Earlier today, it was reported that NBC News was cancelling the third hour of TODAY to make room for Megyn Kelly’s new show.

In the report, it was noted that Kelly will either take over the 9 AM hour, which is currently hosted by Tamron Hall and Al Roker, or the 10 AM hour, hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. If she is given the 10 AM slot, Kotb and Gifford will then move to 9 AM.

According to Deadline, the reason why this announcement was made today to the staff, even though it will be a few months before Kelly hosts a morning show, is due to Hall’s ongoing contract talks with the network.

Hall’s contract is coming up and NBC News is in negotiations with her reps. According to the source, the media outlet hopes she re-ups, appearing on Today’s mothership 7-9 AM show, as she does now, while continuing to host her MSNBC show. Her reps say she wants to stay, our source reports – on the other hand, some news outlets are reporting she’s expected to leave when her contract is up, though that could fall into negotiation-via-press territory, in which case it would not be an industry first.

It was also noted that Roker will focus on his duties on the TODAY “mothership.”

[image via screengrab]

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