MSNBC Drops Olbermann, Matthews as News Anchors
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 8, 2008; C01
MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign.
David Gregory, the NBC newsman and White House correspondent who also hosts a program on MSNBC, will take over during such events as this fall's presidential and vice presidential debates and election night.
The move, confirmed by spokesmen for both networks, follows increasingly loud complaints about Olbermann's anchor role at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Olbermann, who regularly assails President Bush and GOP nominee John McCain on his "Countdown" program, was effusive in praising the acceptance speech of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. He drew flak Thursday when the Republicans played a video that included a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that if the networks had done that, "we would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that videotape the way I did, I apologize."
Matthews, who has criticized politicians in both parties, drew less criticism for his convention role but became a divisive figure during the primaries when he described how he was inspired by Obama's speeches and made disparaging remarks about Hillary Clinton, for which he later apologized.
In May, MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in an interview that during live events Olbermann and Matthews "put on different hats. I think the audience gets it. . . . I see zero problem."
But NBC News journalists, who often appear on the cable channel, did see a problem, arguing behind the scenes that MSNBC's move to the left -- which includes a new show, debuting tonight, for Air America radio host Rachel Maddow -- was tarnishing their reputation for fairness. Tom Brokaw, the interim host of "Meet the Press," said that at times Olbermann and Matthews went too far.
Olbermann and Matthews will remain as analysts during major political events, and officials at both networks, who declined to be identified discussing personnel moves, said Olbermann had initiated the discussions to clarify his role. They said Olbermann's influence at MSNBC would in no way be diminished and that the shift would enable him and Matthews to offer more candid analysis during live coverage. Olbermann confirmed yesterday he had initiated the discussions.
"Phil and I have debated this set-up since late winter/early spring (with me saying, 'Are you sure this flies?' and him saying, 'Yes, but let's judge it event by event') and I think we both reached the same point during the RNC," Olbermann said by e-mail.
Olbermann was involved in several on-air incidents during the conventions that drew unwanted attention. He told morning host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, to "get a shovel" as Scarborough was defending the McCain campaign. And when GOP strategist Mike Murphy was debating Matthews, Olbermann could be heard saying, "Let's wrap him up."
These and other clashes fueled a sense that conservative voices are less than welcome at MSNBC as it has tried to position itself as a left-wing alternative to Fox News Channel. Olbermann disputes this view, calling the incidents "overblown." Still, the network canceled Tucker Carlson's show in March and has diminished his role. And Dan Abrams, the veteran NBC legal analyst and former MSNBC general manager, had his program dropped last month to make room for Maddow, an Olbermann protege.
MSNBC's more liberal outlook has boosted its ratings, though it remains the third-place cable news channel. But both parties began castigating its coverage last spring. Steve Schmidt, McCain's top strategist, called the network "an organ of the Democratic National Committee," and Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said Matthews was "in the tank" for Obama.
Resources
(Columbia Journalism Review) CJR's guide to what the major media companies own.
Click here for CJR articles about media ownership or select a media company below.
- 1878
- Thomas Edison forms Edison Electric Light Company
- 1892
- Edison General Electric Company merges with Thomson-Houston Electric Company to create General Electric Company
- 1897
- Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company formed by Guglielmo Marconi
- 1901
- Emile Berliner and Eldridge Johnson form the Victor Talking Machine Company
- 1906
- David Sarnoff begins working at American Marconi
- 1917
- U.S. Government begins using GE produced aircraft engines
- 1919
- Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is created. RCA is formed after the U.S. Government gives control of the wireless industry back to the public sector following World War I. RCA gains the assets of American Marconi and becomes the controlling body of the patents belonging to General Electric, Westinghouse, United Fruit and AT&T
- 1926
- National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) formed. Sarnoff sees the potential of a nationwide network of radio stations and gets RCA, GE and Westinghouse to invest in the acquisition of WEAF in New York City and WJZ in Newark
- NBC's "Red" and "Blue" networks respectively -as the flagship stations for the new NBC Radio network
- 1927
- NBC Radio broadcasts the Rose Bowl to nationwide audience
- 1929
- RCA purchases Victor Talking Machine Company of Camden, NJ for $154 million and begins manufacturing radios and phonographs
- 1932
- Due to concerns of a growing monopoly, GE and Westinghouse sell off stake in RCA
- 1939
- NBC introduces television broadcasting at the World's Fair in New York City
- 1941
- Federal Communications Commission releases its Report on Chain Broadcasting. The report is critical of the growth of broadcast networks and proposes that NBC sell off one of its two networks
- NBC Red & NBC Blue
- 1941
- NBC receives first license for a commercial television station
- 1943
- After losing court battles with the FCC over the demand to divest one off its networks, RCA sells of NBC Blue Network to Edward Noble, lifesavers candy creator. Network eventually becomes ABC
- 1954
- NBC has first color telecast of Rose Bowl parade. Very few people actually see the telecast because there are not that many color sets in use
- 1966
- RCA purchases Random House
- 1973
- RCA purchases Ballantine Books
- becomes part of Random House
- 1980
- RCA sells of Random House to S. I. Newhouse's Advance Publications
- 1985
- GE acquires NBC as part of a $6.3 billion for RCA
- 1986
- - GE sells RCA's music division to Bertelsmann
- 1989
- CNBC is formed
- 1996
- MSNBC is launched. Cable news network is a joint partnership between GE and Microsoft
- 1997
- CNBC Asia and Europe are formed.
- 1999
- GE gains 32% stake in Paxson Communications and its PAX TV network
- 2002
- Telemundo Communications Group is acquired for $2.7 billion in a deal with an investment group that includes Sony and Liberty Media. In a separate deal, Bravo Network is acquired from a deal with Cablevision and MGM for $1.25 billion
- 2003
- Deal announced between GE and Vivendi Universal to create NBC Universal. In the deal, GE acquires Vivendi Universal's entertainment holdings which include theme parks and Universal Pictures' movie and television studios, and three cable channels (NYT 10/9/03)
- Television
- NBC Stations:
- WNBC
- New York
- KNBC
- Los Angeles
- WMAQ
- Chicago
- WCAU
- Philadelphia
- KNTV
- San Jose/San Francisco
- KXAS
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- WRC
- Washington
- WTVJ
- Miami
- KNSD
- San Diego
- WVIT
- Hartford
- WNCN
- Raleigh
- WCMH
- Columbus
- WVTM
- Birmingham
- WJAR
- Providence
- Telemundo Stations:
- KVEA/KWHY
- Los Angeles
- WNJU
- New York
- WSCV
- Miami
- KTMD
- Houston
- WSNS
- Chicago
- KXTX
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- KVDA
- San Antonio
- KSTS
- San Jose/San Francisco
- KDRX
- Phoenix
- KNSO
- Fresno
- KMAS
- Denver
- WNEU
- Boston/Merrimack
- KHRR
- Tucson
- WKAQ
- Puerto Rico
- NBC Universal Television Studio
NBC Universal Television Distribution - CNBC
- MSNBC
- Bravo
- Mun2TV
- Sci-Fi
- USA
- Sleuth
- Oxygen
- Film
- Universal Pictures
- Parks
- Universal Parks & Resorts
- Other General Electric Businesses
- GE Aircraft Engines
- GE Commercial Finance
- GE Consumer Products
- GE Industrial Systems
- GE Insurance
- GE Medical Systems
- GE Plastics
- GE Power Systems
- GE Specialty Materials
- GE Transportation Systems
- last updated 08/13/08
Iraq signs $480 mln contract with GE for power plants
BAGHDAD, June 6 (Reuters) - Iraq has signed a contract with General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) worth $480 million to build three power plants and is negotiating with Hyundai to buy diesel generators, the country's electricity minister said on Friday.
Iraq faces chronic electricity shortages, with its fragile grid, battered by years of war, sanctions and neglect, struggling to keep up with increasing demand. The capital Baghdad receives only a few hours of electricity every day.
Electricity Minister Karim Waheed told journalists in Baghdad that Iraq had signed a contract with General Electric last week to build three power stations in southern Baghdad the southern city of Kerbala, and Taji, north of Baghdad.
"According to the plan, the work will be completed between the end of 2009 and the start of 2010," Waheed said.
Iraq has also signed two other contracts, each worth $41 million, for GE to supply spare parts for the stations, he said.
Iraq said last month it had signed a 179 million euro contract with General Eelctric to buy eight natural gas-powered generators, most of which would be installed in Baghdad.
Five years after U.S. forces invaded to topple Saddam Hussein, and with violence at a four-year low, Iraqis are pressing the government to improve service delivery. Many areas lack access to electricity or drinking water.
With the onset of summer, when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), demand for power will increase as people turn on their air conditioners to keep cool.
Waheed said there was a wide gap between the consumption and supply of electricity in Iraq. Demand is around 10,500 MW, far above the 5,500 MW the grid is able to supply.
The minister said a contract would be signed with South Korean company Hyundai in Istanbul, Turkey, next week, to supply Iraq with diesel generators. He did not give a value for the contract.
He said a contract would also be inked with German engineering group Siemens (SIEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in Istanbul at the same time to supply Iraq with three "gas power units". He gave no further details.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, writing by Ross Colvin)
Top 100 US Defense Contractors (FY2004) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Company | Total $ | |
| Lockheed Martin Corporation | $20,690,912,117 | |
| The Boeing Company | $17,066,412,718 | |
| Northrup Grumman Corporation | $11,894,090,277 | |
| General Dynamics Corporation | $9,563,280,236 | |
| Raytheon Company | $8,472,813,918 | |
| Halliburton Company | $7,996,793,706 | |
| United Technologies Corporation | $5,056,937,646 | |
| Science Applications International | $2,450,781,108 | |
| Computer Sciences Corporation | $2,390,806,128 | |
| Humana, INC | $2,372,078,226 | |
| L-3 Communications Holding, INC | $2,260,292,852 | |
| BAE Systems PLC | $2,192,647,377 | |
| Health Net, INC | $1,899,824,940 | |
| General Electric Company, INC | $1,822,720,199 | |
| Bechtel Group, INC | $1,742,470,267 | |
| Bell Boeing Joint Program | $1,539,815,440 | |
| ITT Industries, INC | $1,539,742,075 | |
| Electronic Data Systems Corp | $1,538,272,307 | |
| Honeywell International, INC | $1,462,914,723 | |
| Carlyle Group | $1,442,680,416 | |
| Triwest Healthcare Alliance Co | $1,279,718,275 | |
| Renco Group, INC | $1,107,714,525 | |
| N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandsche | $1,070,123,431 | |
| Oshkosh Truck Corp | $1,024,393,853 | |
| Government of the United States | $1,005,125,700 | |
| North American Airlines | $961,600,936 | |
| Fedex Corp | $953,937,622 | |
| Textron, INC | $940,267,009 | |
| The Titan Corporation | $933,553,947 | |
| Boeing Sikorsky Comanche Team | $929,237,820 | |
| Booz Allen Hamilton, INC | $909,662,799 | |
| Veritas Capital Management LLC | $863,011,144 | |
| GM GDLS Defense Group LLC, Joint | $811,806,569 | |
| Parsons Corporation | $809,149,679 | |
| Public Warehouse Company KSC | $804,819,568 | |
| URS Corporation | $803,827,407 | |
| Government of Canada | $751,146,926 | |
| Anteon International Corporation | $700,777,237 | |
| Johnson Controls, INC | $696,616,130 | |
| Engineered Support Systems, INC | $693,853,540 | |
| Dell, INC | $642,979,441 | |
| A P Moller Gruppen | $638,727,709 | |
| McKesson Corporation Delaware | $627,636,543 | |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $607,115,402 | |
| Harris Corporation | $605,789,159 | |
| B P PLC | $597,674,231 | |
| Alliant Techsystems, INC | $592,439,301 | |
| Rockwell Collins, INC | $588,367,763 | |
| American Body Armor and Equipment | $579,263,655 | |
| Cardinal Health, INC | $575,550,418 | |
| The Mitre Corporation | $555,179,849 | |
| Fluor Corporation | $549,931,378 | |
| The Aerospace Corporation | $545,618,920 | |
| CACI International, INC | $530,857,936 | |
| Chugach Alaska Corporation | $524,059,506 | |
| Shaw Group, INC | $499,387,972 | |
| Amerisourcebergen Corporation | $495,976,092 | |
| Morrison Knudsen Corporation | $458,405,045 | |
| Perini Corporation | $444,586,274 | |
| Alliant Lake City Small Caliber | $428,533,834 | |
| Sierra Health Services, INC | $427,761,556 | |
| Rolls-Royce Group PLC | $417,259,050 | |
| Arinc, INC | $392,104,145 | |
| Jacobs Engineering Group, INC | $391,400,597 | |
| International Business Machines | $386,287,823 | |
| Johns Hopkins University | $377,338,683 | |
| Stewart & Stevenson Services, INC | $375,814,557 | |
| General Atomic Technologies Co | $357,069,481 | |
| Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company | $356,816,813 | |
| B F Goodrich Company | $351,560,106 | |
| Valero Energy Corporation | $349,713,683 | |
| Unicor/Federal Prison Industries | $348,761,884 | |
| Mantech International Corporation | $344,464,919 | |
| Thales | $339,053,739 | |
| GTSI Corp | $335,067,739 | |
| United Industrial Corporation | $330,749,744 | |
| Contrack International, INC | $329,301,182 | |
| Motorola, INC | $307,815,919 | |
| DRS Technologies, INC | $305,781,572 | |
| Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin | $300,796,459 | |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | $298,573,380 | |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation | $283,998,683 | |
| Abu Dhabi National Oil Co | $276,571,701 | |
| Environmental Chemical Corp | $272,591,834 | |
| Cubic Defense Systems, INC | $267,744,151 | |
| Combat Support Associates | $265,499,091 | |
| Tetra Tech, INC | $261,786,991 | |
| Parker Hannifin Corporation | $261,182,102 | |
| Atlantic Diving Supply, INC | $256,920,555 | |
| Anham Joint Venture | $256,370,421 | |
| Team Apache Systems LLC | $253,487,580 | |
| Tyco International, LTD | $252,525,860 | |
| CH2M Hill Companies, LTD | $244,492,078 | |
| Charles Stark Draper Laboratories | $240,280,299 | |
| Smiths Industries PLC | $236,158,991 | |
| Army Fleet Support, LLC | $234,587,461 | |
| SSANGYONG (USA), INC | $233,381,842 | |
| Procter & Gamble Company | $233,220,846 | |
| DHB Industries, INC | $232,251,930 | |
| VSE Corporation | $231,732,524 | |
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