Bartiromo on the early days of stock exchange coverage

Maria Bartiromo

A.J. Katz of TVNewser.com spoke with Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo about her career and leaving CNBC.

Here is an excerpt:

TVNewser: Take me through those earliest days at the NYSE:
Bartiromo: It was pretty incredible. Back then, we didn’t have TV news in all of the trading desks and the access that you have today. It was a very different scenario. When I first got to the floor there were a fair amount of people who didn’t want me there. First of all, I’m a reporter who is coming into their club. Luckily Dick Grasso (former NYSE CEO) wanted to demystify what was going on down there. It was hard breaking through. It was hard getting questions answered. I had one executive telling me to run along, and that he didn’t want me there. ‘This is not for your little TV show,’ he said to me. I did run along, but then I came back over and over again. I committed to myself that I would study hard, know my stuff, and then they wouldn’t have anything on me. What they ultimately felt was that I was telling their story in a good way, in a way that showed the world what they were doing. Those first couple of days and weeks were really tough because I was doing something that no one had ever done. But over time, I gained respect that I deserved and that my work deserved.
TVNewser: Are you happy you left CNBC for Fox Business?
Bartiromo: I have been able to grow tremendously in the last 3 years. I spent 20 years at CNBC, and it was a phenomenal 20 years. I love CNBC. I grew up there. But Fox has enabled me to grow in a different way. I have had a front row seat covering this election, which has been extraordinary. I have been able to moderate two major presidential debates. Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel have an incredible bench in terms of business and politics.