From emailed press release:

MSNBC has voted for four more years of Keith Olbermann and the top-rated "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," it was announced today by Phil Griffin, President, MSNBC. The new four-year agreement calls for Olbermann to continue as host of "Countdown;" additionally, Olbermann will play a prominent role in MSNBC's coverage of all major news events. He will also continue to co-host NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show.

"Keith Olbermann is at the core of MSNBC's current success," said Griffin. "'Countdown' is our signature program and I'm thrilled that we're going to be able to bring it to Keith's loyal viewers for another four year term."

"I'm delighted that we can continue to lock Countdown into the nation's political dialogue through at least the next election," said Olbermann. "Personally, I noticed that as of about six weeks ago, I'd been doing this show longer than I did SportsCenter, so it's delightful to have a true home."

In October 2008, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" had its best month ever in the key Adults 25-54 demographic, and is up a tremendous 170 percent in A25-54 from Oct. 2007 and up 180 percent in total viewers. "Countdown" continued its dominance over CNN at 8 p.m., out-rating "Campbell Brown" by 35 percent in A25-54 and 41 percent in total viewers. Excluding coverage of the presidential debates, "Countdown" is the #3 top-rated show in cable news in A25-54. "Countdown" is also the #1 cable news show among young viewers, Adults 18-34.

Since the last presidential election in 2004, "Countdown" has seen dramatic ratings increases, up a huge 238 percent among Adults 25-54 and 206 percent in total viewers.

Congratulations, Keith! I like to think that C&L played a small part in your success.

Sadly, this news comes not without some detractors. Broadcasting & Cable worries that without a Bush administration to be outraged by, Keith and fellow "liberal darling" Rachel Maddow will be without boffo ratings material. Talk about being laughably clueless. It wasn't partisan rantings that made viewers come to MSNBC, it was having someone intelligently cover the news and provide context instead of dutifully regurgitating White House talking points. I am sure that Keith (and Rachel...and The Daily Show, come to that) will find ample news to keep viewers interested. And I'm sure that there will be moments of criticism towards the Obama administration as well. We're not blinded by partisan loyalty on our side.

Want further proof that honest coverage of news is appreciated? Look at this slideshow of the Obamas and Bidens on Election Night. What channel is the Obama team watching? Hint: It's not Fox. I'm just sayin'...