Tag Archives: Fox Business Network
Fox Business tweaks CNBC again
by Chris Roush
Fox Business Network, which last week poked fun at rival CNBC with a commercial criticizing its policy of not allowing guests to appear on other networks, is at it again.
The News Corp.-owned business channel has a new commercial out that gives a back-handed slap at CNBC’s new reality shows, which started appearing on Monday.
The funniest business journalist today?
by Chris Roush
Tim Regan of Northern Virginia Magazine interviewed Fox Business Network reporter Rich Edson, who has won a number of stand-up comedy competitions.
Here is an excerpt:
TR: Does that sense of humor ever conflict with the kind of things that you as a journalist do?
RE: If you’re a street reporter, and you’re writing an article, and you try to be witty or fun … it’s sometimes a little more difficult to achieve if you’re doing print. In television, we do conversations. That’s what we’re trying to achieve on the air. … When appropriate, if there’s something funny or witty that you can come up with … there are openings for that. But there’s a real challenge, because … there’s a lot out there where it’s inappropriate. So it’s a matter of identifying.
TR: Have you ever been goofy at an inappropriate time?
RE: Not that I recall. … Whenever I’m not sure, I just play it straight.
TR: You co-won this event in, I believe, 2010, with a journalist from Military.com. How did that happen?
RE: They gave you a decibel score on the crowd reaction, and then there were three judges. And the judges voted two-to-one for him, I think, and I won the crowd reaction. … So I got the embarrassing photo op with the clown.
Read more here.
Fox Business responds to CNBC policy
by Chris Roush
Fox Business Network has begun running a television commercial that criticizes the policy of rival CNBC that requires its guests to appear only on that network.
The policy has been covered in recent weeks by National Public Radio and Politico.
Roth of Fox Business joins CNBC as a contributor
by Chris Roush
Fox Business Network regular guest and radio host Carol Roth has been hired by CNBC to be an on-air contributor.
Noah Rothman of Mediaite writes, “Roth has previously appeared regularly on FBN with Stuart Varney on Varney & Company. Roth, a former investment banker, will weigh in with regular insights into the stories driving financial markets for CNBC’s audience.
“Roth burst onto the scene in late 2012 when she took on CNN host Piers Morgan and objected to his assertions about the necessity for stricter gun laws in the United States. Roth took to her Twitter account to object to Morgan’s comments and eventually made her way on to his show.
“Roth will continue to host The Noon Show on WGN-AM Chicago.”
Read more here.
CNBC’s Twitter feed surpasses 1 million followers
by Chris Roush
Business news network CNBC’s Twitter feed reached a milestone within the past 24 hours by surpassing 1 million followers.
In comparison, Fox Business Network’s Twitter feed has about 1/6th of the followers. But its Twitter account posts more tweets.
Dobbs beats Kudlow for fifth consecutive month
by Chris Roush
Paul Shea of ValueWalk.com reports that Lou Dobbs‘ show on Fox Business Network has beaten Larry Kudlow‘s show on CNBC during the same time slot for the fifth consecutive month.
Shea writes, “In January, the Dobbs show was watched by an average of 33,000 people, versus 27,000 for the CNBC show. That’s a 27 percentgap in the key demographic. The story has be similar for the last five months running. In September, the first month of the current run, Dobbs beat Kudlow by a margin of 33 percent, with 33,000 watching Kudlow and 44,000 watching Dobbs on average.
“October’s margin was even a bigger gain for Dobbs beat out the competition by 89 percent, 53,000-29,000. November saw a 45,000-40,000 beating, or 13 percent, and December saw 47,000 views watch Dobbs on average, versus 30,000 people watching Kudlow, a difference of 57 percent. Over the five-month period, Dobbs is beating Kudlow by around 40 percent.
“The 25-54 demographics is the most important for most television because it’s where most spending comes from, and as a consequence it’s the target for most advertising dollars. The fact that Dobbs has beaten Kudlow in the demographic for so many months running means that more advertisers will be convinced to send their money toward Fox Business Network, rather than CNBC.”
Read more here.
Wall Street’s watchdog: Gasparino
by Chris Roush
Fox Business Network senior reporter Charles Gasparino is profiled in the latest Cigar Aficionado magazine by Mervyn Rothstein.
Rothstein writes, “Gasparino is always on the move, and Gasparino is a star, hired away from dominant CNBC to help the young Fox network in the cable ratings race. He has been quoted as saying that his job at Fox is to ‘rip the lungs out of the competition’ — to ‘come up with a scoop’ every day and ‘promote that scoop.’ And here he is, doing just that.
“An aide fits him with a microphone, and he walks through the brightly lighted studio — its floor largely a very appropriate Republican red — and joins the coanchors for his three or so on-air minutes of trademark Gasparino.
“MarketWatch, the financial information website, has called him ‘Fox’s Rocky Balboa.’ He once said that his CNBC colleagues considered him ‘a pain in the ass’ — but that it was a good thing. He is respected, sometimes feared, maybe occasionally even hated. As the cliché goes, he takes no prisoners.
“When he’s reporting a story, when he’s doing a TV interview, he’s tough and persistent. ‘You come on the air, and I’m there, I’m going to break your chops,’ he says. ‘I’m going to be an asshole. A lot of times, TV invites these people on and they’re considered guests. I don’t look at you as a guest.’
“Despite, or because of, this no-nonsense attitude, the emphasis is on respected. When Gasparino was with CNBC, Lucas van Praag, then the chief spokesman for Goldman Sachs, the powerful investment banking and securities firm, was quoted as saying, ‘Most trading floors have CNBC on with the sound turned down, but when Charlie comes on, they listen.’ Charlie has a knack for making people listen.”
Read more here.
Bolling to become host of “Cashin’ In”
by Chris Roush
Fox News personality Eric Bolling, who previously has appeared on CNBC and Fox Business Network, is set to become the host of “Cashin’ In” beginning this weekend.
Hal Boedeker of The Orlando Sentinel writes, “That program, which offers advice on how people can make their money grow, airs at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays on Fox News. Bolling can draw on his knowledge of commodities, such as oil and gold, and his five years on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Board of Directors. He later worked as a strategic adviser on the exchange, and he is well versed in economic issues making headlines in the current news cycle.
“Bolling’s addition of a weekend job comes as ‘The Five’ has emerged as one of the most-watched shows in cable news. It airs at 5 p.m. weekdays. ‘The Five’ was the No. 5 show in cable news for 2012 with an average 1.83 million viewers. The Top 4 were also on Fox News: ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ with nearly 3 million viewers, ‘Hannity’ with 2.3 million, ‘Special Report With Bret Baier’ with 1.9 million and ‘On the Record With Greta Van Susteren’ with 1.84 million.
“Bolling previously hosted ‘Follow the Money’ on Fox Business Network.
“On ‘Cashin’ In,’ Bolling replaces Cheryl Casone, who remains at Fox News and will continue her segments on ‘Fox & Friends.’ She also remains as anchor of ‘Markets Now’ on Fox Business Network. Under Casone, ‘Cashin’ In’ was No. 1 in its time slot, growing 7 percent in key demographics and 6 percent in total viewers from 2011 to 2012.”
Read more here.
A job for outgoing people
by Chris Roush
Rich Edson, Fox Business Network’s Washington correspondent, was interviewed by Leslie Stone of Opportunist magazine about his career.
Here is an excerpt:
Opportunist: When you joined Fox, was it difficult to build your network of sources and leads?
Edson: This is a job for outgoing people. You’ve got to be able to begin conversations and call people and invite them for coffee. You have to meet that first person who can introduce you to the other people and you have to figure out who can help you and who probably can’t or won’t. You are competing with people who have been there for decades, but over the last six years I have done a pretty decent job of branching out. The longer I am here the more I realize D.C. is a pretty small town. People know each other.
Opportunist: Describe your typical day.
Edson: I am one of those people who, the minute the alarm goes off, looks at their Blackberry. [Laughs] I check it to see what kind of stories have happened overnight and which ones we are covering. I read the newspaper before breakfast. Then, I walk to work.
Delivering clarity to viewers
by Chris Roush
Sybil Blau of the Danbury News-Times in Connecticut profiles Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto, who grew up in the area.
Blau writes, “He comes into work, meets with his teams on FNC and FBN and addresses the day’s agenda, discussing with assorted people and teams of people the topics, issues and opinions of the day.
“By airtime, at 4 p.m., he’s on his game and ready to go.
“According to Stuart Varney, host of ‘Varney & Company’ on FBN as well as a business contributor and substitute host on ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto,’ Cavuto’s game is spot on.
“‘Neil delivers clarity,’ Varney said. ‘You know exactly what he’s talking about. That’s what makes him the most successful business anchor in 20 years. And I like him. I’ve never heard a bad word about him.
“‘You find yourself liking him because he has a sense of humor. He smiles. He laughs. He has a gleam in his eye. He’s the kind of guy you’d enjoy having lunch with. Viewers are drawn to him.’”
