A long time ago, at least seventeen years, my husband and I spent our mornings with the crew of Good Day New York. With host Jim Ryan, weather girl Julie Gulden, crazy extra reporters Dave Price and Gorden (his last name eludes me), Good Day New York was a refreshing 'something different' than Today and Good Morning America.
The show ran on WNEW channel 5 out of New York City. When FOX bought the network, one by one all the regulars were leaving. To this day, no word was ever spoken as to whose decision it was to change the staff and the format- FOX, because they didn't like the zany liberals or the zany liberals, who didn't like FOX.
Nevertheless, within a year of the sale, my husband and I were left without a morning program to drink coffee with.
Back then, FOX, cable news and the 24 hour media we have today was all new unexplored territory. If there was breaking news, local channels notified the viewers, who, if they were like me, immediately tuned in CNN for more information.
But, since FOX was new, that was the channel I tuned into during hurricane Katrina.
I didn't 'watch' cable news, I was just looking for information. However, Shep Smith blew me away with his anger, and I thought this channel may just fill the void left by Jim Ryan.
And then, I started to hear about this feud going on between Bill O'Reilly and some person named Keith Olbermann.
It seems Keith said or did something that totally inflamed Bill, and he announced that the name should never be mentioned.
He even threatened to send the police after one caller who had the audacity to mention the name.
So- who is this Keith Olbermann and what did he do to piss off Bill O'Reilly. I had to find out.
From the very first show I watched, I was hooked. I so got the satirical aspect of the early shows.
"Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?" And the first story, which was #5 on the countdown was the most important to those of us who are intelligent, politically savvy and want to be up to date on the news. The #1 story that 'people' will be talking about was usually fluff: American Idol, celebrity rehabs,Paris Hilton and the like.
In between, there were regular segments: Oddball, Keeping Tabs, Bushed, and of course, the Special Comment.
I rarely missed a night, especially when the show re-ran at 10:00.
I remember when Rachel first appeared as a commentator, then a guest host, and finally her own show. You can see the friendship there- it is not 'show talk'. I enjoyed the banter they had between shows.
I must admit I didn't like the way Countdown changed after the 2008 elections. I really wanted it to go back to the old format, and cover stories that were not really political (like the floods in Australia or Tunisia) but I so totally loved Keith that I still watched every night.
So thank you Bill O'Reilly. If it wasn't for you I might not have started watching Keith as early as I did.
Keith Olbermann, please let us know what happens now. If you are taking a well earned and well deserved vacation/rest, by all means have a great time. But come back. Please. You were one of the last truth-tellers. We need more like you.