Olbermann vs. O'Reilly: Mutually Assured Prosperity

I wasn't going to write about this. Believe me.

But the feud between MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann and Fox News Channel gasbag Bill O'Reilly has heated up in recent weeks, with O'Reilly threatening to sic Fox Security on any callers who mention Olbermann's name and the Countdown host retaliating by naming his lanky nemesis ""worst person in the world" just about every week.

Seemingly begun as an ideological struggle, this feud is now clearly personal. And since O'Reilly has named me during his "most ridiculous" segment -- putting both the St. Petersburg Times and MSNBC on his hit list of news outlets to be boycotted by his sizable audience -- and I occcasionally trade emails with Olbermann, I felt a bit too conflicted to wade into it all. Now O'Reilly has named us 5th on his list of newspapers which protect child predators because we dared to criticize his criticism of prosecutors work in the Jessica Lundsford case -- this guy sure does like lists, don't he? (check out TV crit Chase Squires' artful dressing of O'Reilly as a clown on his blog!)

Then a pal called from the Los Angeles Daily News seeking some quotes for a story, offering the conventional wisdom that O'Reilly is screwing up by picking on a guy with a fraction of his ratings. And I stepped up with one, hardly original observation: this feud is a boon for both guys -- besides allowing them to vent their feelnigs about the other, it's just good business.

Olbermann has admitted as much, telling Brian Lamb from C-SPAN: "When I attack Bill O’Reilly or criticize him for something that he said on the air...if I punch upwards at FOX News, the clever response, the cynical and brilliant response is to just ignore. Like, well, 'why do we have to worry, they have one-seventh of our audience?' (But) they attack. Bill O’Reilly’s agent calls the head of NBC week after week saying, you have got to get Olbermann to stop this, as if for some reason there are rules here."

Indeed, as David to O'Reilly's Goliath, Olbermann has nothing to lose by attacking the larger guy. And because O'Reilly's show works on a different level than other broadcasts -- conflict is the high-octane fuel which powers his success -- this public fight with Olbermann works for him, too.

Being a bully, O'Reilly often picks unfair fights, cutting off callers to his radio show, interrupting guests or threatening to turn off their microphones and siccing his fans on smaller media outlets. In his universe, he is the populist truth-teller ""lookin' out for you" against all comers, even a guy on a mickey mouse cable network which earns a fraction of his ratings.

As testament to the effectiveness of this "no-spin" spin, consider this: I wrote a Q&A with CBS anchor Bob Schieffer in which I introduced Olbermann as a "smart-guy anchor," and quoted him saying something nice about Schieffer. I got about five emails from people incensed that I dared compliment such a flaming liberal.

Really.

Because each guy is speaking to his own crowd, this feud works for both. People who hate O'Reilly have a new champion in the snarky, often-amusing Olbermann. People who love O'Reilly but are tired of hating Al Franken, now have a new object of scorn. And Fox News has more evidence of the liberal media conspiracy which has managed to hand conservative Republicans control of the White House, both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court. Hmmmm.

It's like a New York Media-based version of the 50 Cent/Game feud. Except in this fight, the battle is fought with biting scripts and clever video clips. Somehow, I respect the hip hop way of settling scores a little better.

Nicolas Lemann makes these points and many more in a riveting, incisive meditation on O'Reilly for the New Yorker. Here's a sample: "Network news is—even now—about authority, and cable news, increasingly, is about itself...(Fox News' slogan) 'Fair & Balanced' had always been a code whose meaning—here’s news that gives you the world as you already see it—was perfectly understood by the Fox audience...Mainly, O’Reilly, like every political talk-show host with a big following, is a populist, who, in his beyond-irony way, is a rich, middle-aged white guy aligned with the ruling party, and who has the guts to stand up to the élitists who run (but also hate) this country. To say that that doesn’t make any sense is to deny oneself the pleasure that a close study of O’Reilly affords."

Pure poetry. And Lemann also explains why we find such behavior so fascinating to watch, despite its contradictions. Never underestimate the power of telling people what they want to hear -- or of a good, ol' fashioned, public spat.

Statewide Black Newspaper Makes Strong Debut -- If You Can find It

The Cherry brothers, Glenn and Charles, have brought their statewide black newspaper to the marketplace -- but finding it may be a challenge.

The Florida Courier debuted March 3 with a strong visual design and lots of copy from the Associated Press and other news services. Among the original pieces: a story on the destructive side of bootlegging, a look at the PBS series "Negroes With Guns" and a travel page story on Glenn and Charles' trip on radio DJ Tom Joyner's week-long Fantastic Voyage Caribbean cruise (I smell a tax write off here).

Developed with help from a graphic designer who works for the Times (he was working as a freelance consultant), the Courier offers a strong visual design and interesting collection of stories. But it is hard to tell sometimes which communiy is represented in each story, and taken together, the pieces don't offer much community connection.

It can also be challenge to find the Courier, which seems to still be working out distribution channels. Books for Thought in Tampa had some copies of the first issue, and now some copies have appeared at the Enoch Davis Community Center in St. Petersburg.

The Cherrys, who also own own two black newspapers on the state's east side, WTMP-FM in Tampa and a host of other radio stations, have struggled to produce issues -- the debut was pushed back many times and te second Courier edition is dated two weeks after the first one. It will be interesting to see if they can develop an appetite for a newspaper which reads more like a general-interest black-focused magazine than a newspaper with in-depth community information.

Comments

[Anonymous]

what i'd like to find out is how that skunk sean hannity stays employed. i have a lot of friends that are conservative; some frightenly so. none. i mean none watch hannity or listen to him. they -- like me -- find hannity to be the most loathsome person on tv, an incredibly vapid schill for the gop who makes o'reilly look like father flanagin.hell, even his own associates at fox have gone off on him live on the air (i.e. shep smith).does hannity enjoy that much of a carry over from o'reilly's audience, or do that many people who watch greta van sunstren tune in that early?there are few more puzzling questions for me dealing with the fourth estate than how sean hannity stays employed when the audience he targets his show to so despise him.

[Anonymous]

Kieth who?Republican domination shows that mainstream media no longer gets away with the lies.A black paper? Pretty racist IMO. Imagine the howls if we had a white paper or a white congressional caucus. Further proof that blacks howl about integration while they do everything possible to segregate themselves.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

One of the first rules in marketing is that if you are #1 in an industry, you don't acknowledge your competitors even if it's to defend against their claims.Once you acknowledge your competitors, you essentially raise them up to your level and give them a branding bonus that they would not normally get.O'Reilly by acknowloging Olbermann is giving him credibility and an audience he wouldn't normally get without additional advertising and marketing.Olbermann should send O'Reilly a thank you card.what i'd like to find out is how that skunk sean hannity stays employed. i have a lot of friends that are conservative; some frightenly so. none. i mean none watch hannity or listen to him. they -- like me -- find hannity to be the most loathsome person on tv, an incredibly vapid schill for the gop who makes o'reilly look like father flanagin.Frankly I think this is bullshit. It's the same as the fact I can never find another conservative who admits to listening to Rush Limbaugh.SOMEBODY is listening to and watching these folks. Their ratings are off the charts in comparison to the rest of the crowd.I used to watch Hannity and Colmes, but I frankly got tired of the cable TV format. The only news I watch these days is occasionally BBC America. Otherwise it's all print.Republican domination shows that mainstream media no longer gets away with the lies.Oh the lies! Please stop the lies! Oh I can't take the lies from the liberal media. Unnnnn.A black paper? Pretty racist IMO. Imagine the howls if we had a white paper or a white congressional caucus.Didn't you hear, blacks now run the show.Bow down to your new black masters!Further proof that blacks howl about integration while they do everything possible to segregate themselves.And your post is further proof that the Bush following is full of douchebag simpletons.34% and falling baby.Do you hear that sound? That's the sound of marginilization. Or perhaps it's the "Liberal Media" knocking......

[Anonymous]

I know khan, you have no life and read 15 papers a day, and us po hicks jes don't gets it...You keep on wanking off to your Al Gore poster and pretending hatred of Bush is going to bring on a democratic resurgence. You guys were pretty confident in 04 too. Nobody imagined the Republicans would make the kind of gains they made. Yes, blacks segregate themselves. Go to the cafateria in any college and take a look at what all that diversity talk gets you. There may not be signs assigning black seats, but you'll find black tables as surely as if there were.Take a look at the most popular black magazines, music, and movies. Most of it boils down to us vs. them. Dressing appropriately, succeeding academically, speaking properly, basically anything that would integrate into the larger society is rejected. BTW... Do you watch al jazeera while you read your 15 papers?

[Khan of the Wastelands]

I know khan, you have no life and read 15 papers a day, and us po hicks jes don't gets it...If having a wife, running a small business, and 2 dogs is not having a life, then yes I have no life.I read 15 papers a day because I can read. It doesn't take more than an hour and a half a day. I don't read most of the BS local stuff. Reading the politics and local views on current events doesn't take up that much time.You keep on wanking off to your Al Gore poster and pretending hatred of Bush is going to bring on a democratic resurgence. You guys were pretty confident in 04 too. Nobody imagined the Republicans would make the kind of gains they made.No Al Gore poster. Do you mind if I "Wank off" to a McCain poster?The sad truth is people like you are not conservatives and have ruined the republican party.How can you possibly call yourself a conservative when you support a man who has illegally invaded a soveriegn nation with no prior provocation. This is the SAME man who ridiculed Clinton for "Nation Building"A man who has run the nations debt and defecits to higher levels than ever in history. Including I might add proportionally to World War II when we were basically financing the entire Allied war effort.It is very likely that if the Repubilcan party continues the path it is going, many of the moderates are going to leave.Good riddance you say? Try winning a national election without us.Georgie Boy's 34% (and falling) ratings say it can't be done.Yes, blacks segregate themselves. Go to the cafateria in any college and take a look at what all that diversity talk gets you. There may not be signs assigning black seats, but you'll find black tables as surely as if there were.Take a look at the most popular black magazines, music, and movies. Most of it boils down to us vs. them.What's the matter, did some cool black kid not let you sit at the table with him in High School?Or did some black girl not accept your invite to the prom?Either way, who gives a crap if blacks want to marginilize themselves.Politically, they are virtually non-existent in this country.I don't care about Eric's views on race any more than I care about yours.At least he can right somewhat eloquently about the issue instead of simply mashing on the keyboard and stringing a few words together like you seem to be doing.BTW... Do you watch al jazeera while you read your 15 papers? I do occasionally watch Al Jazeera.Try it sometime. Not everyone on there is an American hating zealot. Many of them have some very poignent moments about how to solve the problems in Iraq and the mid-east.Of course if you're too busy braying like a jackass about how the black kid down the street doesn't wear pants that fit, you might not be able to hear them.....us po hicks jes don't gets it...Hee AWWW! Hee AWWW!

[Eric Deggans]

Another well-informed opinion.I probably shouldn't bother answering a post like the previous anonymous one; obviously, the poster's opinion is based on what he/she thinks is in black focused magazines and not the reality.The reality is, if you actually looked inside magazines such as Black Enterprise, Jet, Ebony or Essence, you would see lots of material encouraging people to excel in traditional areas --education, business, careers, etc.Because so few magazines or newspapers have many people of color working for them, black focused publications have arisen to help keep people plugged into their culture and tell stories other media might not tell, or might not tell well.As I've have written before, I think white people sometimes underestimate how powerfully mainstream culture reflects their culture. Values and perspectives contained in popular TV shows, newspapers, magazines and other media reflect white culture because that is who creates them. Black focused emdia is an attempt to create a corner of the media universe from a different cultural perspective.All of this explanation is lost on the previous poster, who seems to have some serious prejudice issues. But it may explain things for some other people.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Eric,A few things I think people miss.#1 There are many folks out there like yourself lamenting the stereotypical hip hop culture that is being pushed by BET and MTV.#2 There is no such thing as a "Black" voice in America or a "Black" point of view in America.Viewpoints among blacks is no more monolithic than they are among whites in America.Opinions among blacks are just as varied and diverse as they are among whites.Running around acting like Kayne West, or Ice Cube, or even Jesse Jackson some how speak for all blacks in this country is tantamount to someone treating Toby Keith, Courtney Love, or Pat Roberston somehow speak for all whites.It's an idiotic oversimplification.Unfortunately there are plenty of idiots out there who love simple things.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Unfortunately I'm typing quickly as I try to wrap up my workday.Too many glaring typos in my last two posts.Hopefully those interested in reading them get the gist of what I was saying.

[Eric Deggans]

Hope the knuckleheads writing the obviously offensive stuff don't stop other people from posting actual, substantive comments. We can have a cool dialogue here, despite attempts by the racists tio drown us out.

[Anonymous]

Too many glaring typos in my last two posts.eh. no one is grading your paper... you don't have a copy editor screaming at you for this.fuh-getta-boutit.

[Anonymous]

speaking of racism:http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/AD472B79A45C0CEB86257139006ED837?OpenDocument

[Eric Deggans]

I tried to follow that link but couldn't call up the story. Is this the one you tried to link to?Talk show host fired after on-air racial slurBy Jake WagmanST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH03/22/2006A radio personality at 550 KTRS was fired on the spot this morning after using the word “coon” on the air in a conversation about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue. Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go.“I don’t know what was in Mr. Lenihan’s mind,” Dorsey said in an interview. “I know what I heard. I know it was reprehensible.”Lenihan’s comment was made during a discussion about Rice’s credentials to become commissioner of the National Football League, a topic that has been fodder for sports talk radio since the current commissioner announced he would retire later this year. Talk show host fired after on-air racial slurBy Jake WagmanST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH03/22/2006A radio personality at 550 KTRS was fired on the spot this morning after using the word “coon” on the air in a conversation about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue. Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go.“I don’t know what was in Mr. Lenihan’s mind,” Dorsey said in an interview. “I know what I heard. I know it was reprehensible.”Lenihan’s comment was made during a discussion about Rice’s credentials to become commissioner of the National Football League, a topic that has been fodder for sports talk radio since the current commissioner announced he would retire later this year.Lenihan was listing what assets Rice could bring to the league, including her tenure as a top academic officer at Stanford University and the fact that she is African-American. “She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.” Lenihan later said he meant to use the word "coup."Reached at home, Lenihan said he was still trying to figure out what happened, and was drafting a letter of apology to Rice."I was trying to say 'quite a coup' but it came out 'coon,"' he said. "I caught myself and apologized. It wasn't anything I was meaning to say. I never use that word."

[Anonymous]

yes eric, correct.stunning. absolutely stunning how ignorant some people are.

[Anonymous]

Hmmmm. Olberman is an "anchor," but O'Rielly is a "gasbag." Methinks I detect some of that liberal bias that is often attributed to the mainstream media. Olberman was great on ESPN's SportsCenter. His ratings were much better, too.

[Eric Deggans]

I don't call O'Reilly a gasbag because he's conservative. I call him a gasbag because he's a clown, as Chase Squires so artfully rendered on his own blog.

[Anonymous]

Aahhhh yes....Anybody who doesn't use some notion of racism to excuse and bestow nobility upon black culture is just a dumb racist.The difference between Kanye and Toby Kieth is pretty simple. One offers a message of middle class values, and one offers a message of drug use, crime, and womanizing.And if you listen to the top 10 hip hop songs, you'll be hard pressed to find a single one that doesn't glorify those things. Take a look at lisa wilkins, the so-called mother who lost her kids in a car accident. Blacks should have been angry at HER. They should have been embarrased by HER. Instead they jumped on the race issue and the naacp rode to the rescue of yet another dreg of society. Why? Because they're RACIST! They consider a scumbag criminal with 7 kids to 6 dads and no job, living as a parasite on the taxpayers backs, to be better than an honest hardworking teacher. Why? Because the scum is black and the teacher is white.I really don't give a damn if you think I'm racist or anything else. Blacks and their apologists better start getting upset themselves and stop blaming whitey for everything.

[Anonymous]

Blacks and their apologists better start getting upset themselves and stop blaming whitey for everything. so, i guess the moron on the radio in st. louis who called condi rice a "coon" is african-american?

[Eric Deggans]

The trouble wih making stereotypical assumptions about people is the facts tend to trip you up.If, for example, you were to actually listen to Kayne West, you would hear that he talks about a lot of issues, from caring for a sick grandmother to his belief in God.But that's not the point. Judging black culture by a kayne west single is tantamount to judging white culture by the sentiments of a Green Day hit or a Slipknot tune.Sounds foolish. Unless you're really just looking to confirm stereotypes you lready believe.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

I really don't give a damn if you think I'm racist or anything elseOf course you don't. That's why you're making your post under an anonymous header.Very brave stand you've taken.

[Anonymous]

No Eric, it's not the same.Green Day may cause a few dumb ass suburbanites to protest at the G8 and have purple hair.Rap is more a culture than it is music. Rappers are denounced for not being real if they haven't been shot enough times or spent enough time in prison. Even the frigging Boondocks cartoon in your paper today made it seem cool to go to prison.

[Anonymous]

Get a grip Khan. If you're posting under your real name, you should sue your mother.

[Anonymous]

Get a grip Khan. If you're posting under your real name, you should sue your mother.

[Anonymous]

Uuuuhhhh kahn....The radio guy was a fan of Rice who inadvertently mixed up 2 similar words. The fact that he was immediately fired speaks volumes about the eggshells people walk on regarding race.

[Eric Deggans]

Re: rap culture vs Green Day.It is very much the same thing. You know what corner of white culture Green Day occupies because you know white culture. You have no idea how much the ethos of rap affects how most black people approach the world, just as you have no idea of the difference between 50 Cent, Kayne West and The Roots -- all popular rap artists who have very different ways of seeing the world and rapping about it.The very definition of prejudice is to draw conclusions about a large group of people based on a single, uninformed experience. The fact that you, someone who seems to know so little about rap and people of color, would argue with me rather than consider my words says a lot, I think.

[Anonymous]

The radio guy was a fan of Rice who inadvertently mixed up 2 similar words. The fact that he was immediately fired speaks volumes about the eggshells people walk on regarding race. a) per the article, the moron claims he never uses that word. yet he used it twice... live over the air. he was so stupid he apparently never used the dump button. (that, one could argue, was his biggest mistake).wonder how many fans of larry bird "accidently" refer to him as "turd?"b) the station is owned by the st. louis cardinals. i'm sure the powers that be with the team really wanted to alienate a good chunk of their massive fanbase for some clown that (probably) gets less than a two share.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Get a grip Khan. If you're posting under your real name, you should sue your mother.Get a grip yourself.I'm not the one acting as it he's manning up by making bold statements anonomyously.Uuuuhhhh kahn....Uhhhh Anonomyous Dimwit. I didn't write the post you are responding too.And to the person who assumes that all rap is mysoginistic, macho, pimp talking bullshit, there are plenty of positive, upbeat, spiritual rap groups that don't go anywhere near the same topics as gangsta rappers.Of course if you just assume that if a black person makes it, it must be ignorant tripe, you wouldn't know any better.And yes that does make you a dumb racist.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Why don't you head up to New Port Richey.It sounds like there is a group of folks there right up your alley.

[Khan of the Wastelands]

My only issue is that I enjoy professional baseball but I don't want to put the family at risk.We have professional baseball in St. Pete?

[Anonymous]

Eric said:"I don't call O'Reilly a gasbag because he's conservative. I call him a gasbag because he's a clown. . ."Eric: I beg to differ. You call him a "gasbag" because IT IS YOUR OPINION he is a clown. And he may be, but neither the conservatives, nor the liberals have any shortage of loud mouthed boneheads who frequently engage in a two step exercize: 1. Open Mouth. 2. Insert foot.

[Eric Deggans]

Anonymous, my job is critic and columnist. It is literally my job to put my opinion into the newspages and on this blog. Almost everything on it is my opinion -- an informed opinion, I like to think, but opinion nevertheless.So what, exactly is your point?

[Anonymous]

Eric: The point, is that opinion should be presented as opinion. Far too many times, journalists on both the right and the left, allow their opinions to creep into the information they are presenting, as fact. Unfortunately, much of what we read in newspapers today, is filtered through the biases of the reporters. Some make a concious effort to remain objective, regardless of their point of view. Others do not.

[GCherry]

Eric,As a member of the media, I always remind my self that bad press is better than no press at all. The newspaper has been printed every week although you did not see it. The Florida Courier has been in continous print weekly for more than 18 years. We are still a work in progress and have escaped the critical eye of big media for years while still serving the needs of black people in Florida. We long ago recognized that any effort to compete for the eyes or ears of black people will draw the attention of critics that may not always offer any positive views of our efforts. That has not and will not keep us from our mission of providing a different prospective and sharing Black Life, Statewide.I thank you for covering our paper. Stay tuned as we lift and climb...

[Eric Deggans]

Thanks for the comment, Glenn. But I think you know my blog posting was about the statewide version of the Florida Courier, which has only published a few issues so far, not the regional newspaper in Ft. Pierce.Good luck with your new venture. The newspaper industry could use a few more success stories...