Additional details of Keith Olbermann‘s return to ESPN emerged late Tuesday night.
Echoing previous reports by The New York Daily News and Variety, The New York Times reported late Tuesday that ESPN will announce the re-hiring of former “SportsCenter” anchor Keith Olbermann on Wednesday.
Olbermann, as has been reported, is expected to host a one-hour late night talk show on ESPN2. That is in addition to his previous deal with Turner Sports to anchor Major League Baseball playoff coverage this October.
Tuesday’s New York Times report added some previously unknown information. In particular, Olbermann’s new ESPN contract is for two years, and specifies that he cannot talk about politics on his new show.
Olbermann, of course, had a long and controversial stay in the world of cable news — most notably hosting “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” on MSNBC and Current TV from 2003-12. He has been reviled in some conservative political circles.
While politics is off limits, Olbermann can branch beyond sports to talk “pop culture and current events” (NYT, 7/16).
According to The New York Times article, which was written by “Those Guys Have All the Fun” author James Andrew Miller, ESPN pursued Olbermann in part as a response to the upcoming Fox Sports 1 program “Crowd Goes W!ld” — a sports talk show hosted by Regis Philbin.
(Tue. news from The New York Times)
