CNBC's Santelli now in demand

CNBC reporter Rick Santelli is now in demand after his on-air rant last week against the Obama administration’s bailout plan for the economy drew a record number of visits to the broadcast network’s Web site to view the video, writes Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune.

Rosenthal writes, “Santelli, who doesn’t have an agent, said he already has heard from several publishers, a prospect that interests him. (‘I’m kind of a closet writer and a closet oil painter,’ he said.)  And he previously has enjoyed doing talk radio. That said, he noted, ‘I’m pretty happy with what I do.’

“If nothing else, his value to CNBC has increased demonstrably with the exposure it has brought to the cable network owned by General Electric’s NBC Universal. His video has set a record at CNBC.com, many times the site’s previous leader, a 2007 rant by Jim Cramer.

“‘I’ve been associated with them 14 years, 10 years on the payroll, and you never see me much in commercials and what not,’ Santelli said. ‘Boy, has that changed in the last 36 hours.’Â

“A former trader and financial executive, Santelli said he appears on CNBC about 12 to 16 times a day, usually, and typically goes off a couple times a week.”

Read more here.