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Keith Olbermann in spat with his Current TV bosses

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Keith Olbermann may not have as many viewers as he used to, but he’s still able to make headlines — off camera, at least.

Olbermann, whose ‘Countdown’ migrated from MSNBC to the little-watched Current TV last year, was absent from the airwaves during Current’s coverage of the Iowa caucuses Tuesday night, leading to speculation of a rift between the tempestuous host and his new bosses, who include former Vice President Al Gore.

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‘I was not given a legitimate opportunity to host under acceptable conditions,’ Olbermann wrote in a statement Wednesday to the Hollywood Reporter. ‘They know it and I know it.’

Olbermann did not clarify what conditions he wanted, according to the Reporter. A spokeswoman for Current did not return a call and email seeking comment.

If a fight has indeed erupted, it would be in keeping with Olbermann’s previous career. He abruptly left MSNBC just weeks after the network suspended him for making donations to political candidates. Earlier, he had a famously stormy tenure at ESPN and was fired from Fox Sports Net. (‘He’s crazy,’ Fox boss Rupert Murdoch reportedly said when asked about Olbermann.)

As it happens, Wednesday marks the 20th anniversary of Olbermann’s joining ESPN.

But if anyone got the idea that Olbermann might not be long for Current TV, the host himself — who reportedly has an equity stake in the network — seems to believe he’s not going anywhere.

When a Twitter user wondered Wednesday if ‘Countdown’ was off the air, Olbermann tweeted: ‘Huh? On tonight at 8 p.m.’

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Olbermann lands a paycheck to match his ego

—Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

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