Just four days after officially taking over at CNN, Jeff Zucker today announced his first hire and first new show on the cable news network. Longtime ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols will join CNN and Turner Sports to anchor a new weekend sports program starting later this year. “We’re just thrilled that a sports journalist of Rachel’s stature and expertise will now be a regular part of the CNN lineup. Her arrival, beginning next week, is an important step in expanding the range of programming and storytelling on CNN,” CNN Worldwide president Zucker in a statement Thursday. Nichols’ as yet unnamed show “will focus on the most interesting stories and personalities in the world of sports,” said CNN.. The hire of Nichols, who spent nine years at ESPN, comes one day after former ABC Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper made his debut on CNN on the network’s The Situation Room. Brought on board at CNN in late December, Tapper too will have a new show on the network this year.

Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.