Olbermann at MSNBC again for new series

Good movem MSNBC, I like Keith Olbermann. He's smart and witty. BBB
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Olbermann at MSNBC again for new series
Fri Mar 28, 1:01 AM ET Add Entertainment - Hollywood Reporter to My Yahoo!
By Andrew Grossman

NEW YORK (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Keith Olbermann is out to prove that F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong when he famously opined that there are no second acts in American lives.

Olbermann's second act at MSNBC is set to begin today as the network is expected to announce that the newsman has been tapped to host a nightly 8 p.m. series, "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," set to premiere Monday. Olbermann worked for MSNBC in 1998, hosting talk-issues series "The Big Show," but he left the network after clashes with management and what Olbermann described as an edict to focus on the then-unfolding White House scandal involving President Clinton (news - web sites) and Monica Lewinsky.

Olbermann has been temporarily hosting an 8 p.m. EST news show for MSNBC about the war in Iraq (news - web sites) for the past couple of weeks. An MSNBC spokesman declined comment, but Olbermann confirmed the change in his status. He also will be MSNBC's in-studio host for next year's Summer Olympics (news - web sites).

"It was obviously a surprise that it worked out with the rapidity that it did," Olbermann said. His multiyear contract is believed to be for somewhat less than $1 million, though he declined to discuss details of the deal.

Olbermann insisted that his legendary old ways of clashing with management have changed, saying that the events of Sept. 11 "sobered me up." He knew five people who died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He won an Edward R. Murrow Award for reporting from the site for 40 days for his ABC Radio show.

Olbermann, a former co-anchor of ESPN's "SportsCenter," will conduct a newscast/talk show that will include commentaries from five or so divergent viewpoints, sources said. Olbermann will deliver the news, conduct interviews on the top issues of the day -- no shouting during debates, he promises -- and perhaps deliver a short commentary. He also will continue to do his twice-daily "Speaking of Sports" show on ABC Radio and substitute for that network's Paul Harvey on occasion.

When the war ends, expect more of Olbermann's personality -- his penchant for puns, cutting humor, wordplay and historical references, however obscure -- to come through, he said. As for his opinions, Olbermann vowed to play the news straight, but he said his views might show up in the story selection and perhaps some quick on-air comments like the one he made recently when he went into a break with a reference to "the Shiites hitting the fan."

So what was it that brought Olbermann back into the MSNBC fold? He's had a long relationship with MSNBC president and general manager Erik Sorenson, going back to when Sorenson hired Olbermann as a sports anchor at CBS O&O KCBS Los Angeles in 1988. Sorenson joined MSNBC shortly before Olbermann bolted the channel for a sports anchor job at Fox Sports Net that lasted less than a year.

One official who is familiar with MSNBC's plans said the network was looking for someone who would appeal to a young, smart audience while bringing some "edge" to a news show and gain traction with a loyal audience.

"He's clever, he talks fast, he's got an attitude but not too much," the official said. "He's a tremendous communicator."