Cavuto and Fox celebrate 15 years together

Peter Larsen of the Orange County Register writes about Fox Business Network head Neil Cavuto, who joined a fledgling Fox News operation 15 years ago.

Larsen writes, “Today, of course, Fox News Channel is ubiquitous as it celebrates 15 years since its debut on Oct. 7, 1996. And Cavuto is one of its most recognized faces, from years on Fox News and since 2007 on Fox Business Network, too, where on Tuesday he marks his 1,000 episode of his self-titled show ‘Cavuto.’

“Though it was a few years before Fox took off, Cavuto says that even with the occasional worries about its future – and some reservations from his wife, too, he notes – he was mostly comfortable with his decision to jump to the unknown network.

“I’d been at PBS for years, then started up CNBC, so it was getting to be old hat at these start ups,’ he says. ‘I was not really concerned about the new initiative.’

“And unlike some of his colleagues at CNBC, Cavuto says he also had the freedom to leave for new opportunities.

“‘It was a battle back and forth whether I would re-sign at CNBC,’ he says. ‘For some reason early on they had offered a lot of (longer contracts), because they knew, or were fearing, competitors would arise. I had opted not to. Not that I had any clairvoyance, but I just wanted to have some flexibility.'”

Read more here.