MUMBAI: US infotainment broadcaster National Geographic Channel (NGC) has announced that from 14 June actor Alec Baldwin will be the on-air host for the weekly ?Night of Exploration? programming block.

Each Friday, Baldwin will help the channel celebrate the spirit of exploration through world premieres or programmes that showcase the hotshots, the mavericks and the best in their fields who have devoted their lives to exploring the world around us, and the groundbreaking discoveries that are making a difference. Baldwin will appear as host for ?Night of Exploration? in the US and globally in 171 countries and 38 languages.

Baldwin?s on-camera hosting duties begin with ?Crossing the Ice?, which follows two Australian adventurers as they attempt to become the first to tackle the perilous journey from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, completely unassisted. No sled dogs and no wind kites, just two men dragging their food, their shelter and themselves across the barren ice.

On television for seven seasons, he starred on NBC?s ?30 Rock?.

"Alec has the perfect combination of energy and gravitas that we think our Night of Exploration viewers will love," said National Geographic Channel?s CEO David Lyle. "Each week, he will introduce the compelling stories of people around the globe whose drive to climb higher, dive lower or dig deeper never cease to amaze."

Launched in January to coincide with the National Geographic Society?s 125th anniversary yearlong celebration, each week ?Night of Exploration? introduces viewers to the trailblazers who are working on the unexplored frontiers of human imagination and innovation. From leading the ultimate cold-case investigation into the Titanic?s final moments with Oscar-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence James Cameron, to following a husband-and-wife filmmaking team over their 30-year quest to track lions and leopards through Africa?s harshest environments, these critically acclaimed programs have left audiences and critics asking for more.