Categories: OLD Media Moves

Breaking down CNBC's pros and cons

TV.com is currently running a contest to pick the best cable channel, and business news network CNBC is competing against Headline News to move forward in the competition.

Price Peterson assesses CNBC this way:

Background First a fun fact: CNBC does not stand for Cable NBC (as I always believed it did). Nope, CNBC actually stands for Consumer News and Business Channel and it’s merely owned and operated by NBC (National Broadcasting Company). Got that? The letters “NBC” mean different things. That same peacock appears in both logos, but that’s just corporate synergy. Anyway! CNBC originally launched around 1980 as the Satellite Program Network, which, like many cable channels of the era, mostly aired old movies, reruns, and cut-rate entertainment programs. But NBC eventually bought SPN in 1989 and rebranded it CNBC before merging it with another cable acquisition, the Financial News Network. Today CNBC is considered the foremost information outlet for financial news.

Original Programming: Much like Headline News, CNBC tends to divide its schedule according to business hours and primetime. During the day, it airs a nonstop barrage of financial news shows that all boast a similarly dizzying array of tickers and onscreen graphics. The more recognizable financial news personalities include Lawrence Kudlow, Maria Bartiromo, and the very shouty Jim Cramer. But in the evening and on weekends, CNBC mellows out with some NBC network reruns and its impressive array of original series like American Greed, ‘Til Debt Do Us Part, The Facebook Obsession, and the gloriously titled How Much Is Your Dead Body Worth? My absolute personal favorite, however, is Saturday night’s Suze Orman Show—this woman is like a perfect hybrid of Mother Theresa, Ayn Rand, and Jerri Blank. Riveting television.

Reruns: The aforementioned NBC reruns have included things like The Apprentice, Deal or No Deal, and—for one amazing era—Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The current lineup also includes America’s Next Great Restaurant and, weirdly enough, CBS’s 60 Minutes.

Why It’s The Best: For subject matter as dry and/or stressful as financial news, CNBC has figured out a way to pack its schedule with entertaining television.

Why It’s The Worst: Sometimes I just want to watch something trashy while I eat a sandwich, you know? CNBC is for grownups!