D8

Frazier Moore
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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NEW YORK - MSNBC talk show host Keith Olbermann is getting a new running mate, Rachel Maddow, who will follow Olbermann's Countdown with her own prime-time hour starting next month.

Maddow, a political commentator who is heard daily on the Air America Radio network and has served as a guest host for Olbermann, will launch her MSNBC show Sept. 8, the network announced Wednesday. The Rachel Maddow Show, billed as "a smart look at politics, pop culture and all the day's top stories," will originate weeknights at 9 p.m. EDT.

Before claiming the time slot currently occupied by Dan Abrams, she will be a political panellist during MSNBC's coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

Abrams, one-time MSNBC general manager, stepped in with his nightly political and legal affairs hour, Verdict, when Joe Scarborough moved to mornings last year.

Abrams will remain chief legal correspondent for NBC and MSNBC, and contribute to Dateline NBC and Today, among other duties. The final edition of Verdict airs Thursday.

Since being named an MSNBC political analyst last January, Maddow has subbed for Olbermann and has frequently contributed to his show. She will also continue her radio show on Air America.