Avery Jessup, the new love interest of Alec Baldwin‘s “30 Rock” character played by Elizabeth Banks, is based on a real person. A source close to the show said that Jessup, who hosts a fictional CNBC show called “Hot Box,” was inspired by real-life CNBC anchor Melissa Francis. Our source said that Francis herself, who hosts morning show “The Call,” pitched the idea to a “30 Rock” producer. “Francis was hoping to be asked to play the character herself, but they ended up going with Banks,” our source says.