity critic the kiss off. The San Diego Union Tribune runs an AP article on Fox's way with words today. Here's a sweet sample:

"Ted Turner. The CNN founder called Fox a 'propaganda voice' of the Bush administration and compared its popularity to Adolf Hitler's rise in Germany before World War II. [Fox PR person Irena] Briganti: 'Ted is understandably bitter, having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind. We wish him well.'" (Here.)

Fox should also be credited for its choice of targets: Besides Turner, Fox has gone after Tim Russert, David Shuster, and George Clooney. Now, best of all, Fox has trained its sights on the execrable Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's "news" show Countdown. Here's what Fox's Briganti said about Olbermann:

"'Because of his personal demons, Keith has imploded everywhere he's worked. From lashing out at co-workers to personally attacking Bill O'Reilly and all things Fox, it's obvious Keith is a train wreck waiting to happen. And like all train wrecks, people might tune in out of morbid curiosity, but they eventually tune out, as evidenced by Keith's recent ratings decline. In the meantime, we hope he enjoys his paranoid view from the bottom of the ratings ladder and wish him well on his inevitable trip to oblivion.'"

Mister Americano is well pleased. Olbermann's Countdown has got to be the worst news show on television.

Fox News is criticized by rival networks as being ideologically conservative and Republican leaning. Fox balances out the liberal news networks. Of Fox's competitors Olbermann's Countdown is notable for being the most liberal and most agenda-driven. If you despise all things Bush, Countdown is where you go to get your news.

Although Countdown is presented as a news show what it really aspires to be is a news comedy show like Comedy Central's great The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The trouble is, Keith Olbermann just isn't funny.

Nor does he appear to have much input into the show's content. That comes through loud and clear when he takes a vacation. The tone of the writing, the format, and the jokes remain the same. The only difference is Olbermann's substitute hosts read the news and the jokes with infinitely less bombast.

That Olbermann is such a bombast is ironic since he has made it his calling to wage war on the Right's most bombastic news reader, Bill O'Reilly. Or perhaps irony is the wrong word. Fitting might be better. There's only room at the top for one most bombastic newsman in journalism. So far, O'Reilly reigns supreme. But Olbermann is closing fast.

-tdr

Technorati: Keith Olbermann, FOX News, Bill O'Reilly.