Special "Countdown" won't be, says KO

Don't tell anyone, but one of the shows airing Sunday night opposite "60 Minutes" -- the No. 1 program on TV the past two weeks -- is "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." NBC executives decided to give KO a shot at doing his fast-rising cable show in prime time, which is mighty big of them given it's the last week in summer and "60" is hotter than a Laredo parking lot. (Ah, we miss Dan.)

Then there's the matter of putting an edgy, audience-specific cable show on a blowtorch like NBC. It's hard to imagine a better illustration of the difference between narrowcast and broadcast than "Countdown," which on a good night is seen by a million people, leading into "Sunday Night Football," where Olbermann now moonlights and which, on a bad night, gets ten times that audience.

So is KO planning anything different to increase "Countdown's" appeal to a wider audience? The short answer is, not much. In a phoner with reporters earlier this week, Olbermann said he planned to make minimal changes for his V.S. "Countdown." He will put together the show that morning, just like he always does. The only break in format will be a segment with his "Sunday Night" teammates Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth.

He did say he was preparing one of his "Special Comments" to address the Michael Vick case. But you won't have to miss Andy Rooney to watch it. Olbermann's giving it during the football telecast.

In another tidbit, you may recall Dan Patrick is departing ESPN Radio. Olbermann had reunited with his old "SportsCenter" co-anchor on "The Dan Patrick Show" and become a regular there. But now Patrick is leaving ESPN, and Olbermann, it was famously said, didn't just burn bridges with ESPN brass in Bristol, he napalmed them. But KO revealed he is under contract to ESPN Radio through March and is in discussions to do something Patrick-free with them. According to USA Today, that could include baseball playoff coverage for the network.