Apparently MSNBC is being run by a lunatic, which just might explain why the cable news network's ratings are so abysmal. For quite some time, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" has been the only watchable piece of programming on the network. One of the things that makes the show so consistently good is Olbermann's disarming manner. When a news story is ridiculous, he's usually the first (and often only) TV personality to acknowledge it as such. When other news personalities paint the issues in black and white, Olbermann not only acknowledges the shades of grey, he actually explains them. And when he is moved by a story, he always seems to find just the right words to persuade us that we should be moved, too. On Monday night's edition of "Countdown," Olbermann closed the broadcast with a graphic description of his own recent experience having a tumor removed from the roof of his mouth, a tumor he is certain was caused by years of cigar and pipe smoking. Unlike Peter Jennings, who died Sunday of lung cancer attributed to a cigarette habit, Olbermann eventually learned that his tumor was benign and not life threatening. Olbermann expressed guilt that, by random luck, he remains healthy but Jennings did not. And he expressed regret, that his own choices placed him in a position that could have cost him his health and his life. Olbermann's point? If you want to honor the memory of Peter Jennings, do it by kicking your habit: Quit smoking. Now. (Read the complete transcript of Monday's "Countdown" here.) Immediately after the show, MSNBC President Rick Kaplan stormed onto the "Countdown" set and verbally ripped into Olbermann in front of the show's entire crew. According to Lloyd Grove at the New York Daily News:

Kaplan erupted angrily and at length, calling Olbermann "out of control" and "not to be trusted," and accusing him of driving away viewers from the 9 p.m. debut of Kaplan hire Rita Cosby's show, "Live and Direct." Kaplan - a friend and former ABC News colleague of Jennings, and a frequent cigar smoker - apparently got even angrier when Olbermann suggested that the reason he was upset was that "this is about you." [...] [T]he anchor quietly asked the news exec to move the discussion to a private location, but the enraged Kaplan wouldn't hear of it.

After Grove's story appeared, TVNewser reported that this is apparently standard operating procedure for Kaplan and that there have been "four or five separate explosions" in the past, which a tipster described as "childish, embarrassing, and insane." According to the blog, MSNBC management is in the process of interviewing witnesses against Kaplan, so perhaps the short-tempered chief is on his way out. A lot of people express outrage that a biased network like Fox News Channel consistently wins the cable news ratings war so handily, but given that MSNBC is run by a tyrant like Kaplan and CNN president Jon Klein changes his strategy every other day, I think Fox just might be winning by default. [NY Daily News] There's bad blood at MSNBC [TVNewser] Rick Kaplan Attacks His Talent

CNN announced yesterday that it is cancelling its long-running political debate show, "Crossfire." As part of the cancellation, the news network is saying goodbye to commentator Tucker Carlson, who is negotiating with MSNBC to host a new show for that network. CNN's new president, Jonathan Klein, explained the changes to reporter Bill Carter in Thursday's "New York Times":

Mr. Klein said, CNN wants to do "roll-up-your-sleeves storytelling," and he said that was not a role he saw for Mr. Carlson. "There are outlets for the kind of show Tucker wants to do and CNN isn't going to be one of them," he said. Mr. Klein said he wanted to move CNN away from what he called "head-butting debate shows," which have become the staple of much of all-news television in the prime-time hours, especially at the top-rated Fox News Channel. "CNN is a different animal," Mr. Klein said. "We report the news. Fox talks about the news. They're very good at what they do and we're very good at what we do."

Klein even stated that Jon Stewart's recent criticism of "Crossfire," and Carlson in particular, was on the mark:

Mr. Klein said last night, "I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise." He said he believed that especially after the terror attacks on 9/11, viewers are interested in information, not opinion.

I'm really torn on this one. After all, I agree with everything Stewart had to say about the partisan bickering that's the norm on "Crossfire." But try to think of this from the perspective of CNN's employees. Essentially, Klein has just informed his staff that if a comedian from another network calls one of them a "dick" on national television, not only will he not defend his own employees, he might just fire them. And then he'll tell a "New York Times" reporter that he, too, thinks they're a dick (though he'll say "overall premise" instead of "dick"). Klein sounds like a real gem of a boss. [NYTimes.com] CNN Will Cancel 'Crossfire' and Cut Ties to Commentator