E! taps Jenner as part of Olympic coverage

NEW YORK — The E! Entertainment network didn’t have to look hard to find a Kardashian connection for its upcoming Olympics coverage.

“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” family patriarch Bruce Jenner, the 1976 decathlon gold medalist, will head to London to be part of the E! team later this month. E! became one of NBC Universal’s stable of networks a year and a half ago, so this is the first time it will take advantage of NBC’s status as Olympic television rights holder.

The company is building a studio for E! so celebrities and athletes can stop by for interviews. Its coverage, anchored by Giuliana Rancic, will be featured on the network’s entertainment newscasts, which run weeknights at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

The idea is to showcase the lighter side of the Games, the parties or athletes whose personalities have broken through.

“The Olympics is where the cultural conversation is for those two weeks,” said Cyndi McLellan, president of network strategy and E! News.

Jenner will attend with reporters Catt Sadler, Ross Mathews and Robbie Laughlin. News correspondent Melanie Bromley, a former London resident, will be on the party circuit and give E! viewers a taste of London nightlife.