This Fits Olbermann to letter

The voice heard four times a day on KFWB (980), reporting from New York, is a familiar one. Only Keith Olbermann isn’t reporting on sports. Nothing that trivial.

Olbermann has been delivering his “letters from New York” since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11. KFWB broadcasts one at 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and another at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Olbermann’s reports have been concise and poignant. It’s Olbermann at his best. One might describe Olbermann as a complicated mixture of brilliance, demons and ego. There’s no trace of demons or ego in these reports.

Olbermann, after departing from Los Angeles-based Fox, moved back to his native New York in June. He lives on the 44th floor of a high-rise apartment building on the upper west side of Manhattan, near Lincoln Center.

The morning of Sept. 11, his news instincts kicked into high gear. But he had no outlet.

He called his longtime friend, Roger Nadel, general manager of KFWB. Nadel was assistant news director at KNX (1070) when Olbermann worked for Channel 2 and KNX.

“It started out as just a conversation,” Olbermann said. “We gently broached the possibility of me doing reports.”

He also has been filing reports for ABC News and Channel 5, where another friend, Jeff Wald, is news director.

Olbermann said any money he makes will be donated to the Rusty Staub New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Fund.

“The foundation has been around for 16 years,” Olbermann said. “Normally, on a bad year, maybe 10 firemen and policemen lose their life and their families need help. The foundation is now aware of 450 families who need help.”

During a phone conversation, Olbermann talked briefly about how in early September he was close to accepting a job at an ESPN radio station in New York and how glad he was that he didn’t accept it.

“Nothing is more irrelevant than sports talk right now,” he said.

The next day, he sent an e-mail.

“The whole thing--where I’m working, what I’ll be doing, etc.--seems irrelevant,” he wrote. “It will work out, one way or the other. One of the few bright spots of Sept. 11 is how it realigned all of our priorities. I had a strong sense before then about wanting to do something of value, whether in news or sports. Now it’s just about the only thing that matters.”

Too Close for Comfort?

“Up Close,” which started out as “Sports Look” on the USA network in 1980 and has been on ESPN since 1984, is getting a facelift.

Beginning Oct. 22, the show will be called “Unscripted” and the new host will be Chris Connelly of MTV News. Gary Miller, the current host, was offered a job at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., but said he and his wife, who is expecting the couple’s first child in December, want to stay in Southern California.

Miller will work as an ESPN correspondent until the end of the year.

The new show, with an airtime of 2 p.m., will continue to originate from the ESPN Zone in Anaheim and the production staff will remain the same. Gone will be the one-on-one format. The new show will resemble Jim Rome’s show on Fox Sports Net, which usually has multiple guests. That generally means a lot of noise, with guests trying to talk over each other.

The old “Up Close” no doubt will be missed.

Chris Myers, who followed Roy Firestone as the host of “Up Close” in 1994 and was on the show for four years, said, “It was a terrific show. It enabled you to tactfully discuss controversial issues with people in sports in free-flowing conversation. It allowed you to get to know athletes better. And it was a show they wanted to be on.”

Lowering the Boom

Sometimes, as a TV-radio sports critic, it’s best to ignore what some obnoxious host says on sports talk radio. Any mention only gives the radio guy the attention and credibility he seeks.

But what the Fox Radio network’s Chuck Booms said Thursday on KXTA (1150) was so outrageous and in such poor taste it can’t be ignored. Booms blamed Wednesday night’s Dodger loss--one he said could have cost the Dodgers a playoff spot--on the fact that Shawn Green did not play. Green took the night off because of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.

Booms even went so far as to call what Green did “despicable.”

Booms, contacted by phone in Washington, where he and partner Kevin Kiley do their show, said he stood by what he said.

“If you look at it from the Christian side, NBA players are asked to play on Christmas,” Booms said.

A KXTA official said Booms stands alone, that no one else at the station agrees with him.

As for Green costing the Dodgers Wednesday night’s game, talk show host Dave Smith said, “Since when did Green move to the bullpen? [Booms] is entitled to his opinion but he’s not entitled to be an idiot.”

More Radio

Booms’ stupidity couldn’t have come at a worse time. New KXTA General Manager Greg Ashlock is attempting to right the ship, which has been off course from Day One. Ratings are finally improving, along with the overall quality of the station.

And the station has come up with some interesting promotions, including a trip to Saturday’s Dodger game at Phoenix. The station is taking 1,150 fans on 26 buses. The cost is $11.50. The trip sold out four hours after it was announced....

Whatever happened with Kevin Malone’s tryout at KSPN (1110)? A station spokeswoman said he’s still in the running for a job, but others also are trying out. Among those are Jorge Jarrin, who will be on with Joe McDonnell today. Doug Krikorian returns Monday.

When Tom Lasorda was the guest co-host Tuesday (no, he wasn’t auditioning), Vin Scully called in, followed by Jon Miller, who did a great impersonation of Scully calling a game in Japanese.

As the sports-talk competition continues to heat up, KMPC (1540), under program director Kurt Kretzschmar, has beefed up its local presence in recent months....

Rich Marotta will celebrate his 25th anniversary as an L.A. sportscaster this morning on KFI (640). Marotta started out Sept. 28, 1976, as Bob Miller’s sidekick on King broadcasts.

Short Waves

“Prime Time” is starting out on daytime television. CBS has hired Deion Sanders as a reporter for “The NFL Today.” Sanders, who says he has officially retired as a player, will make the first of six appearances this season on Sunday’s show....CBS unfortunately had to drop Sam Wyche as a commentator because of a voice problem. A vocal cord was damaged during exploratory surgery last year.

Boxing beat: Besides the Felix Trinidad-Bernard Hopkins TVKO fight Saturday night at 6, there’s plenty of other boxing this weekend. Tonight at 7 on pay per view ($29.95) is the Ultimate Fighting Championship from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and Showtime has two cards Saturday, one at 5 p.m. and another at 9.

In Closing

Leave it to Mike Ditka. He was a guest commentator on Westwood One’s “Monday Night Football” radio broadcast this week. Early in the third quarter, he told Howard David and Boomer Esiason he was going to beat the traffic. He said goodbye and left.

Maybe Westwood One wasn’t paying enough.

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In the Sports Spotlight

Sports figures to be featured on TV and radio, today through Thursday:

Comedian Steve Harvey, Deacon Jones--”The Last Word With Jim Rome,” tonight, 5:30 and 11 p.m., Fox Sports Net.

Titan tackle Fred Miller--”Best Damn Sports Show Period,” tonight, 7:30, Fox Sports Net.

Shaquille O’Neal--”Southern California Sports Report,” tonight, 10 p.m., Fox Sports Net.

Jim Lampley, Jimmy Lennon Jr.--”Neutral Corner With Rich Marotta,” tonight, after Dodger postgame talk, KXTA (1150).

Andy Murray, Bryan Murray--”Irv Kaze,” Saturday, 6-7 p.m., KRLA (870).

Dale Earnhardt Jr.--”NASCAR This Morning,” Sunday, 6 a.m., Fox Sports Net.

World Boxing Hall of Fame General Manager Alex Camponovo, TV host Rick Papp, Roberto Garcia, Fernando Vargas--”Ringside With Johnny Ortiz,” Sunday, 8-11 p.m., KSPN (1110.)

Bill Plaschke, T.J. Simers--”Southern California Sports Report,” Sunday.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Slezak, San Francisco Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius--”The Last Word,” Monday.

Peyton Manning--”The Last Word,” Tuesday.

Bryan Murray--”Southern California Sports Report,” Tuesday.

Andy Murray--”Southern California Sports Report,” Wednesday.

Wayne Gretzky--”Break the Ice,” Thursday, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Net.