Why CNBC’s Pisani thinks of who’s watching

Russell Sherman of the “Press Profiles” podcast interviewed CNBC senior markets analyst Bob Pisani about his career.

Pisani has reported from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for 26 years. And he likes to report based on what he thinks typical viewers want to know because he believes it makes his coverage more informative.

“When I first started in 1990 at CNBC, I was staring into this black camera, and I could figure out who was watching,” says Pisani. “I had a lot of problems with this because I like to know who I was talking to.” So he focused on a specific person — a mother of two in Minneapolis looking to buy a house — and started defining terms such as mortgage-based securities.

“I still think about certain kinds of viewers,” adds Pisani. With markets coverage, he thinks of someone who watches the market but doesn’t do day trading.

“I just find that talking to a viewer out there who is representative of a generic viewer is helpful,” says Pisani.

To listen, go here.