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| Keith Olbermann to return to ESPN | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 17 2013, 03:38 PM (95 Views) | |
| Guest | Jul 17 2013, 03:38 PM Post #1 |
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Keith Olbermann is returning to ESPN to host a late-night talk show after a 16-year absence from the network that launched his career. Olbermann, a contentious television anchor who has been fired by three networks in the past decade, will be forbidden from talking politics on the hour-long show, which will air on ESPN 2 at 11 p.m. starting August 26, the network announced Wednesday. The show, titled 'Olbermann,' will 'focus on the day’s relevant sports topics through a mix of perspective and commentary, interviews, contributors, panel discussions and highlights,' according to the network. It will air from ABC's studios in Times Square, instead of from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Olbermann, 54, has a following of loyal viewers, but he has famously clashed with TV executives from nearly every one of his former jobs. He was fired in 2001 by Fox Sports Net, fired in 2011 from MSNBC - where he hosted 'Countdown' - and fired in March 2012 from his most recent job as an anchor for Current TV. Alluding to his past difficulties with management, Olbermann said Wednesday, 'I’m grateful to friends and bosses – old and new – who have permitted that opportunity to come to pass. I’m not going to waste it.' He added: 'Apart from the opportunity to try to create a nightly hour of sports television that no fan can afford to miss, I’m overwhelmed by the chance to begin anew with ESPN. '...Our histories are indelibly intertwined and frankly I have long wished that I had the chance to make sure the totality of that story would be a completely positive one.' The deal to bring Olbermann back to ESPN, where he worked from 1992 to 1997, has been in the works for more than a year. There was concern within ESPN about asking Olbermann back 'because he left the network under emotionally charged circumstances,' the New York Times reported. ESPN executives also feared that Olbermann had become too politically polarizing on his former MSNBC show, 'Countdown,' which aired from 2003 to 2011. That's why he will be barred from talking politics on the new program, according to the Times. Outside of what's going on in Washington, however, Olbermann will be free to explore a range of subjects, including pop culture and breaking news. While planning his ESPN comeback, Olbermann has been waging a legal battle against Current TV for breach of contract, claiming the network owes him up to $70 million in cash and equity compensation. In the lawsuit, he complains about a lack of security at the Current TV offices and claims that a top executive tried to blackmail him. n its countersuit, Current TV claimed that Olbermann once threw a glass mug at the set, jokingly ordered people to be killed or assassinated and forced Current to pay tens of thousands of dollars for eight different car companies to drive Olbermann around New York City. In welcoming him back to the network, ESPN President John Skipper noted that Olbermann has a 'one-of-a-kind personality.' 'Keith brings a blend of editorial sophistication and unpredictability - you can never be sure what you’ll get,' Skipper said. '"Olbermann" on ESPN2 gives viewers the quality late-night complement to ESPN’s SportsCenter in the same way we’ve developed distinct show options across our networks the rest of the day.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2366854/Keith-Olbermann-return-ESPN-16-year-absence-network--hes-FORBIDDEN-talking-politics.html#ixzz2ZKyWszvw Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook |
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| Guest | Jul 17 2013, 05:12 PM Post #2 |
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He was brilliant in his points but too angry. |
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| Tybee | Jul 18 2013, 06:00 AM Post #3 |
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I always liked Keith. I think he's a good champion for people who need all the champions they can get. He's certainly been a good friend of the gays for a long time. But he obviously has an anger management problem and I think at some point his popularity may have given him a swelled head and he thought he could write his own rules. Hopefully by now he's figured out that no one is indispensable and no matter how popular a media personality you might be you still have to answer to someone above you and you have to watch your mouth. I'm glad he's employed again, especially if he had locked himself into an up-market lifestyle. The bills still have to be paid. But unfortunately I won't be watching him on ESPN as I'd rather have my fingernails removed with pliers than watch or hear anyone commentate on sports. |
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| Deleted User | Jul 18 2013, 06:29 AM Post #4 |
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I have hot Daddy fantasies about Keith. I bet he throws a mean fuck. If I were into that sort of thing. |
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| Guest | Jul 19 2013, 05:51 AM Post #5 |
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Sorry to hear that Tybee, me I'm ready for some football, but good commentators are hard to come by anymore. Football, tennis, golf my favorite three. |
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4:00 AM Jul 11