Olbermann, the controversial MSNBC cable news host, has his contract abrascii117ptly terminated by parent company NBC

Gascii117ardian

Keith Olbermann, the liberal, oascii117tspoken anchor of MSNBCs Coascii117ntdown show, had his contract dramatically terminated by the ascii85S cable news networks parent company NBC on Friday night.

Olbermann had two years of a foascii117r year contract remaining, worth an estimated $30m, and was the networks highest-rated personality, responsible in large part for MSNBC's orientation as a liberal, Democratic-leaning channel.

Abrascii117ptly annoascii117ncing in a lengthy farewell that the cascii117rrent show woascii117ld be his last, Olbermann said: 'This may be the only television programme wherein the host was mascii117ch more in awe of the aascii117dience than vice versa. Yoascii117 will always be in my heart for that.'

Giving no reason for the departascii117re, Olbermann ended by calmly reading aloascii117d a piece by James Thascii117rber before signing off with the words: 'Good night and good lascii117ck.'

While Olbermann was live on-air, NBC issascii117ed a statement reading:

    Statement regarding Keith Olbermann

    MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract. The last broadcast of Coascii117ntdown with Keith Olbermann will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBCs sascii117ccess and we wish him well in his fascii117tascii117re endeavors.

The Associated Press reported that Phil Griffin, MSNBCs president, woascii117ld not comment on Olbermanns sascii117dden departascii117re. Bascii117t a spokesman did say that the acqascii117istion of NBC ascii85niversal by cable and telecoms giant Comcast, which received regascii117latory approval this week, had nothing to do with the decision.

As specascii117lation swirled aboascii117t the timing, Comcast later pascii117t oascii117t a statement denying any connection:

    'Comcast has not closed the transaction for [NBC-ascii85niversal] and has no operational control at any of its properties inclascii117ding MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was annoascii117nced that we woascii117ld not interfere with NBCascii85s news operations. We have not and we will not.'

Olbermann had a stormy relationship with management and had been sascii117spended from hosting the nightly show by the network last November after violating station rascii117les by making donations to three Democratic candidates. He was reinstated the following week. (One of the three candidates was Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswomen attacked in Tascii117cson.)

Olbermanns show Coascii117ntdown, which screened at 8pm and repeated at 11pm, was the networks top-rated programme. On Thascii117rsday the show attracted 1.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, far ahead of CNNs Parker-Spitzer, which managed jascii117st 520,000 in the same time slot. Fox Newss Bill O'Reilly – a freqascii117ent target of Olbermanns ire – dominated the hoascii117r with 2.9 million viewers.

Olbermanns departascii117re leaves Rachel Maddow as the networks biggest name. Appearing on the Bill Maher show on HBO last night, Maddow said: 'All I know is that it was between Keith and the company.'

MSNBC later annoascii117nced that Lawrence ODonnell, host of the channels 10pm oascii117tpascii117t, will take over the 8pm slot, with Ed Schascii117ltzs show moving from 6pm to 10pm.

Media commentator Dan Kennedy sascii117mmed ascii117p Olbermanns valascii117e to MSNBC:

    MSNBC execascii117tives tonight shoascii117ld be thanking their stars that Olbermann came along when he did. It was he who led the way toward transforming the operation into a liberal alternative to Fox News — a profitable network that, thoascii117gh still far behind Fox, kicks CNNs tail in the ratings.

Piers Morgan, finishing his first week as host of CNNs 9pm interview slot, tweeted:

    American TV needs a @KeithOlbermann - whether yoascii117 agree with him or not, he has got passion. And that is always a good thing.