Keith Olbermann is making another move, but this time he is staying at the same network. The political pundit who returned to his sports roots last year is moving from a late-night ESPN2 slot to an afternoon slot.
The network announced today that Olbermann will begin airing at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 starting on Monday, Sept. 8. The hope is to give the show a ratings boost and a wider audience. It will be paired with Bob Ley’s Outside the Lines.
Norby Williamson, executive vice president of program scheduling & development, praised Olbermann in a statement, especially since the show earned an Emmy nomination. Williamson added that Olbermann will also host important editions of SportsCenter.
“We feel that strategically shifting the time of this show will not only provide access to a broader audience, but gives us greater flexibility for Keith to do cross-platform opportunities, including hosting key editions of SportsCenter surrounding major news or events throughout the year, while enabling us to secure a more consistent time slot to showcase his distinctive voice,” Williamson said.
The new afternoon version of Olbermann will keep the same format, including his opening monologue on sports topics, the “World’s Worst” bit and interviews.
Olbermann returned to ESPN back in August 2013, following a difficult departure from Al Gore’s Current TV (now Al Jazeera America). He also famously left MSNBC behind on poor terms.
He began to transition back into the sports broadcasting fold by joining TBS during the MLB playoffs.
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