Keith gets a new gig.

SECAUCUS, N.J., August 20, 2007 – MSNBC's Keith Olbermann will bring his unique take on the day's events, from politics to pop culture, to a primetime network audience this Sunday night. A special edition of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will air on Sunday, August 26th at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on NBC, leading into the network's "Sunday Night Football" pre-season NFL matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers, live at 8 p.m. ET. Olbermann is joining the network's "Football Night in America" studio team this season. The special edition of "Countdown" will be broadcast live from MSNBC's studios.

"Countdown's" network debut comes on the heels of the program's stellar performance this year. According to Nielsen Media Research, the program attracted 721,000 viewers in July, up an incredible 88% over July 2006. "Countdown" continues to be the number two cable news program at 8 p.m. ET, beating CNN by a 20% margin for the year.

Somebody recently said that I was brave for writing my thoughts on this blog, but I am not so sure. I hide here in cyberspace while Keith Olbermann strode out onto the Countdown set, looked right into the camera, and started telling the truth that only Comedy Central had dared to tell up to tht point.

Keith is a hero, and that is finally being recognized by network executives who probably sat cringing through Keith's "Special Comments". And it is important to note that Keith probably had no idea if those segments would resonate with the public or end his career. He did them because he felt they had to be done. And we owe him for his bravery.