Ford: Pairing Matthews & Olbermann Was A Risk “Worth Taking,” Shales Says

In the latest TV Week, Tom Shales has some notable comments about MSNBC’s coverage of Gerald Ford‘s funeral:

“Is it too irreverent to say that MSNBC provided ‘lively’ coverage of a funeral? It really is meant favorably. This isn’t to say it was lighthearted or in questionable taste — or, God forbid, ‘edgy.’ Executives and producers were taking a real chance by teaming [Chris] Matthews with Keith Olbermann, a genuine Peck’s Bad Boy of the airwaves (cable waves? Cable currents?), because Olbermann can go wacky on you-he can be a half-cocked loose cannon, to mix metaphors and cliches.

Teaming Matthews and Olbermann for any occasion, solemn or semi-solemn, is almost a redundancy, like teaming two comics or, for that matter, two straight men. It’s Costello and Costello. They both specialize in waspish, sometimes lacerating quips. But the risk turned out to be worth taking, and though no one could have monitored every minute of every network’s coverage, Matthews and Olbermann seemed to be true to their own personas without violating any common-sense laws of decorum.”