Podcasts by Texting Keith Olbermann
One night in 2016, BBC News anchor Ros Atkins was retweeted by the legendary American broadcaster Keith Olbermann. The comment? “Thank God you’re back."
Two years on, despite having never met, Keith and Ros were texting each other almost every day. Keith would send pictures of his dogs, the view from his Manhattan penthouse or the oysters that he was eating. He'd also send details of his latest ratings and thoughts on Ros' show. He even sponsored the match ball at the tiny football club at the end of Ros' road in London.
In Texting Keith Olbermann, Ros Atkins asks Keith what everyone was asking him: why is he doing it? And as Ros' wife realises he's texting Keith more than anyone apart from her, she has the same question for him. Two parallel conversations play out, as we hear funny, fascinating and sometimes awkward explorations of fame, money, death threats, being a TV anchor, and the backstories to some of the most notorious moments of Keith's career. We also find out what happens to this unconventional friendship when they meet in person.
Producer: Danielle Stephens
Artwork: Sam Gilbey
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All episodes
1. Why Me? from 2019-03-11T00:12
Two years after the texts first started and despite never having met, BBC News anchor Ros was now exchanging more texts with legendary US broadcaster Keith Olbermann than anyone else apart from ...
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2. A Death Threat A Week from 2019-03-11T00:10
Keith is both famous and infamous in part because of his political polemics and very public fall-outs. And that comes at a cost: he regularly receives death threats. Ros never has. And he wants ...
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3. The $8 Million Compromise from 2019-03-11T00:08
Keith Olbermann is one of the very few journalists in history who've become multi-millionaires. Ros isn't. They explore where money fits into their definitions of success - and Keith reveals a s...
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4. The Visit, Part 1 from 2019-03-11T00:06
After two and a half years, the time has come. The BBC sends Ros to New York for work and, after talking to super-connected media executive Vivian Schiller, he heads to Keith's penthouse overloo...
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5. The Visit, Part 2 from 2019-03-11T00:04
Ros gets a crash-course in American cable news as Keith grudgingly flips through the channels while they sit on his sofa.
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6. You Don’t Even Really Know Him from 2019-03-11T00:02
Are Ros and Keith tiptoeing into a real friendship? As usual it's Ros' wife who sees through to the heart of the matter.
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