Who is CNBC for?

That’s the question posted by James Poniewozik of Time magazine on Tuesday.

Poniewozik writes, “I mean, I’ve written stories on business news before, and I know more or less what CNBC would tell me if I asked them the same question. There would be figures about viewer demographics and anecdotes about executive viewership and points made about out-of-home viewing and so on. Perhaps one of their public relations people is forwarding me a press release on just these matters even as you read this.

“But I want to ask you all, as viewers: if you watch CNBC at all, what do you watch it for?Â

“CNBC is, after all, nominally a business channel. But — and I speak as a business novice — I’m not sure that much of its day to day news coverage does anything to help businesspeople with long-term decisions. During the day, CNBC focuses pretty much on the markets, and thus very much on the very short term, especially in its econo-tainment programming like Jim Cramer’s show. (It does do some documentaries, which are wholly different, but the exception.)

“It seems like news for traders, in other words — but are traders really watching CNBC and using it? Is it more a kind of real-time anxiety meter for non-business professionals worried about their investments?”

Read more here.