Gail Shister
TVNewser Columnist

Hannah Storm's new job at ESPN comes with a bonus — 20 minutes' extra Z-time.

But at 4 a.m., who's counting?

As co-anchor of ESPN's new morning "SportsCenter," Storm says she'll get up at 4:30 a.m. instead of 4:10, as she did for the past five years on CBS's "Early Show."

Then it's a 1 hour, 20-minute commute from "the far reaches of Connecticut" to ESPN HQ in Bristol for the 9 a.m.-to-noon "SC," to launch in August. Like any good jock, Storm labels her co-host "a player to be named later."

After five years of vampire hours — and bloodletting, for that matter — at CBS, why would any sane mortal choose the same shift somewhere else?

"I want to be home when my kids get off the bus," says Storm, 45, in an interview a few hours after yesterday's announcement. "I won't compromise on not being there when the kids are home. I take my family life first, then work backwards from there."

Storm and her husband, NBC golf announcer Dan Hicks, have three daughters, ages 7, 9 and 11.

During her previous sports career, at NBC and CNN, Storm worked all hours and was constantly on the road. In '02, when her eldest was about to start kindergarten, Storm promised her she would take a day job.

The day job ended suddenly in December, when CBS told her she was out. She says the network offered her another post "anchoring and reporting," but she passed. No details, except it wasn't Katie Couric's "CBS Evening News," Storm says.

Couric "has always been really kind to me," says Storm. "I've always been a fan of hers. I'm sure she’ll do a great job on election coverage. That's all I'm going to say about Katie."

Storm hasn't watched "Early Show" since she left CBS, but that's no different than before. The morning show of choice in her house has always been ESPN, she insists.

Storm's CBS contract expired this month. She has a two-year deal with ESPN. "I knew it was the right place for me. I knew I'd end up there. I'm completely passionate about sports, and there's no better place on the planet."

Covering news "can be emotionally draining on a day-to-day basis. In sports, your team might lose, but it's not life or death."

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

The '04 Democratic national convention "felt like a sporting event, with the cheering and standing up. It was so competitive, it was really funny. I felt like I was at a playoff game in the NBA or NFL."

P.S. Storm's given surname is Storen. As a disc jockey in Corpus Christi, Tex., early in her career, the boss changed it to Storm because it sounded better on the air, she says. He pushed for Anna, too, but that's where Hannah drew the line.