"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Where Have Olbermann and Maddow Disappeared To? Facebook to the Rescue

David Shuster's been doing Countdown for the past two nights, and first Arianna Huffington and then Allison Stewart have filled in for Rachel Maddow on MSNBC... I actually really like all of these people/anchors/commentators - but what happened to Keith and Rachel?

There was no announcement on MSNBC, and I couldn't find much on the Web, other than someone else who also was wondering what had happened to the two. I'd assumed there were on some sort of vacations, but ...

I posted a question in my Status on Facebook, and sure enough, Mike Plugh, one of my most brilliant and knowledgeable former students, came back with an answer:

Vacation. They ran straight through the election without a break and I think Rachel is on the Air America Cruise with some lucky listeners. Olbermann may be in his basement at his mom's house hitting rewind and play on the Ben Affleck impression at SNL.


Ok, vacation, like I thought. And Mike "thinks" that Rachel is on an Air America Cruise.

Assuming he's right - which I do - why couldn't MSNBC, and indeed Keith and Rachel, have told us?

He's a little advice for everyone with a regular news commentary show on television: Viewers get accustomed to seeing you. We miss you when you're not on.

You're in the news business. Keep us a little better posted...

7 comments:

Jay said...

I'm totally missing seeing them, but that's the surprise about TV. You don't know what's going to happen until the show airs.

marlaerwin said...

Mike is right - Rachel is cruising, along with Air America's Dabid Bender, Mark Green, Ron Reagan, and Thom Hartman. http://www.airamericacruise.com/

Spherical Time said...

The networks still want you to tune in, even if Keith and Rachel are gone for the day, and they know that there are some people out there that won't tune in if they're gone.

So they don't let people know, and those people will tune in and hopefully keep watching anyway.

I presume.

Mike Plugh said...

If you keep saying nice things about me I'm going to have to start sending you a 2nd check of bribe money each month. ;)

Thanks for the personalized tag on this post. With six mentions I have more tags than Michaelangelo, Ronald Reagan, Alfred Hitchcock, and the Terminator. I still trail Amber Lee Ettinger, Bill O'Reilly, and democracy so I have some work to do.

Paul Levinson said...

Jay and Marla - thanks.

Spherical: that's the best explanation I've heard so far about MSNBC's lowkeying of this - I think you're right.

Mike - my pleasure - keep coming up with lines like Olbermann's basement and Affleck, and I'll tag you every time! :)

By the way, I may well be writing a little about this in New New Media - in which case, you'll make it into that book, Index and all, as well ...

Doing my best to make you famous!

Mike Plugh said...

Famous would be a nice change of pace. Infamous is getting old.

Hoping to research democracy as a medium of communication for my PhD and work on actually building local models of democratic governance based on my findings. At least that's a part of it.

Now back to my basement. Mom expects lights out at 10pm sharp.

Charles Cicirella said...

I tried to tune in but neither one of them is the same. Especially Countdown - it just does not work without Keith obviously. All the times in the past when they went away the fill in host said something at beginning so I still find it rather odd that nothing has been said at all. Yes I believe it is because they want us to keep tuning in thing is after we tune in and find the host missing some mention of what is going on would be nice and respectful. I gotta believe the ratings for both shows are way down especially Countdown and here is the thing if they don't care enough to even mention they are going on vacation (a much needed vacation of course) then why should I continue to tune in - I mean I just find the whole thing rather odd and even somewhat disquieting. Keep your loyal fans in the loop.

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