Is Bartiromo worth it to Fox Business?

Dana Blankenhorn of TheStreet.com writes that business news anchor Maria Bartiromo switching to Fox Business Network from CNBC is a lot of noise for a small amount of viewers.

Blankenhorn writes, “Yet it’s big news that, when her latest contract expires on Nov. 24, she’s off to Fox Business Network, which trails CNBC badly in the ratings, and Fox News, which doesn’t.

“The bigger story here might be just how small an audience we’re talking about. According to Nielsen CNBC has been averaging 135,000 viewers, Fox Business Network 46,000. On Nov. 12, TVBytheNumbers reported Fox Business‘ daytime audience ‘in the demo,’ people aged 25-54, was 10,000. Out of 96 services available in the third quarter, Fox Business Network was 85th in the daytime, which is when it draws its biggest audience.

“If Bartiromo has just 45,000 fans who will follow her across to Fox Business Network, that doubles the network’s audience. Take those viewers away from CNBC and the two networks are tied. That’s what Fox is banking on.

“But is the prize worth it? Business news, unlike any other beat save perhaps technology, just doesn’t take to the small screen. Investors prefer words to pictures and numbers to words. And businessmen don’t have time to look at TVs during the day — they’re working.”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.