Keith Olbermann Returns to MSNBC
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Before he was so rudely interrupted ...
Keith Olbermann, who quit a prime-time MSNBC show in disgust five years ago after being forced to talk endlessly about Monica Lewinsky, is coming back to the network in the same time slot.
His new show, "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," is the replacement for Phil Donahue's failed talk show. It officially begins Monday.
"He's edgy, he's got attitude, he's hip, he's clever, he's a good writer," MSNBC President Erik Sorenson said on Friday. "We've always been consistent in trying to get the baby boom generation to latch onto us instead of CNN," and Olbermann fits into that plan.
Olbermann said his reasons for leaving in 1998 don't apply now and he's not concerned with replacing one full-time obsession - Lewinsky - for another in the war.
"This, because of the nature of the conflict and the nature of the technology, is a genuinely important story," he said.
His new program will be more of a news broadcast than the talk show that was "The Big Show," he said. The "countdown" aspect of his new program refers to the planned format of counting down the day's big stories.
A big element of Olbermann's talent, his humor, won't be evident for a while because of the war story, Sorenson said.
Olbermann, who's jumped back and forth between news and sports and recently did work on CNN, is legend in the business for not sticking with jobs for a long time. Sorenson said MSNBC's management had some long talks with him about this before hiring him.
"We're convinced that he's seen the light and he's made a real life change," Sorenson said.
Of course, MSNBC has a history of not sticking with shows for a long time, so it may be a perfect match. But Olbermann points out he's already been hired as a host of MSNBC's summer Olympics coverage in 2004, so it might be awkward for the network to fire him before then.
He's matched against cable news' current ratings king, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly. Donahue often couldn't get an audience a quarter of O'Reilly's size.
Olbermann pointed out O'Reilly never beat him in the ratings when they first went head-to-head.
"I expect that streak will end on Monday," he said.
A Familiar Face Returns to MSNBC...
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A Familiar Face Returns to MSNBC...
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You do realize that Keith meant he thinks his streak of beating O'Reilly in the ratings will end Monday, right?
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