• TV Newser, Wednesday, September 12, 2007 11:15 AM

Last Friday night, MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" was the highest-rated cable news show among viewers 25-54, topping out Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" in the key demographic for the first time. And the win come as no surprise to Phil Griffin, an NBC News vice president who manages MSNBC and the "Today" show.

"The real insight I had was over the summer," he says. Olbermann "maintained his core audience, so when the mass viewers came back after Labor Day...it's just surprising it happened so quickly." While O'Reilly and all other Fox News prime-time programs are still on top in total numbers, "the demo is everything. It's where we make our money," Griffin says.

MSNBC has had problems in more than a decade on the air, trying to find a lead personality to build around. "For years, MSNBC struggled to find someone to be the tent pole and lead the way," Griffin says. "In 11+ years, I don't think there has been a better moment."

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