CNBC’s on-air arguments may become a thing of the past

Brian Steinberg of Variety writes that on-air arguments between CNBC anchors and reporters may end now that it’s more closely tied to NBC News and MSNBC.

Steinberg writes, “CNBC has allowed its anchors and correspondents to speak their minds on issues in the past. But it’s hard to reconcile this sort of anchor-on-anchor skirmish with the broadcasts delivered by NBC News and MSNBC, where most correspondents and hosts seem to agree on a common set of facts and rules of decorum. Can you imagine Santelli having a similar exchange with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ or Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on NBC’s ‘Today’?

“Executives at NBCUniversal may have to. In May, CNBC, which has in recent years operated as an independent unit, was placed under the same corporate umbrella as NBC News and MSNBC — and a new boss, Cesar Conde (the two have been part of the same organization in the past). Previously, CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman reported directly to former NBCU CEO Steve Burke. In a sign of the interest in growing synergy between the operations, a new CNBC evening program, ‘The News With Shepard Smith,’ features contributions from CNBC correspondents like Jane Wells and Ylan Mui alongside those of NBC News staffers like Morgan Chesky and Jay Gray.

“CNBC hasn’t had to focus on playing with others in some time. There was an era when Becky Quick might turn up on ‘NBC Nightly News’ and Maria Bartiromo would make an appearance on ‘Today.’ In recent years, however, the two operations have forged their own paths. Despite the longtime presence of media correspondent Julia Boorstin at CNBC, NBC News built its own team to cover the media industry. And the ready availability of dozens of business journalists at CNBC didn’t keep NBC News from appointing Stephanie Ruhle as its chief business correspondent in January.”