CNN's issuing a preemptive strike against MSNBC's rumored Friday night show hosted by Alec Baldwin: a sports show hosted by Rachel Nichols.
"Rachel Nichols: Unguarded" will air Fridays at 10:30 p.m. starting Sept. 20, CNN told TheWrap. Nichols was hired away from ESPN in January, one of the first of then-new president Jeff Zucker's big hires. At the time, CNN said Nichols would host a "weekend sports program." It seems that, for CNN, the weekend starts on Friday night.
Also read: Alec Baldwin In Talks With MSNBC to Host Primetime Show
Insiders with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap earlier this month that Baldwin was in talks to host a weekly show on MSNBC Fridays at 10 p.m. That would make him Nichols' timeslot competition.