When we got Tivo a couple of years ago, the first show we programmed a season pass for was MSNBC’s Countdown. People laughed at us for tivo’ing what they perceived as “just the news.” We aren’t alone in our devotion to Keith. (We’ve even learned to like Monica Novotny, although I loathe Alison Stewart to the point of deleting the show unwatched when she guest hosts).

According to the New York Times, 30 percent more people love Keith this quarter alone. Thankfully, when MSNBC jettisoned a lot of their crappy programming last month they left Countdown alone. As a bonus, they’ve greatly improved the show’s website.

Now if they would quit slipping in clips of that damned Banana Phone flash animation and song into the show periodically. It’s like they wait until they think you’ve finally gotten it out of your head and then wham! it’s back. It’s not my imagination that they’re abusing us with that song – even the wikipedia entry on the original (equally evil) version of the song mentions it: “The song has also been used on Countdown with Keith Olbermann as a bed for telephone-related news stories.” That said, I’m not complaining about all of their clip recycling obsessions. I do enjoy their gratuitous use of the footage of CNN’s Rick Sanchez being tasered. (Link is to a youtube.com clip of the CNN clip as seen on the Daily Show). That just never, ever gets old, does it?