Editing Countdown with Keith Olbermann (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = CountdownCurrent.png
| image_alt            =
| caption              = 
| genre                = 
| presenter            = [[Keith Olbermann]]
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 
| num_episodes         = 1,400+<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23955733|title=''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' for April 3, 2008|date=2008-04-03|publisher=[[NBC News]]|work=Countdown with Keith Olbermann|access-date=2020-04-16|archive-date=2016-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923062114/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23955733/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| editor               = 
| location             = [[Secaucus, New Jersey]]<br />(April 3, 2003&nbsp;– October 19, 2007)<br />[[New York City]]<br />(October 22, 2007&nbsp;– January 21, 2011; June 20, 2011&nbsp;– March 29, 2012)
| runtime              = 60 minutes (March 2003&nbsp;– January 2011; June 2011&nbsp;– March 2012)<br />63 minutes (some episodes in June 2011)
| network              = [[MSNBC]]
| network2             = [[Current TV]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|2003|03|31}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|2011|01|21}}
| first_aired2         = {{Start date|2011|06|20}}
| last_aired2          = {{End date|2012|03|29}}
| related              =  
}}

'''''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''''' is a weekday podcast that originated as an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program<ref name="chief1">{{cite news |date=2008-01-06 |title=Keith Olbermann enjoys big success and very little wisdom |url=http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/columnists/aaron_barnhart/story/431088.html |work=Kansas City Star |first=Aaron |last=Barnhart |quote='Is this a straight newscast at this point?' Olbermann said. 'Probably not. It is, however, entirely news-driven. If there is no daily controversy about the Iraq war, we're not going to start the show with one.' |access-date=2008-07-10 |archive-date=2008-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527055607/http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/columnists/aaron_barnhart/story/431088.html |url-status=live }}</ref> hosted by [[Keith Olbermann]] that aired on [[MSNBC]] from 2003 to 2011 and on [[Current TV]] from 2011 to 2012. The show presented five selected news stories of the day, with commentary by Olbermann and interviews of guests. At the start of ''Countdown'', Olbermann told television columnist [[Lisa de Moraes]]: <blockquote>Our charge for the immediate future is to stay out of the way of the news.&nbsp;... News is the news. We will not be screwing around with it.&nbsp;... As times improve and the war [in Iraq] ends we will begin to introduce more and more elements familiar to my style.</blockquote>

The show was known for Olbermann's fast-paced rhetoric, historical and pop culture references, and [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] commentary. Olbermann melded news stories, both serious and light, with commentary, much of it critical of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative politics]]. The show has been the source of controversy owing to these criticisms, as well as the host's ongoing commentary against [[Fox News]] and his feud with its leading primetime personality [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)|Bill O'Reilly]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2140168 |title=The Olbermann-O'Reilly feud. |first=Jack |last=Shafer |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=2006-04-18 |access-date=2010-06-05 |archive-date=2010-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526110648/http://www.slate.com/id/2140168/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the January 21, 2011, edition of ''Countdown'', Olbermann announced that it would be his last appearance on the show, but he gave no explanation why.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/olbermann-hosts-last-countdown-on-msnbc/?src=twrhp | work=The New York Times | first=Bill | last=Carter | title=Olbermann Leaves 'Countdown' on MSNBC | date=January 21, 2011 | access-date=January 22, 2011 | archive-date=January 25, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125095159/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/olbermann-hosts-last-countdown-on-msnbc/?src=twrhp | url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported the following day that Olbermann had negotiated his exit from [[MSNBC]] with a secret deal.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/olbermanns-msnbc-exit-was-weeks-in-the-making/?partner=rss&emc=rss | work=The New York Times | first=Bill | last=Carter | title=Olbermann's MSNBC Exit Was Weeks in the Making | date=January 22, 2011 | access-date=January 22, 2011 | archive-date=January 25, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125042003/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/olbermanns-msnbc-exit-was-weeks-in-the-making/?partner=rss&emc=rss | url-status=live }}</ref> After being hired by [[Current TV]], Olbermann announced on April 26, 2011, that his nightly news program on the new network would begin June 20, 2011, and would also be called ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''. On March 30, 2012, Current TV abruptly terminated its relationship with Olbermann and replaced his show with a program hosted by [[Eliot Spitzer]].<ref name="politico.com">{{cite news|title=Olbermann out, Spitzer in on Current TV|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/03/olbermann-out-spitzer-in-on-current-tv-119209.html|access-date=30 March 2012|newspaper=Politico|date=30 March 2012}}</ref>

On August 1, 2022, Olbermann began producing and hosting a weekday podcast also titled "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", for iHeart Media.<ref name="hollywoodreporter.com">{{cite news|title=Keith Olbermann to Host New Podcast on iHeartMedia|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/keith-olbermann-to-host-new-podcast-on-iheartmedia-1235185676/|access-date=7 September 2022|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=25 July 2022|archive-date=7 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907162659/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/keith-olbermann-to-host-new-podcast-on-iheartmedia-1235185676/|url-status=live}}</ref>