Keith Olbermann

Keith Olbermann is the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, a unique newscast that counted down the day's top stories with Olbermann's particular wit and style. Previously airing on MSNBC, Countdown now airs on Current TV, where Olbermann serves as chief news officer.

Olbermann began his career with NBC in 1997, when he was anchor for NBC Sports, hosting the World Series and Major League Baseball's All-Star Game and contributing to pre-game coverage of the Super Bowl. During that time he was also host of two primetime news programs on MSNBC, The Big Show and White House in Crisis.

Olbermann returned to MSNBC in 2003 as a substitute host on Nachman and an anchor for MSNBC's coverage of the war in Iraq before launching Countdown in April of 2003. Previously, Olbermann provided twice-daily commentary, "Speaking of Sports," for ABC Radio Network. Prior to that, he was a regular contributor on CNN. Olbermann may be best known for anchoring ESPN's SportsCenter from 1992 to 1997, when his inimitable style made the blend of pop culture and sports a hallmark of the modern television sports reporter. While at ESPN, Olbermann helped launch ESPN2 and ESPN Radio network, and wrote the critically acclaimed book The Big Show about his experiences working on SportsCenter. Most recently, he has authored Pitchforks and Torches.

Olbermann is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards in radio and television broadcasting, including the 1995 Cable Ace Award for Best Sportscaster, 11 Golden Mike Awards for excellence in television and radio, and four Sports Emmy Awards. Olbermann also received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the events of 9/11. In addition to his extensive broadcasting experience, Olbermann has written for dozens of publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Time, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. His first book, The Major League Coaches, was published when he was 14.

Olbermann received a bachelor's of science degree in communications arts from Cornell University.