Olbermann: Must-See TV For Bad Mothers?

December 23rd, 2009 6:57 AM

Keith Olbermann: fave of the bad-mother demographic?  The question arises in light of a strange TV ad for something called FloTV that aired this morning.

A mother is giving dinner to her kids when she glances at the clock, notices it's shortly before 6 PM, and proceeds to dump the kids plates and toys, pour a bag of flour on the table and . .  . throw a glass of milk in her son's face.

Cut to shocked coming-home-from-work hubby at the door. Mom informs him "I just need an hour." Cut to mother, sitting on park bench, watching . . . Keith Olbermann on her cellphone. [Video after jump.] 

Now, I did catch the commercial on MSNBC, and it's possible that the shows featured track the network on which the ad's airing.  Even so, interesting that of all the MSNBC personalities, Olbermann was featured as being so important to Mom that she'd mistreat her kids to watch him.

Note: wondering how Olbermann could be on at 6 PM? Countdown airs at 6 in the Mountain Time zone, and mountains can be seen in the outdoor shot.

UPDATE: 8:20 AM-- Reader Heavy Chevy reports that he has seen the same commercial with the woman watching a football game at the end.  So as I surmised in the original item, looks like FloTV varies the image displayed according to the network on which its commercial is airing. Ultimately, of course, the blame for debasing our culture with this ad rests on FloTV.  Even so, interesting that, again as mentioned in the original item, of all the MSNBC personalities, the advertiser chose Olbermann as the bad mother's fave.

Also, since FloTV was using for commercial purposes the image of Olbermann and other MSNBC hosts, presumably MSNBC and/or Olbermann and the others themselves had to agree to the use. That makes them more than innocent bystanders, but complicit is this degradation of the culture.