MSNBC Guest Host Off the Air after Criticism of Olbermann...

MSNBC Pulls the Plug on Donny Deutsch’s Weeklong Anchoring Stint

By BRIAN STELTER

A weeklong anchoring stint on MSNBC by Donny Deutsch ended abruptly on Wednesday, and four people briefed on the decision said the cancellation stemmed from an unflattering mention of that channel’s No. 1 anchor, Keith Olbermann, a day earlier.

Mr. Deutsch had labeled his hour on MSNBC “America the Angry,” and Mr. Olbermann was shown briefly in a series of clips of media bloviators during a segment that pondered what role the media plays in fomenting the public’s anger. The four people briefed on MSNBC’s decision said Mr. Olbermann’s anger about the segment prompted the cancellation of the weeklong “America the Angry” series.

Mr. Deutsch would not confirm that, but he said Wednesday afternoon that “for whatever reason they decided they didn’t want to go with it the rest of the week.”

“I was disappointed because I think I’m on to something really special here that needs to be done,” he added, something that is neither red nor blue in terms of its politics. “It’s time the purple voice is out there,” Mr. Deutsch said. “Enough already.”
The four people briefed on the decision also said that Mr. Deutsch’s executive producer for the hour, Gresham Striegel, was sent home. Reached on his cellphone Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Striegel declined to comment on any of the claims.

Mr. Olbermann’s detractors have repeatedly claimed in the past that he has refused to host his show on occasions when he was unhappy with management.

An MSNBC executive privately denied the claim that Mr. Olbermann, who is not a part of the channel’s management, influenced the decision to bench Mr. Deutsch, but would not say so publicly.

In a reply to an e-mail message from The New York Times, Mr. Olbermann said: “Your account is entirely untrue. Your e-mail is the first I am hearing of any of this. What I know of what happened is this: Phil Griffin phoned me yesterday enraged at what was on that show and I didn’t disagree with him.” Mr. Griffin is the president of MSNBC.

MSNBC seemed to confirm that the segment about the media’s role in instigating anger was troubling. “The segment did not go unnoticed and we’re dealing with it internally,” said Jeremy Gaines, an MSNBC spokesman.

The segment in question also included clips of Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck. One of the guests, the radio host Hugh Hewitt, said that Mr. Olbermann and another MSNBC host, Ed Schultz, are “the biggest hate-mongers in television.”