MSNBC 'votes for four more years' of Olbermann RAW STORY

Published: Monday November 10, 2008





Print This Email This Firebrand MSNBC host Keith Olbermann will be hosting Countdown for at another four years, the network announced Monday.



Network president Phil Griffin called Olbermann "the core of MSNBC's current success." The anchor's impassioned rants aimed at President Bush, John McCain and Republicans in general coincided with a significant uptick in the third-place cable network's ratings.



"I'm delighted that we can continue to lock Countdown into the nation's political dialogue through at least the next election," Olbermann said in a news release. "Personally, I noticed that as of about six weeks ago, I'd been doing this show longer than I did SportsCenter, so it's delightful to have a true home."



The deal comes just two years into Olbermann's existing four-year contract with the network.



MSNBC outlined Countdown's ratings gains in a news release Monday. In October 2008, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" had its best month ever in the key Adults 25-54 demographic, and is up a tremendous 170 percent in A25-54 from Oct. 2007 and up 180 percent in total viewers. "Countdown" continued its dominance over CNN at 8 p.m., out-rating "Campbell Brown" by 35 percent in A25-54 and 41 percent in total viewers. Excluding coverage of the presidential debates, "Countdown" is the #3 top-rated show in cable news in A25-54. "Countdown" is also the #1 cable news show among young viewers, Adults 18-34.



Since the last presidential election in 2004, "Countdown" has seen

dramatic ratings increases, up a huge 238 percent among Adults 25-54 and 206 percent in total viewers.



