Olbermann gets NBC special

NBC is giving outspoken cable host Keith Olbermann a chance to woo new viewers when the network broadcasts a special edition of his MSNBC show “Countdown” on March 30.

The NBC special, coming on the eve of “Countdown’s” fifth anniversary, speaks to the influence Olbermann has had at MSNBC, where his piercing denunciations of the Bush administration have gained him a strong following and helped lift the ratings of the third-place cable news network.

The hourlong program will air at 7 p.m. instead of “Dateline NBC.”

-- Matea Gold