WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Television network MSNBC ended its contract with liberal anchor Keith Olbermann, the network said yesterday.
Olbermann signed off for the last time on his “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” political affairs program last night.
“This is the last edition of “Countdown,” Olbermann said on the program.
“MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract,” the network said in a statement. It did not elaborate.
His departure came just over two months after MSNBC briefly suspended Olbermann for giving money to three Democratic politicians, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was coincidentally shot and wounded in an assassination attempt on Jan. 8 in Tucson, Arizona.
“MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC’s success and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” the network statement said.
Olbermann’s program helped define MSNBC as a liberal voice in cable television and a counterpoint to Fox News’ largely conservative bent. MSNBC is now second in cable news ratings behind Fox News and ahead of CNN.
Comcast Corp earlier this week won approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice for its combination with NBC Universal, the company behind MSNBC. Once the deal closes, Comcast will acquire a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co.