Prima donna-hood is not about not being outspoken or bombastic. You can be a softspoken asshole or loudmouth swell guy.
Limbaugh broadcasts from his house in Florida, and only works directly with a very small, very loyal, circle. Beck, whatever his other faults, has a sense of humor about himself that Olbermann seems not to.
Was he also fired from Football Night in America? That should tell us whether he was fired because he’s a dick or because of his bosses’ politics. My money is on the former.
Beck, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, etc. may be dicks, but I’m sure they also they also know how to kiss the right asses, and, more importantly, how not to piss off the people that sign their paychecks.
According tothis:
My opinion from watching FNIA while Olbermann was on was that he didn’t have enough to do. The show was trying to re-create the old Dan Patrick/Olbermann sportscenter vibe, but without having them together enough to actually generate that. The show amounted to Olbermann at the desk showing a few highlights and then throwing the show across the studio to Patrick, who interacted with Jerome Bettis, Tony Dungy, et al. There were already too many people on the show with or without Olbermann. MHO, YMMV.
As for whether Olbermann is a jerk in person or not, as a viewer I just don’t give a damn. Countdown was very informative and you knew where Keith was coming from.
Forests and trees. They both need to be looked at.
Apparently not Olbermann. I forgot where I read it but some MSNBC exec noted that Olbermann’s tenure at MSNBC is some kind of record for him when it comes to length of time at one gig (Olbermann having left all his other gigs even sooner…whether he was kicked out or left I have no idea).
From the standpoint of the employer and coworkers, though, it probably matters more whether the guy is a jerk in person. If somebody has a really successful show, then their idiosyncrasies will be put up with for longer, but if someone really can’t get along with his coworkers and it starts to be a problem, even success won’t save him.
I think the idea that the Comcast merger gave them an excuse to fire him is a really good one. It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone had to renegotiate their contracts. It happens often in the corporate world.
What you see on TV isn’t the way people deal with their bosses. For all we know Glenn Beck is a prince to everyone he works with.