In general, CNBC is regularly going through phases of growth and losses, mainly relating to how active the stock market is and how much people want to watch to catch the numbers. If I remember right, CNBC saw major losses post the Dot Com boom, and the same after the markets stabilized after the Banking Crisis.

NBC Universal is on the decline, News Corp is on the rise.

Same shit, different day.

“year-to-year trends can at times be misleading due to changes in viewership and news content.”

A quote that should be used more often, not just when NBCU is involved.

CNBC has gotten way too political over the years…they have lost a step.

That was GE’s doing.

Too bad for them. They had a pretty good crew then came the politics.

The markets have been on a nice upward trend for about two years, so the need fo tune into “The Closing Bell” isn’t as important as it was a few years ago. Of course once volatility returns or something else happens, it’ll be important to check for those end of day trades or to seek her analysis, but right now, I’m sure most people are content leaving well enough alone.

IOW: Market analysis programming on CNBC can’t really be analyzed from a ratings standpoint. Sure, if a CNBC market show has been slipping and a Bloomberg or Fox Business growing, it might actually mean something, but by itself, it just means that there isn’t a big concern about the market at this particular time.

I like Maria’s analysis on the market and believe she is at times brilliant, but competition has stiffened significantly with FBC arriving on the scene. I also like Kudlow’s stark pragmatism. Another one of the best things about CNBC is the revolving status bars that appear at the top of the screen–being a diversified investor, I find this to be a quick way to see how many things are doing; it tells me where I need to focus and consider making changes in my strategy. The one thing they don’t show is the Dry Baltic Index; this would be helpful to investors who have interests in European markets and wish to do some short-to-medium term planning.

Magister said:
“The Closing Bell” isn’t as important as it was a few years ago.

Yeah, but it’s a quick way for us to know whether we should mix a dry martini and celebrate or mix a dry martini and lick our wounds.

clindhartsen said:
In general, CNBC is regularly going through phases of growth and losses,

Things go up and some come down–but not all. I think FBC is having a heavy impact on CNBC, and the ratings seem to indicate that much is true. I still like Maria though–hard not to admire a woman who is at once bright AND pretty.

X-3 said:
Things go up and some come down–but not all. I think FBC is having a heavy impact on CNBC, and the ratings seem to indicate that much is true. I still like Maria though–hard not to admire a woman who is at once bright AND pretty.

Actually, if FBN was making a real ratings impact, they would have released their numbers by now. The network launched in October 2007, and apart from a few “leaks” here and there, they haven’t released their ratings on a consistent basis.

CNBC’s ratings seem to align quite well with the volatility of the markets overall. If you graph the VIX and CNBC’s ratings, for example, you’ll see a remarkable correlation. With the VIX sinking below 18 this year and no major market moves in either direction, there really hasn’t been any reason to watch business programming in general.

Apart from a few changes here and there, their programming is quite good and I highly doubt Fox Biz is performing much better (on a relative basis)

“Fox News Channel anchor-reporter Kelly Wright was honored on Tuesday as a “Black Media Legend” during a special event sponsored by McDonald’s in New York City.”
———————————————————————————-

Which do you all think is a better campaign slogan to increase GOP registration among black Americans?

Black Americans have a welcome home @ the FOX!

- or -

Real Black Americans watch FOX!

I think she has become too “elite”. She is the one who most often interviews the insanely wealthy and influential and attends the exclusive gatherings such as the Davos Forum. My opinion, based on anecdotal evidence only, is that people eventually get turned off at a certain level of elitism.

wasjustsayin said:
CNBC’s ratings seem to align quite well with the volatility of the markets overall. If you graph the VIX and CNBC’s ratings, for example, you’ll see a remarkable correlation. With the VIX sinking below 18 this year and no major market moves in either direction, there really hasn’t been any reason to watch business programming in general.

I forgot to mention that the VIX is a handy tool for those in the stock market and agree with you. Still, I like to hear others analyze the commodity markets as that’s where I’m putting and taking most. Have you been watching copper lately? WOW!! Also, not greatly mentioned are rare earths and cinnamon–there’s some big money to be made there and it doesn’t cost much to get in the game. I’m predicting silver will be at $32/oz. by summer. I see it as a “buy” at $26/oz. How about you?

ordinary said:
Davos Forum.

Yeah, but didn’t she look “hot” in that leather jacket?