The Democrats may have wrested back control of power in Congress, but that hasn’t quieted the ire of American cable news broadcaster Keith Olbermann. The 47-year-old is known for his Special Commentary segments on MSNBC’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” where he regularly tears apart US President George W. Bush.
Olbermann’s outspoken political views have also made him a hero/villain in the blogosphere. Olbermann’s show is a frequent topic of debate on both conservative and liberal political blogs and his “Special Commentary” segments are all over digital video websites like YouTube. It seems like every time Olbermann opens his mouth people sit down at their computers and start typing. Does Olbermann = Internet buzz?
The promotional executives at NBC must think so. They are taking advantage of all the attention Olbermann is getting online. Last week MSNBC ran a very ballsy blogad campaign with this Olbermann quote:
“The President of the United States owes this country an apology.”
The blogad campaign also featured an Olbermann desktop widget that pulls headlines from the shows RSS feed every 30 minutes. Even the biggest Olbermann junkie doesn’t need more Keith than that, right?
With all this hype on the Internet, you are probably wondering how Olbermann’s TV ratings are doing. Olbermann’s fast-paced melange of politics and pop culture has made “Countdown With Keith Olbermann” MSNBC’s top-rated show. Not bad for a former anchor of ESPN’s Sportscenter. Maybe Craig Kilborn should take some notes. His performance in Bench Warmers wasn’t exactly Oscar worthy.
