Categories: OLD Media Moves

Bartiromo: Ready to take the plunge and try something different

Erin Hill of Parade magazine interviewed Fox Business Network‘s Maria Bartiromo on her switch from CNBC and her new show on Fox News on Sunday morning.

Here is an excerpt:

You were at CNBC for 20 years. Was it a tough decision to leave?
“Absolutely. I had the greatest time and it was a tough decision, but it was a move that I had to make because I was looking at my own growth. There’s a certain structure there that I feel like audiences are no longer interested in. It’s very much short-termism; it’s very much about the stock market. I think audiences want something different today. They want longer interviews and they want to feel like they walk away from an interview with understanding. I was ready to take the plunge and try something different. It’s been a terrific change. I love the new environment and I love my new show.”
You’ve had a lot of important milestones during your career. What do you think about the influence you’ve had on business journalism?
“I’m so proud of it. When I first got down to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange back in 1994, there were a lot of people that did not want me there. It was definitely a bit of a boys’ club and I had to have courage to break my way through, but today I’m proud to say that there are a lot of women on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. There are many female reporters. I’m proud of that and that I was able to help pave the road.”
You were nicknamed “Money Honey” in the late ‘90s. What do you think of that name now?
“You know, I still think the same of it. I never really took it so seriously, and I don’t take myself that seriously. No one really calls me that. They don’t pick up the phone and say, ‘Hi, Money Honey, what’s going on?’ It was the way the media wanted to address me, but I never felt insulted by it. I think my viewers know who I am, and they know that when CEOs give me an interview, I’m going to ask the hard questions, I’m going to ask what viewers want to hear, and they know I’m not going to be shy about it. I never felt like it was an insult. In fact, I felt flattered to have been noticed and I still feel the same way.”