Alex Weprin of TVNewser.com examines Fox Business Network, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on the air earlier this week.
Weprin writes, “There is no denying now that FBN launched at a tough time. When Fox News debuted, cable subscribers were still growing, and it filled a niche that was not being served: people who wanted a conservative alternative. FBN launched right as cable subscriber growth began to sputter, and as Wall Street became a villain in the eyes of many Americans, who saw government funds funneled to corporate executives and banks.
“While many media observers suspected that the 2007 financial crisis would be a boon to the business networks, it failed to make a significant impact.
“Given the paucity of new networks that have launched in recent years, the fact that the channel was able to go from zero to 60 million homes is worth noting. The last high-profile cable channel to launch was OWN, and it took over existing channel space from Discovery Health, getting it into 10s of millions of homes instantly.”
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