Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann are engaged in one of the most visible rivalries of the decade — a conflict that may be rooted more in their similarities than differences. Both talk show hosts are former straight news reporters who share not only a formula for talk-show success, but a mutual respect for Tom Snyder, whose 1970s talk show Tomorrow set the bar for thoughtful, entertaining talk. Olbermann and O'Reilly make our Players list for best epitomizing the transformation of news in the 2000s. While CNN ruled the '90s with an emphasis on breaking, opinion-free reports, The O'Reilly Factor helped Fox News become the cable news leader with a show that mixes reporting, reflection, and rampant editorializing. It's the same formula adopted by Olbermann's Countdown, which has led MSNBC's increased emphasis on opinion. Critics paint O'Reilly and Olbermann as blustery, cartoonish bloviators of the right and left, respectively, and take them to task for not playing it straight. But both men — among the influential television industry players interviewed for TVGuide.com's Best of the Decade section — would just say they speak the truth. Click here for our interview with O'Reilly or read on for our talk with Olbermann.
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Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann are engaged in one of the most visible rivalries of the decade — a conflict that may be rooted more in their similarities than differences. Both talk show hosts are former straight news reporters who share not only a formula for talk-show success, but a mutual respect for Tom Snyder, whose 1970s talk show Tomorrow set the bar for thoughtful, entertaining talk. Olbermann and O'Reilly make our Players list for best epitomizing the transformation of news in the 2000s. While CNN ruled the '90s with an emphasis on breaking, opinion-free reports, The O'Reilly Factor helped Fox News become the cable news leader with a show that mixes reporting, reflection, and rampant editorializing. It's the same formula adopted by Olbermann's Countdown, which has led MSNBC's increased emphasis on opinion. Critics paint O'Reilly and Olbermann as blustery, cartoonish bloviators of the right and left, respectively, and take them to task for not playing it straight. But both men — among the influential television industry players interviewed for TVGuide.com's Best of the Decade section — would just say they speak the truth. Click here for our interview with Olbermann or read on for our talk with O'Reilly.
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MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann is looking for dirt on Fox News' Glenn Beck.
"Find everything you can about Glenn Beck, Stu Burguiere, and Roger Ailes," Olbermann posted on The Daily Kos. (Burguiere produces Beck's radio show; Ailes is the head of Fox News.)
Read about the top 5 talk-show controversies of 2009
Olbermann's request for fact-finding was a somewhat cheeky reply to...
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It's been a big year for incendiary talk-show chatter. Sometimes a host gets viewers irate. Sometimes it's the guest. Sometimes that guest is even the president of the United States. Here's a look back at some of the comments this year that made people mad.
1) Who: Glenn Beck on Fox News' Fox and Friends
What he said: On the July 28th edition, Beck said President Obama has "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." He added, "I'm not saying that he doesn't like white people. I'm saying that he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist."
The fallout: Geico and Lawyers.com have pulled advertising from Beck's show, The Glenn Beck Program.
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There's nothing like a genuine surprise. While some things on TV this week took predictable turns — feuding cable hosts are feuding again, and a relationship born on the Bachelorette hit a bump — the two events at the top of our list caught us off-guard. One might even change the world. And no, it's not the dance contest.
See the full list after the jump.
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