TSN adds ESPN hottie to Sportscentre lead-in line-up

taking the fierce ratings competition between TSN and SportsNet to the next level. Jim Rome Is Burning, hosted by long-time sports talk show host and official 'King Of Smack' Jim Rome, will air at 5 p.m. beginning next Monday and will lead into TSN's other popular ESPN show, Pardon The Interruption at 5:30 p.m. and Michael Landsberg's Off The Record at 6 p.m. before Sportscentre kicks off at 6:30 p.m. In recent months, most likely due to the lack of NHL hockey (or perhaps as a result of lockout coverage overkill), both TSN and SportsNet have seen declining ratings for their nightly sports newscasts, and have put together sports talk show programming to try and keep viewers watching until the 6:30 timeslot. TSN has opted to pick up more and more programming from ESPN (the only show TSN has yet to pick up from ESPN's pre-Sportscenter line-up is Around The Horn) while SportsNet has countered with a simulcast of The Fan 590's Prime Time Sports with Bob McCowan from 5:30-6:30 p.m.