How "Mad Money" has evolved

Cliff Mason, a senior writer for the CNBC show “Mad Money” that stars Jim Cramer, writes Wednesday about how the show’s coverage has evolved in the past three years.

Mason writes, “I wasn’t around when things started out, but I showed up about three months later, and the model for the show back then, and for all of the 2005 and part of 2006, was stock, stock, stock, stock, stock.

“If a story wasn’t about a stock recommendation –- or occasionally denunciation -– then the powers that be wouldn’t let us do it –- too cerebral, too educational, too boring. We never would’ve been allowed to do a segment that was entirely educational or that simply explained something that happened in the market that most people wouldn’t be able to understand because they’re not insiders.

“But over time the show has evolved. We’ve figured out more of what people want, and we’ve also been given more creative freedom since we established ourselves in that first year. In fact, it’s largely thanks to our executive producer, Regina Gilgan, who last night Jim described as, ‘the woman who keeps me from doing anything interesting in all my life,’ that we’re able to do more than just stock picks.

“Now we do the stories that Jim has always wanted to do, ones that explain what’s really happening in the market. So, for example, if Jim hadn’t explained the idea of the axe in a stock, the analyst who everyone on the Street knows has the edge in a stock, then you would’ve been left with coverage of that rally in RIMM like this lead from The Associated Press:  ‘Research In Motion Ltd. shares rose Monday as some analysts predicted the Blackberry maker will report a strong first fiscal-quarter next week, with one analyst boosting his share price target above $200.'”

Read more here.