Why CNBC’s ratings decline is a good thing

Daniel Solin of U.S. News & World Report writes about why the ratings decline at CNBC is actually a good thing.

Solin writes, “According to published reports, ratings for CNBC have dropped dramatically. Viewers of its morning business shows are down 10 percent. Big name shows like Squawk Box and Closing Bell have declined for four straight quarters. On April 23, only a pathetic 99,000 viewers watched Squawk Box.

“This is good news for investors. The daily gist of CNBC is a steady parade of corporate executives touting the stock of their companies and fund managers who profess to have the ability to outperform the markets. Superimposed on this programming is ‘analysis’ of financial news by self-styled ‘experts,’ who opine on the events of the day.

“This mish-mash of ‘financial information’ is misleading to investors. It perpetuates the myth that owning individual stocks is a good idea, that some ‘expert’ can tell you what stock to buy or sell and that you should attempt to select an actively managed mutual fund that will outperform its benchmark. All of this is presented against a backdrop of intense activity on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and elsewhere, giving viewers a false sense of urgency and implying that minute-by-minute analysis of what’s going on in the markets is critical for investing success.

“This noise is akin to the sound of coins dropping into slot machines in Las Vegas, giving gamblers the impression the next big “win” is as close as the press of the button on their machine. The gambling analogy is an apt one.”

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.