Olbermann Vacation Day 1: Countdown Exec. Producer Leaves For New O’Donnell Show
On Day 1 of Keith Olbermann‘s two-week vacation, a big announcement has come down concerning his MSNBC show.
Countdown‘s Executive Producer Izzy Povich is leaving the program to take over as Senior Executive Producer of Lawrence O’Donnell‘s soon-to-be-launched 10pmET show.
The announcement came in an MSNBC press release today (the full release is below). Interestingly, there is no replacement yet. “A new Executive Producer of ‘Countdown’ will be named at a later date,” said the release. With Olbermann out two weeks, there’s still some time. O’Donnell is currently filling in as guest host.
Povich (pictured left – image via TVNewser) joined MSNBC in 1996 and has served as EP of Countdown since 2004. MSNBC President Phil Griffin said:
Izzy has done a tremendous job for years on ‘Countdown’ and is a key member of my team. She’s the perfect person to take on the challenge of launching Lawrence’s show and help take MSNBC to the next level.
There is no launch date yet for O’Donnell’s program.
Last month Spud at InsideCableNews posted a blind item: “Which cable news show may be showing signs of internal trouble? Rumors are flying that the show’s EP has “had it” and another key staffer is leaving the program…” It had commenters guessing Sean Hannity or Olbermann, but this is certainly the most high-profile EP move recently. (Update: TVNewser hears another staffer is leaving the show as well. So…)
Povich has helped make Countdown into the most successful show currently on the network, and probably the most successful program ever on MSNBC. It will be a big spot for a new producer to land in.
Olbermann hasn’t tweeted today.
The Upshot’s Michael Calderone broke the news on Twitter. Here’s the full release:
NEW YORK – July 19, 2010 – Izzy Povich has been named Senior Executive Producer of Lawrence O’Donnell’s new program, which will debut this fall at 10 pm ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC and is effective immediately.
“Izzy has done a tremendous job for years on ‘Countdown’ and is a key member of my team,” said Griffin. “She’s the perfect person to take on the challenge of launching Lawrence’s show and help take MSNBC to the next level.”
Povich was previously Executive Producer of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” since February 2004. A new Executive Producer of “Countdown” will be named at a later date. As Executive Producer of “Countdown,” Povich oversaw all editorial content for the show. Prior to her current role, Povich served as a Senior Producer for “Countdown” from the program’s launch in 2003.
Povich joined MSNBC in 1996 and in 1998, she became the Senior Producer for the MSNBC Central Booking Unit. From 2000-2003, Povich served as Senior Producer and Supervising Producer for several MSNBC programs.
Povich began her career as an account executive for Ogilvy and Mather Public Relations in 1989 and as an associate producer for WNBC New York in 1990, before serving as a producer on “The Maury Povich Show” from 1992-1996. She also served as a producer for CBS’s “Day and Date” in 1996.
Povich holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. She is married to Andrew Povich, and has two children, Molly and Ben.
