Offering CNBC some advice

Marketwatch columnist Jon Friedman writes Monday, offering business news network CNBC five ways to get past its tumult during the first quarter.

Here is a sample:

1) Stress the news: Make sure its anchors dial down the glib quotient in the broadcasts. I don’t care how well the “Squawk Box” crew gets along or how bright and chirpy they are every morning. For instance, I want Joe Kernen to apply his wit and intelligence to analyzing the news and not going off on tangents. With the stock market in disarray, all I need to know is what’s going on in the news. Save the lighthearted chatter for the next bull market.

2) Focus on analysis: Journalists do their best work when they can explain what is going on — not only why things have happened, but what a news event means in the context of the times. CNBC, God knows, has the resources as well as the institutional knowledge to be a wonderfully reliable source for explanatory journalism. Instead of the banter that CNBC’s on-air stars often are regrettably known for, I want to hear these folks tell me not only why the big news event of the day is important, but also how it fits into patterns and trends.

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