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In an editorial written by former Salon editor-in-chief, David Talbot wrote: "Fox news likes its liberals soft and chewy, the better to eat them, my dear." See link: http://salon.com/books/feature/2003/02/28/alterman/index.html He was referring to Alan Colmes. And he's right. Soft-spoken cerebral types are ineffective in the cable environment.
This is the key to Olbermann's success. He's a strong speaker with charisma. And I'll say it: he's macho. There's a large neanderthal contingent in TV-land that responds to machismo. Those people are turned off by the Aaron Browns and Alan Colmes. They want some one who's a guys guy. A former sportscaster.
Now I'm not a neanderthal, and I love his show (although I can't stand those Musto segments but that's a different topic - note to Keith: lose Musto!). I watch Olbermann because he's witty and insightful. His commentary is critical and, yes, the object of his criticism is often Bush, the Bush administration and O'Reilly. But I find the tone of his criticism to be centrist, the voice of common sense clearly articulated. He stands apart from the ranting that's become characteristic of the cable news format. And that's why I tune in.
