Monday, January 24, 2011

Oprah, Olbermann and Orson Wells

Is there a connection between Oprah Winfrey launching "OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network" and Keith Olbermann's sudden departure from MSNBC? Well, maybe! And maybe even back to Citizen Kane...

The Wrap writes:

"With two years left on his $7 million-a-year contract, Olbermann was seeking a full exit package but he really has his eye on creating his own media empire in the style of Huffington Post, according to the individual. That way, Olbermann would control his own brand and, in his view, potentially earn far more as an owner." 
Did Keith Olbermann Bolt MSNBC to Create Media Empire?
Does that mean that it wasn't the big bad Comcast engulfing NBC that caused the radical TV-commentator to jump ship. Was it greed? Or narcissism!

What does it mean when media stars starts their own networks? Is this a good thing for democracy? What happens to editorial integrity when the media channel is so tightly linked to one person?

Makes me think of Citizen Kane.
"Kane's career in the publishing world is born of idealistic social service, but gradually evolves into a ruthless pursuit of power." (from Wikipedia)  
Hans Sandberg

1 comment:

Daniel said...

Then it implies that all idealism, and just about any other perception, eventually morphs into its opposite. If so, then I think it's up to the one who is undergoing the process to decide what will remain constant despite the changes. I would hope that Olbermann and Winfrey stay true to their better ideals and of course time will tell. Personally I think they will or at least be more constant than others who were more subject to Jekyll/Hyde changes.

Daniel

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