Grasso picks Fox Biz over CNBC

Former New York Stock Exchange CEO Dick Grasso appeared on Fox News and the Fox Business Network on Friday to discuss what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

Grasso was also scheduled to appear on the other business news network, CNBC. But when they found out that Grasso was also going to appear on Fox, they gave him an ultimatum, according to people familiar with the booking.

When Grasso refused to cancel on Fox, CNBC then cancelled his appearance, even though the closing of the stock exchange for a week after the Sept. 11 attacks was one of the biggest business news stories during the time period.

I’m all for a competitive spirit when it comes to business journalism, and as a reporter I hated to lose a story. But this pettiness doesn’t help the CNBC viewers, and few people outside of the network really care whether its guests actually appear on the competition.