Well, it looks like Olbermann and MSNBC were discussing his leaving for at least a week, and maybe longer, before yesterday’s announcement.  The New York Times is reporting that the discussions were ongoing for several weeks, and that Olbermann was the only prime-time host not present at a recent luncheon event held for advertisers.

MSNBC execs may not be the complete asses that initial reporting made them out to be, and that the parting is more mutual.  We, of course, still don’t know what was going on behind the scenes, or what effect ComCast’s buyout of NBC really had on Olbermann’s status.

Still, whatever the reasons for Olbermann’s departure, it will leave a big gap in MSNBC’s lineup that no amount of program shuffling will fill.

Maybe I’ll watch more than just Rachel Maddow, after all.  We’ll see.