OLD Media Moves

Navel gazing, and CNBC commercials, on Fox Business Network

October 15, 2007

Posted by Chris Roush

Michael Learmonth of Variety notes Monday that the first day of the Fox Business Network included navel gazing about the launch — as well as commercials from rival CNBC urging viewers to switch channels.

Fox Business NetworkLearmonth wrote, “There was some navel-gazing on the network. Guests that appeared on the show, including Clinton and Kraft, congratulated the network on its first day on the air, and the net did a segment on its own web site, which also launched Monday.

“‘We’re basically launching two channels,’ Fox News boss Roger Ailes told Fortune. ‘We’re launching a cable channel and an Internet channel.’

“Among other innovations was a new take on the stock ticker. Rather than having the ticker signs and share prices scroll by, Fox grouping stocks by sector and then flashed each company in a group individually.

“Throughout the morning, competitor CNBC aired 30-second spots on Fox Business Channel, including one starring business talisman Jack Welch, urging viewers on Time Warner’s cable systems in Gotham to switch to CNBC on channel 15.”

Read more here.

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