Keith Olbermann Won’t Anchor Current TV’s Primary Coverage

By Chris Ariens 

Despite being the cornerstone of Current TV’s progressive primetime, and its biggest star, it appears Keith Olbermann won’t be a part of the network’s Iowa Caucus or New Hampshire Primary coverage. NYT’s Brian Stelter has the scoop.

Instead, Current’s other prime time anchors, Cenk Uygur and Jennifer Granholm, will be joined by the channel’s chairman, the former vice president Al Gore, according to the channel’s TV schedule.

Uygur was the beneficiary of Olbermann’s exit from MSNBC less than a year ago as well. In the programming shuffle that ensued, Uygur got the 6pm timeslot. Stelter reports Uygur, not Olbermann, also hosted two special reports following GOP debates earlier this month.

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These absences suggest that there may be new tension between Mr. Olbermann and the managers at Current, who are trying to create a progressive-oriented cable news channel. In the television industry, Mr. Olbermann is well known for fights with his bosses; stories abound about his refusal to speak to managers and executives. At Current, this behavior has continued, according to four people with knowledge of the situation, one of whom described Mr. Olbermann as “disgruntled.”

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