What it’s like to be an anchor for Cheddar

Kristen Scholer is the senior anchor at Cheddar, which launched in 2016 and is a business news channel for millennials.

Cheddar broadcasts live from the New York Stock Exchange, and it’s also available on Pluto TV and live streams on Twitter.

Scholer joined Cheddar in April 2016 after spending 17 months as a reporter at the Wall Street Journal, where she wrote a daily markets column, contributed to video and wrote for the web and print. Before that, Scholer was a writer and producer at CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

She graduated cum laude from Northwestern University with a journalism degree.

Scholer spoke with Talking Biz News about her career in business journalism and her work at Cheddar. What follows is an edited transcript.

What attracted you to joining Cheddar?

Cheddar emerged at a unique time. In April 2016, when I joined, live video was gaining traction and people were seeking video news options outside of a traditional cable bundle. Personally, I’ve also always had an affinity toward broadcast, or video, news because of the personal connection that reporters and anchors can have with viewers.

What did you need to do to make the switch from print to television?

I’m very fortunate that I had strong reporting, writing and producing training at The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. While at the Journal, I was covering a lot of tech stocks. So, from a content perspective, the transition was relatively smooth. The fun thing about TV is that there’s a lot that goes into it — so I enjoyed updating my wardrobe and look a bit as well!

How is business news different for Cheddar than other places you’ve worked at?

At Cheddar, we try to be very approachable, while still delivering top-quality news. We want our viewers to be part of the conversation too. So, we’ll often times start our shows that live on social platforms by asking viewers to leave their thoughts and any questions they have for us or the guests in the comments section or with the hashtag #CheddarLive. Also characteristic of Cheddar is that we devote air time to small, start-up companies, as well as large, publicly-traded firms.

What’s your typical day like?

Usually, I’m up between 4 and 5 a.m., reading through the news and going over research our production team has put together. I hop on the subway, arrive at the New York Stock Exchange, luckily I have a talented team of hair and makeup artists spruce me up for the show, head to set, then go live! In addition to Cheddar’s 9 a.m. Eastern time show, I host another two-hour program in the afternoon, so the prep gets repeated — just without a second round of hair and makeup.

What’s it like working so closely with the CEO of the company?

I feel so fortunate that many mornings I get to talk about the news, business and other fun things with our CEO Jon Steinberg while we sit on set waiting to go live. When I joined Cheddar, I was one of the first 10 employees and started just after the program was officially live on Facebook. Since I’ve been with the company from early on, I feel lucky that Jon and I can talk about how things are progressing and exchange ideas on how to keep growing.

What are some of the things that you’re trying to accomplish each day with your segments?

From early on, even before I entered the professional world, people told me viewers should come away from a segment with an “aha” moment. Our team tries to make sure viewers get that, and I know I certainly leave some segments feeling that way!

What did you learn at CNBC that has been helpful?

A lot. Truly so much. The bulk of my time there was spent working closely with Bob Pisani at the NYSE. I learned about the content of business news, how to cover it and make it engaging, how to write and speak for TV, what production elements make a segment strong. The list goes on and on.

Are there some types of stories or content that you’d like to see Cheddar expand into?

I’m a lover of field pieces. I hope we see more of those integrated into live shows.

What did you learn about business journalism from Michelle Leder and Footnoted?

Michelle was a phenomenal colleague and a wonderful mentor. She taught me how to do serious research. Hint: Look in the footnotes! Michelle also worked with me to develop my writing by showing me that a punchy lead can go a long way. I very much enjoyed working with and for her.

What advice would you give to a college student interested in a career in business journalism?

It’s worth pursuing if you’re passionate about it!