Categories: OLD Media Moves

Criticism of CNBC could help competitors

Marketwatch media columnist Jon Friedman writes Wednesday that the recent criticism of business news network CNBC and its coverage could help its competitors in the long run.

Friedman writes, “Fox Business, launched in October 2007, has yet to make a lasting impression on American TV-watchers. Its goal for now is to reach more households and establish a brand.

“Bloomberg TV is appreciated by fans who want their news straightforward and utterly unadorned. But overshadowed by CNBC’s noisy presentation, Bloomberg has been invisible in the big picture, possessing about as much buzz as an Ivy League basketball team competing during March Madness.

“But Bloomberg has recently been making news of its own. The company is trying hard to be a stronger player in television news. It hired Andrew Lack, who ran NBC News, to lead the network and added David Rhodes, formerly a news executive at the Fox News Channel, indicating that Bloomberg wants to be more accessible to TV audiences.

“For its part, CNBC’s ratings have declined since Stewart blasted CNBC on his show, as Portfolio.com pointed out on March 13.”