Hitting business news stories hard at CNBC

Jamie Sotonoff and Dann Gire of the Chicago Daily Herald profile CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau, who grew up outside Chicago.

Sotonoff and Gire write, “LeBeau appears on both CNBC and NBC News, reporting on the car or airline industry story du jour — sometimes as frequently as once an hour, and on various shows. Occasionally he’s tapped for breaking news, such as the missing Malaysia Airline jet, and how it relates to the industry.

“He mainly works out of the NBC studio in Chicago but also does live reports from Detroit and Washington D.C., where he travels with CNBC cameraman Bob Pollack, of Skokie.

“‘We hit a story pretty hard,’ LeBeau said of the network, which just marked its 25th anniversary. ‘The people who watch CNBC are investors. The investors, they’re focused on what’s going to happen to the business, not what’s going to happen for the consumer. The two don’t always come together.’

“There’s off-the-air work, too. LeBeau edits CNBC.com’s ‘Behind the Wheel’ section, and frequently tweets news from @LeBeaucarnews.

“His hard work comes with perks, including world travel, hobnobbing with powerful CEOs and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as driving a $3 million Bugatti sports car in France more than 120 mph.”

Read more here.