Keith Olbermann, American journalist and author
Keith Theodore Olbermann (; born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and left-wing political commentator and writer.
Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and radio stations in the 1980s, winning the Best Sportscaster award from the California Associated Press three times. He co-hosted ESPN's SportsCenter from 1992 to 1997. From 1998 to 2001 he was a producer and anchor for Fox Sports Net and a host for Fox Sports' coverage of Major League Baseball.
From March 2003 to January 2011 Olbermann hosted the weeknight political commentary program Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. He received attention for his pointed criticism of right-wing and conservative politicians and public figures. Although he has frequently been described as a "liberal," he has tried to resist being labelled politically, stating, "I'm not a liberal. I'm an American."From 2011 to March 30, 2012, he was the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of a Current TV program also called Countdown with Keith Olbermann. From July 2013 until July 2015 he hosted a late-afternoon show on ESPN2 and TSN2 called Olbermann as well as TBS's Major League Baseball postseason coverage.
From September 2016 until November 2017, Olbermann hosted a web series for GQ, titled The Closer with Keith Olbermann, covering the 2016 U.S. presidential election, later renamed The Resistance with Keith Olbermann after the victory of Donald Trump.In January 2018, Olbermann returned to ESPN's SportsCenter program, expanding in May to some baseball play-by-play work.
On October 6, 2020, he again resigned from ESPN to start a political commentary program on his YouTube channel.
1959Jan, 27
Keith Olbermann
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Events on 1959
- 1Jan
Cuban Revolution
Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution. - 7Jan
Fidel Castro
The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro. - 20Feb
John Diefenbaker
The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate. - 8Apr
COBOL
A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL. - 23Nov
Charles de Gaulle
French President Charles de Gaulle declares in a speech in Strasbourg his vision for "Europe, from the Atlantic to the Urals".