Rachel Nichols' "Unguarded" Cancelled, But She'll Remain CNN's Sole Sports Anchor

Rachel Nichols' weekly CNN show "Unguarded" has been "quietly cancelled" by the network "in the wake of cost-cutting by parent company Turner Broadcasting," according to sources cited by Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. Nichols will "remain with CNN as the network’s sole sports anchor and maintains the role she has with Turner Sports." Turner last week announced that that it would "eliminate approximately 10% of its 14,000-employee workforce, a number expected to total around 1,475 positions" (VARIETY.com, 10/15). SI’s Richard Deitsch lauded Nichols in the magazine's "In Defense Of" feature this week, prior to the news of her show's cancellation. Deitsch: "Nichols is at the moment the country’s most impactful and prominent female sports journalist." ESPN had "hoped to re-sign her to a long-term deal, but Nichols was intrigued by a proposal" made by CNN President Jeff Zucker. He told Nichols that he "wanted sports to become a bigger part of the daily conversation on CNN" (SI, 10/13 issue).