Television

Olbermann, Regis getting new sports shows

keith-olbermann-variety.jpgTwo former Los Angeles TV guys who went on to national media fame are getting new television shows, but you'll only find them deep on your cable grid. Keith Olbermann, the well-traveled former LA sports reporter, is getting a late-night talk show on ESPN2 that could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to Jon Weisman at Variety.

Some history: "Olbermann was one of the most prominent faces on ESPN in the 1990s, when he co-hosted the marquee edition of 'SportsCenter' with Dan Patrick. But there was a notorious falling out between the parties, and Olbermann went on to other jobs in both sports and news, most notably a long stint with MSNBC (highlighted by 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann'), followed by a shorter one with Current TV that lasted under a year and eventually wound into a lawsuit, since settled."

If ESPN wanting to throw back in with Olbermann is surprising, consider Fox. On its new sports channel Fox Sports 1, the network is giving a time slot to 81-year-old Regis Philbin. "Crowd Goes Wild" will be produced by Michael Davies, who worked with Philbin on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."

If we were one of those news sites that has to pose a dumbed-down question at the end of every story in a desperate hope to get someone to comment, ours would be: Which of these shows will be cancelled first?


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