Keith Olbermann yesterday "revealed new details about his upcoming ESPN2 late night talk show," noting that it "will include a 'Worst Person in the Sports World' segment," according to Andrea Morabito of BROADCASTING & CABLE. The "Worst Person in the World" segment was a "regular feature" on Olbermann's MSNBC show. Olbermann said that he was "reviving the segment again because 'people seemed to like that one.'" He added that the show would "feature commentary, highlights, interviews, and analysis while differentiating itself" from "SportsCenter." Olbermann noted that the "influence of the Internet will make this show much different" than when he hosted "SportsCenter" in the '90s. But "now, as then, he will base the show on the same concept that [its] audience is coming in knowing 50-100% of the sports news and his job is to tell them why it happened" (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 7/24). ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's Sandra Gonzalez wrote if Olbermann "wants to talk about politics ... he will." But Olbermann said that it "has to make sense first." Olbermann: "I’m not intending to talk about politics, certainly not in the partisan sense and not in the sense I have in the last ten years of work that I’ve done." But he added, "It’s a sports show and there will be occasions in which ... we will have to talk about (it)." Olbermann "shot down reports that his contract included any limits on content and confirmed that there will be no 'pop culture segments'" (EW.com, 7/24). Olbermann said, "I've done and enjoyed and own the work that I've done, but that's not what this is." He added that his "most recent stints at MSNBC and Current TV 'took a lot out of me, and were not that much fun'" (LATIMES.com, 7/24). VARIETY's Jon Weisman noted Olbermann will "be away from ESPN for three weeks in October to host the postseason baseball studio for TBS." ESPN VP/Original Programming & Production Jamie Horowitz said that how that departure will be handled is "still being worked out" (VARIETY.com, 7/24).
