Categories: OLD Media Moves

Cavuto: A feisty interviewer

Lauren Ashburn of The Daily Beast examines Fox Business Network‘s Neil Cavuto and his recent interview with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Ashburn wrote, “The argument over taxes and entitlement programs is tailor-made for Cavuto, whose wheelhouse is financial news. Unlike more bombastic Fox hosts such as Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, his Your World with Neil Cavuto is part of the channel’s daytime news programming. (He also hosts another program on Fox Business Network.) Your World routinely trounces the cable competition, averaging 1.6 million viewers so far this month.

“Cavuto is a survivor in more ways than one. He joined CNBC on the first day of its launch, in 1989, and Roger Ailes lured him to the newly created Fox News for its 1996 debut. Cavuto also has beaten cancer and sometimes struggles with his multiple sclerosis, which has occasionally led to hospitalizations but doesn’t stop him from maintaining a packed schedule.

“Cavuto can be a feisty interviewer and regularly sits down with CEOs, including Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox’s parent company. Tuesday’s interview was his fourth with Romney during this campaign, and Cavuto spoke to Ann Romney last week (asking her, ‘as a fellow MSer,’ whether she should talk more about her illness). Several of the other exclusive guests touted on his website are prominent Republicans, such as Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, and Dan Quayle.

“What about the White House? ‘I’d be lying if I didn’t say we’ve had trouble getting the president,’ says Cavuto. ‘Never mind that we’ve been very critical of House Republicans in particular…I’m a bipartisan ranter against government waste.’ Cavuto notes that he chided House Speaker John Boehner for promising to get spending under control and resorting to short-term budget fixes instead. Cavuto also says he criticized the Bush administration for keeping much of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars off budget.”