Keith Olbermann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Olbermann
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Olbermann in 2008
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Keith Theodore Olbermann
January 27, 1959 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Cornell University (B.S.) | ||||||||||
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| Years active | 1980s–present | ||||||||||
| Television |
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| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||
| Awards | Three Edward R. Murrow Awards | ||||||||||
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Keith Theodore Olbermann (born January 27, 1959) is an American writer and commentator. He is known for his work in both sports and political journalism.
For the first 20 years of his career, Olbermann focused on sports. He worked as a sports reporter for CNN and other local TV and radio stations in the 1980s. He even won the Best Sportscaster award three times from the California Associated Press. From 1992 to 1997, he was a co-host for ESPN's SportsCenter. Later, he worked for Fox Sports Net and covered Major League Baseball for Fox.
From 2003 to 2011, Olbermann hosted Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. This show focused on political commentary. He was known for sharing strong opinions about politicians and public figures. He often said, "I'm not a liberal. I'm an American."
After MSNBC, he hosted Countdown again on Current TV from 2011 to 2012. He also hosted a show called Olbermann on ESPN2 and TSN2 from 2013 to 2015. From 2016 to 2017, he hosted a web series for GQ called The Closer with Keith Olbermann. This series later changed its name to The Resistance with Keith Olbermann.
In 2018, Olbermann returned to ESPN's SportsCenter. He also did some baseball play-by-play announcing. In 2020, he left ESPN to start a political commentary show on his YouTube channel. Since August 2022, he has hosted Countdown with Keith Olbermann as a daily podcast with iHeartRadio. This podcast includes his "Special Comment" political analysis and a segment called "The Worst Persons in the World."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Keith Olbermann was born on January 27, 1959, in New York City. His mother, Marie Katherine, was a preschool teacher. His father, Theodore Olbermann, was an architect. Keith and his younger sister, Jenna, grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Their family followed the Unitarian faith.
Keith went to the Hackley School, a private school in Tarrytown, New York. He loved baseball from a young age, a passion he shared with his mother. As a teenager, he wrote about baseball card-collecting and appeared in sports card magazines.
He started his broadcasting career at Hackley as a play-by-play announcer for WHTR. After graduating in 1975, he went to Cornell University at age 16. At Cornell, he was the sports director for WVBR, a student radio station. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication from Cornell in 1979.
Sports Broadcasting Career
Olbermann began his professional career at UPI and the RKO Radio Network. In 1981, he joined CNN. He covered major events like the 1980 Winter Olympics and the "Miracle on Ice." In the early 1980s, he was a sportscaster for WNEW radio in New York City.
In 1984, he worked briefly at WCVB-TV in Boston. Then he moved to Los Angeles to work at KTLA and KCBS. His work in Los Angeles earned him 11 Golden Mike Awards. He was also named best sportscaster by the California Associated Press three times.
Working at ESPN
In 1992, Olbermann joined ESPN's SportsCenter. He worked there until 1997, except for a period in 1993–1994 when he helped launch ESPN2. He often co-hosted SportsCenter with Dan Patrick. They became a very popular anchor team.
In 1995, Olbermann won a Cable ACE award for Best Sportscaster. He and Patrick wrote a book called The Big Show about their experiences at SportsCenter. The TV show Sports Night was also based on their time together.
In 1997, Olbermann left ESPN. There were some disagreements with the network's management. He later wrote an essay where he said he struggled with the pressure of daily live television.
After SportsCenter
In 1999, Olbermann joined Fox Sports Net to host their sports news show, Fox Sports News Primetime. He later hosted The Keith Olbermann Evening News, a weekly sportscast. While at Fox, he hosted the 2000 World Series and Fox's baseball Game of the Week.
After leaving Fox Sports in 2001, he provided sports commentary for the ABC Radio Network. In 2005, Olbermann returned to ESPN Radio. He co-hosted an hour of The Dan Patrick Show until 2007.
In 2007, Olbermann became a co-host of Football Night in America on NBC. This show airs before their Sunday Night NFL game. He worked with his former SportsCenter co-anchor Dan Patrick again. He left the show before the 2010 season.
Before rejoining ESPN, Olbermann hosted the studio show for TBS's coverage of the Division Series and National League Championship Series in 2013.
Returning to ESPN
On July 17, 2013, it was announced that Olbermann would host a one-hour nightly show on ESPN2. His contract allowed him to talk about topics beyond sports, including pop culture and current events.
In 2015, ESPN suspended Olbermann for a week. This happened after a Twitter exchange he had with supporters of Penn State University's THON event. THON is a huge student-run charity for pediatric cancer research. Olbermann later apologized for his comments. In July 2015, ESPN announced that it was his last month with the network. They said it was a "business decision."
The Ringer and Third ESPN Period
In 2016, Olbermann wrote an article for Bill Simmons' company "The Ringer" after Muhammad Ali passed away.
In January 2018, Olbermann returned to ESPN again. He gave occasional commentaries on SportsCenter. By May 2018, his role expanded to include hosting SportsCenter and doing some ESPN Major League Baseball play-by-play.
News Journalism
In 1997, Olbermann left ESPN to host The Big Show with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. This news program focused on current events and discussions. Olbermann also hosted two Sunday editions of NBC Nightly News and co-anchored a Saturday Today show. He also co-hosted NBC Sports' pre-game coverage of the MLB 1997 World Series.
Olbermann left MSNBC for Fox Sports Net shortly after. In 2003, he won an Edward R. Murrow Award for his writing on the "Keith Olbermann Speaking of Everything" show. He also wrote a weekly column for Salon.com and worked as a freelance reporter for CNN.
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Olbermann's own show, Countdown, started on MSNBC on March 31, 2003. The show's format involved Olbermann ranking the five biggest news stories of the day. He would count down from five to one.
The top stories usually covered government, politics, and world events. The number two and one stories were often lighter. He had a segment called "Oddball" for unusual news. Olbermann would share his opinions and interview guests.
Olbermann also had a blog called Bloggermann on MSNBC's website. He used it to share more thoughts and reactions. Later, he started a new blog called The News Hole.
For the last six years of the show, Olbermann ended each episode by saying how many days had passed since President George W. Bush declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq. He would then throw his notes at the camera and say "Good night and good luck."
In February 2007, Olbermann signed a four-year contract extension with MSNBC. This deal also included him hosting two Countdown specials on NBC. He also contributed essays to NBC's Nightly News.
Olbermann co-anchored MSNBC's coverage of the death of Tim Russert in June 2008. During the 2008 United States presidential election, Olbermann co-anchored MSNBC's election coverage.
In November 2008, he signed another four-year contract extension.
Suspension and Departure
In October 2010, Olbermann made donations to three Democratic candidates for Congress. MSNBC has a policy that requires employees to get approval before making political donations. Because he did not get approval, MSNBC suspended him without pay. Many people signed an online petition asking for his return. Two days later, MSNBC announced he would return to the air.
On January 21, 2011, Olbermann announced he was leaving MSNBC. That episode was the final Countdown show on the network. MSNBC stated that they had ended their contract with him.
Current TV and GQ
In February 2011, Olbermann became the chief news officer for Current TV. He started hosting a new one-hour prime time program called Countdown with Keith Olbermann on June 20, 2011. This show aired in the same time slot as his previous Countdown on MSNBC.
Olbermann was let go from Current TV on March 30, 2012. Current TV stated that their values were "no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann." Olbermann also released a statement. The two parties later settled their disagreements.
On September 12, 2016, GQ magazine announced that Olbermann would host a web series. The series was called The Closer with Keith Olbermann and covered the 2016 United States presidential election. After Donald Trump's victory, it was renamed The Resistance. By March 2017, the series had nearly 170 million views online. In October 2017, Olbermann released a book based on his The Resistance commentaries. On November 27, 2017, Olbermann announced he was ending his political commentary series.
Countdown with Keith Olbermann Podcast
On August 1, 2022, Olbermann started a weekday podcast called "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." It is produced by iHeart Media. The podcast usually has a similar format to his old TV show. It includes a headlines section, a "worst person" segment, and a sports rundown. On Fridays, he often shares a short story by James Thurber.
Acting Appearances
Olbermann has appeared in several TV shows. He usually plays himself or a sportscaster/newscaster. A notable role is Tom Jumbo-Grumbo, a blue whale newscaster, in the show BoJack Horseman.
Political Views
While Countdown with Keith Olbermann started as a traditional newscast, it later became more opinion-focused. Olbermann was known for his strong criticisms of some Republicans and conservative figures. He often called out people he disagreed with.
He has described his reporting as being "an American" rather than a "liberal." He believes he acts "almost as a historian" on certain issues.
Personal Life
Keith Olbermann has a mild case of celiac disease. He also has restless legs syndrome. In 1980, he had a head injury that affected his balance, so he avoids driving. He supports the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Olbermann's father, Theodore, passed away in March 2010. His mother had passed away a few months before. Olbermann took time off from his show to be with his father.
Olbermann is a big baseball fan and a historian of the sport. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. When he was 14, he published a book about baseball coaches. He also helped start the first experts' fantasy baseball league, called "LABR." He has written articles about baseball cards for Sports Collectors Digest.
Career Timeline
- United Press International Radio Network, sports reporter (1979)
- RKO Radio Network, sports reporter (1980)
- CNN, sports reporter (1981–1984)
- WCVB-TV Boston, sports reporter (1984)
- KTLA-TV Los Angeles, sports director (1985–1988)
- KCBS-TV Los Angeles, sports director (1988–1992)
- SportsCenter, co-anchor (ESPN, 1992–1997)
- The Big Show, anchor (MSNBC, 1997–1998)
- White House in Crisis, anchor (MSNBC, 1997–1998)
- Major League Baseball on Fox, studio host (1999–2000)
- National Sports Report, co-anchor (Fox Sports Net, 1999–2000)
- The Keith Olbermann Evening News, anchor (Fox Sports Net, 2000–2001)
- Speaking of Sports and Speaking of Everything, commentator (ABC Radio, 2001)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, anchor (MSNBC, 2003–2011)
- The Dan Patrick Show, co-host (ESPN Radio, 2005–2007)
- Football Night in America, co-host (NBC, 2007–2010)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, anchor (Current TV: 2011–2012)
- MLB on TBS, studio host (2013)
- Olbermann, host (ESPN2, 2013–2015)
- The Resistance with Keith Olbermann, host (GQ, 2016–2017)
- SportsCenter, anchor and ESPN Major League Baseball, play-by-play (2018–2020)
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann, host (iHeart Radio, 2022–present)
Images for kids
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A friendly robot
See also
In Spanish: Keith Olbermann para niños
- New Yorkers in journalism
