Countdown: MSNBC’s Most Popular Program

“Countdown is as smart as anything on TV,” and Keith Olbermann is the reason, Mike McDaniel writes in today’s Houston Chronicle profile of the MSNBC anchor. “There’s no reason to expect he will ever approach the reach of O’Reilly, which has nine times Countdown’s audience, but Olbermann can take solace knowing his is the most popular show on MSNBC.”

Olbermann says: “It’s always been much more useful to me to consider my audience as one person, a person who is not necessarily turning to me for brand new information but is looking for some sort of amplification or context. We do very well among 25-54 viewers — 40, 50, sometimes 60 percent in that demo. And the late-night show (Countdown is repeated at 11) has had 100 percent in that group. It means the bosses are sanguine and we have succeeded in holding back the tide somewhat and gotten young people to watch television news.” There are many other good quotes…