After Olbermann’s Ouster, What Comes Next? Maybe Storm

Now that Keith Olbermann’s days at Channel 2 are numbered, the next question is, who will be his replacement?

Olbermann signed with Channel 2 more than three years ago, when money was plentiful. Now, the job pays about $300,000.

Jim Hill has been making considerably more than that at Channel 7, but his contract is up, too.

Hill has had negotiations with Channel 2, but he said he expects to stay where he is.

“I’ve felt all along I would stay,” he said.

But Hill and Channel 7 have yet to sit down and talk money.

If Channel 2 is unable to land Hill, other possibilities include sportscaster Rory Markas, who would simply move up to the No. 1 slot, and reporter Dave Lopez, who has a sports background and has been doing a nice job as host of the “John Robinson Show.”

Another candidate is Hannah Storm of CNN, who has applied. She certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Storm is represented by New York lawyer Art Kaminsky, who also represents Channel 2 news anchor Jim Lampley. Kaminsky also represented Olbermann for about six months, but Olbermann and Kaminsky parted company after Olbermann discovered that Kaminsky had clients applying for his job.

So Olbermann went back to his former agent, Jean Sage, whom he has known for more than 10 years.

Another Kaminsky client the station might consider is Jim Gray, who works for CBS and lives in Los Angeles. Gray is known for breaking stories, something Olbermann has often tried to do, although at times too recklessly.

Gray struck again last weekend with his Kareem Abdul-Jabbar interview that was shown on “The NFL Today.” Abdul-Jabbar told Gray that he might return to the NBA and donate at least some of his earnings to AIDS research.

Gray first got wind of the story while playing basketball at the Sports Club L.A. in West Los Angeles last Tuesday. One of the other players told Gray that he was in a yoga class with Abdul-Jabbar and that the retired Laker center was considering a comeback.

The next night, Gray went to a Clipper game and heard the same rumor.

So he called Abdul-Jabbar’s agent, Leonard Armato, to get more information. Later, through Abdul-Jabbar’s publicist, Lorin Pullman, Gray set up the interview.

Olbermann most likely is headed to ESPN, where he would make approximately $120,000.

John Walsh, the executive editor of “SportsCenter,” has been impressed by Olbermann since seeing his audition tapes several years ago.

Before hiring Olbermann, Channel 2 was prepared to make Fred Roggin an attractive offer. Roggin could have gotten nearly $1 million a year.

But Roggin re-signed with Channel 4, and things have worked out for the best. Roggin continues to lead the competition in the ratings war, and his syndicated show, “Roggin’s Heroes” has become a national hit.

Roggin has been taking time off the air lately to tape new “Roggin’s Heroes” segments and also to work on a year-end show, “Sports Bowl ‘91,” which will be televised New Year’s Night, after NBC’s coverage of the Orange Bowl.

TV-Radio Notes

There will be no guests on the “John Robinson Show” on Channel 2 Sunday at 10 a.m. Robinson will use the entire half-hour to reflect on his Ram career. . . . Sunday night’s “Keith Olbermann Show” will be the last. Actually, it’s amazing that Olbermann is still on the air. Usually, when an announcer is fired, that’s it. He’s gone. When Channel 9 fired sportscaster Joe Fowler, he sought to do one more show but his request was denied. NBC has the key NFL games this weekend. Houston, trying to earn a bye and then home-field advantage in its first playoff game, plays the New York Giants Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh are the announcers. Miami and the New York Jets play Sunday at 10 a.m., with the winner going to the playoffs. Tom Hammond and Joe Namath report. . . . Namath may never be a top-of-the-line commentator, but he has improved from his early days at ABC. And it’s nice to hear that he is popular among underlings at NBC. “He’s really a nice guy,” said one. “He does whatever is asked and never complains.”

Even though Sunday’s Raider-Kansas City game will determine where the same two teams play their wild-card playoff game the following weekend, it fell short of selling out in time to lift the television blackout.

The second segment on “60 Minutes” Sunday night will deal with the scandal at Auburn caused by the tape recordings made by former defensive back Eric Ramsey. Tapes that haven’t been played before, including some that implicate Coach Pat Dye, will be heard. . . . TNT announced Thursday that it will carry a new 90-minute awards show, “Super Bowl Saturday Night,” on Jan. 25. Burt Reynolds will be the host.

ABC announced Thursday that it will carry six fights in 1992, beginning with a James Toney bout on Feb. 8. This year, ABC carried only four fights, CBS three and NBC none. . . . Last Saturday’s Duke-Michigan game on CBS got a 5.4 national rating, the highest for college basketball in December since Kentucky-Indiana on ABC in December of 1987 got a 6.0.

Beginning Dec. 30, “KIEV Sports Final” with Peter Vent will be on from 11 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. KIEV is 870-AM. . . . San Bernardino radio station KMEN (1290) will go all-sports beginning Jan. 4. The Sports Entertainment Network and the new ESPN radio network, which also makes its debut Jan. 4, will supply much of the programming. KMEN already carries the Lakers, Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Dodgers, Notre Dame football and other sports events. . . . The ESPN radio network, a weekend service, will also be carried by KMPC.