"Money Honey" Maria Bartiromo hosted her first show on Fox Business Network after leaving CNBC late last year.
In case you missed her new show's debut, we've included some screenshot highlights below.
Here's Bartiromo in her show's promo video heading uptown in a car. (She doesn't appear to be wearing a seatbelt.)
In the promo video, Bartiromo is seen walking into News Corp's headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. While at CNBC, she was a fixture at the New York Stock Exchange where she hosted her show. She was also the first journalist to report live from the floor.
Here's the new logo for her show. It's called the "Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo." She used to host the "Closing Bell" at CNBC.
The show set...
Bartiromo opening her show in a red skirt suit. She didn't use her old tagline "I'm Maria Bartiromo...Do you know where your money is?"
She broke some news that Prince Al-Waleed might purchase a stake in Jack Dorsey's Square.
She also left the set to tease a segment with Mario Gabelli.
Here she is greeting Gabelli.
She also had Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher right around the time the Dallas Fed manufacturing report came out.
Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo blasted her former colleagues at CNBC, saying they weren't working as hard as she did when it came to booking guests.
“It wasn’t just the intense competition, it was a competition with my own company at CNBC,” said Bartiromo, who is marking five weeks of anchoring her two-hour stock market program on FBN, Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo, and on Sunday debuts her live hour-long interview show on Fox News, Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. (In other words, her famous name and face are all over both cable outlets.)“Six or seven years ago, my boss came and said, ‘Maria, you’re the only one who’s working, the only one who’s picking up the phone and getting big hitters on the air, and I need to make other people do that.’”
Elsewhere in the story she complains about other shows trying to book her guests, rather than getting their own — intra-CNBC poaching, basically. In a sense, Bartiromo's perspective is not that different from what was expressed by some insiders at CNBC who projected a sense of relief that she had left because of constant head-butts over booking guests, Business Insider's Joe Weisenthal reported earlier.
Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo insulted all of her former co-workers by saying they didn't work as hard as she did when it came to booking on-air guests.
Basically, Bartiromo said she was the only one picking up the phone and getting guests on the air.
“It wasn’t just the intense competition, it was a competition with my own company at CNBC,” said Bartiromo, who is marking five weeks of anchoring her two-hour stock market program on FBN, Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo, and on Sunday debuts her live hour-long interview show on Fox News, Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. (In other words, her famous name and face are all over both cable outlets.) “Six or seven years ago, my boss came and said, ‘Maria, you’re the only one who’s working, the only one who’s picking up the phone and getting big hitters on the air, and I need to make other people do that.’”
A CNBC insider told us that her comments "baffling" and "insulting." They're also not true.
"It's insulting Maria would say that none of her colleagues worked hard. CNBC is filled with producers, reporters and anchors who've busted their butts just like her for a long time and still do trying to get exclusives and cultivate sources," the source said, citing CNBC anchors/reporters like Jim Cramer, David Faber, Becky Quick, Scott Wapner, Kate Kelly and others as examples of folks who work really hard to book guests and break news.
The insider also noted that it makes no sense for her to keep "dropping these bombs."
Bartiromo, who's known as the "Money Honey," has a reputation as a powerhouse when it comes to booking big-name guests. However, she was also very territorial when it came to her go-to guests appearing on other CNBC shows.
It's been just over a month since Maria Bartiromo debuted her new show on Fox Business Network.
It's off to a very slow start.
There were high hopes when Fox Business hired Bartiromo from CNBC after two decades there. She's known for her deep Wall Street Rolodex and ability to book big-name guests. So the thought was that loyal CNBC viewers might follow Bartiromo to FOX.
So far, it certainly doesn't seem like they are.
Bartiromo's morning show, the "Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo," which began on February 24, ranked 119th out of 123 cable news shows, according to first quarter ratings data posted by TVNewser. The other Fox Business shows that came in behind her were "Willis Report" and "Money With Melissa Frances," the data shows.
The ratings data shows that Bartiromo's show is reaching a total of 53,000 viewers. However, in the critical viewer demographic that FOX wants to reach — folks ages 25-54 — she's averaging only 7,000 viewers per show.
Bartiromo has one the best time slots of the day because it's around the opening of the market, which is generally the busiest time with breaking news and headlines, so these numbers are particularly disappointing. They're also lower than the viewership FOX was getting in this time slot before Bartiromo debuted.
During January and February, when Stuart Varney's FOX Business show "Varney & Co." aired in the same 9-11 a.m. time slot, he was reaching a total of 110,000 households and 23,000 in the coveted demographic. So FOX Business' viewership has actually been cut in half in these hours since Bartiromo took over.
Varney's show, meanwhile, has moved back two hours to the 11 a.m.-1 p.m. time period. The data shows that Varney averages 94,000 in total viewers and 16,000 in the demo. That's nearly double Bartiromo's viewers!
Meanwhile, CNBC's "Squawk On The Street" (9-11 a.m.) was doing roughly 200,000 in total viewers and about 45,000 in the key demo during the first quarter, the data shows. CNBC's "Closing Bell," which used to be hosted by Bartiromo and is now hosted by Kelly Evans, had about 36,000 viewers in the demo and roughly 188,000 total households during that period.
Across the board for the financial news, the ratings in general are lousy. CNBC's ratings recently hit their lowest level in 20 years.
Still, this is certainly not a strong start for Bartiromo, whom FOX is paying a reported $4-5 million a year.
Bartiromo is new to the Fox audience. She does have a Sunday show on Fox News Channel that will help expose her to a more general audience and help viewers get to know her better.
We reached out to FOX Business for comment. We will update this article if we hear back.
The catfight between CNBC and Fox Business Network at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is out of control.
The final straw: Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo was caught on tape talking about CNBC's production team nearby, saying, "Look what they're doing … they're embarrassing themselves."
You can see it about three seconds into the video below (via TVNewser).
Bartiromo — who last year left the position she held for nearly 20 years as CNBC's "Money Honey"— was apparently just reacting to a CNBC employee's comment to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan as he was about to go to an interview with Fox Business Network.
"Ooooohhh. That's where you're headed," the CNBC employee said, according to TVNewser."They're no competition!"
Sadly, these are not the first punches that have been thrown between the two networks regarding this annual gathering of business, intellectual, and political leaders.
Last week, before anyone had even landed in Davos, Fox Business Network's senior correspondent Charles Gasparino went on the air and said that CNBC managing editor Nick Dunn would be wearing his "ass for a hat" after seeing how superior Fox's coverage of Davos would be to CNBC's.
And all this week Fox Business Network reporters have aired grievances with CNBC's behavior. They accuse CNBC of threatening guests, of telling them that if they don't do CNBC first, they don't do CNBC at all.
This made Gasparino, a former CNBC reporter, very upset. So he took to Twitter:
Fox Business' Liz Claman mentioned it on her show as well.
But here's the thing: This complaint from Fox Business Network is hardly new. In fact, it's common knowledge that CNBC is ruthless about getting guests first — not just in Davos but at every event, and at home.
Besides, we haven't heard anything from Bloomberg TV about it.
In addition to the earpiece, they found Harman Kardon headphones, Vicks menthol cough drops, a handful of pens and highlighters in a Ziploc bag, and a special red ribbon tied in a bow that her mother gave her for good luck.
"I never take it out because it’s from my mom," she told Us Weekly.
Business Insider has heard that Fox Business Network is making some "huge" changes to its show lineup.
TVNewser is also reporting that Fox Business will be announcing changes to its show schedule this afternoon.
Those changes include Maria Bartiromo moving to the 6 am to 9 am ET time slot where Don Imus currently anchors "Imus In the Morning." He's going off the air at the end of this month.
As part of the lineup shift, Stuart Varney's show "Varney & Co." will start airing from 9 am until noon instead of its current slot of 11 am until 1 pm.
A source speculated that it's "no surprise" that Varney is the "winner" with the 2016 election coming up.
Bartiromo has been anchoring "Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo" on Fox Business since the first quarter of 2014. With the early morning show she'll now go head-to-head with CNBC's "Squawk Box."
TVNewser is also reporting that Trish Regan, who just joined Fox Business from Bloomberg TV, will anchor the 2 pm hour. We're also hearing that Melissa Francis will co-anchor the 4 pm hour with David Asman and that Liz Claman will be on at 3.
Representatives from Fox Business did not respond to requests for comment.
6a - 9a Imus in the Morning Don Imus Business, politics, and popular culture news--The Old Cowboy takes on Washington heavyweights and business insiders alike to keep you updated!
9a - 11a Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo Maria Bartiromo “The Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo” is the business show investors watch for the most up-to-date news of the morning from around the world and the headline guests you want to hear from.
11a - 1p Varney & Co Stuart Varney Veteran journalist Stuart Varney and his business savvy team give you the 411 on Wall Street.
1p - 2p Risk & Reward with Deirdre Bolton Deirdre Bolton Deirdre Bolton takes you beyond stocks and bonds into the world of alternative investing. She brings viewers new ways to make money and better ways to keep it.
2p - 3p MONEY w/ Melissa Francis Melissa Francis A breakdown of the day’s top stories and how those stories impact the American taxpayer.
3p - 4p Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman Liz Claman We're counting down to the close of the markets!
4p - 5p After the Bell David Asman, Liz Claman Anchors Liz Claman and David Asman bring viewers the breaking news after the bell and explain what it means for them, their investments, and the market tomorrow.
5p - 6p The Willis Report Gerri Willis Investigating top business stories, outing corporate scams and policing D.C. policy! Uncovering the real stories behind business headlines.
6p - 7p Making Money with Charles Payne Charles Payne “Making Money with Charles Payne” will be joined by a panel of business and market experts to debate the headlines, give viewers an end-of-day wrap, and provide an insider’s look at tomorrow’s money makers
7p - 8p Lou Dobbs Tonight Lou Dobbs Get a breakdown of the day’s top stories and how they impact the economy!
8p - 9p Cavuto Neil Cavuto Trusted, experienced and straight shooting ... it is the number one name in business.
9p - 10p Strange Inheritance Jamie Colby Love, loss, and a legacy left behind. ‘Strange Inheritance’ is a ground-breaking new reality program from the Fox Business Network.
10p - 11p Kennedy Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery Kennedy -- hosted by Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery, features sharp eye-opening commentary on today’s hottest issues – no topic is off limits as Kennedy brings her unique perspective to politics, business and culture
11p - 12a Lou Dobbs Tonight Lou Dobbs Get a breakdown of the day’s top stories and how they impact the economy! Late Night
12a - 1a Strange Inheritance Jamie Colby Love, loss, and a legacy left behind. ‘Strange Inheritance’ is a ground-breaking new reality program from the Fox Business Network.
Fox Business Network moderator Maria Bartiromo was briefly booed by a Republican-friendly debate crowd Tuesday night when she brought up former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's résumé.
Near the end of the debate, Bartiromo was interrupted when she asked the candidates to compare their records against Clinton. Bartiromo said Clinton has an "impressive résumé," provoking the audience reaction.
The moderator pointed out that Clinton has spent "more time in government than almost all of you on stage tonight."
"Why should the American people trust you to lead this country even though she has been so much closer to the office?" she asked.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) fielded the question first and praised the inquiry, despite the booing.
"That's a great question and let me begin by answering it," he said to laughs. "This election is actually a generational choice, a choice about what kind of nation we will be in the 21st century."
The Republican candidates and party leaders were quick to praise the Fox Business moderators, two weeks after a contentious CNBC debate that left candidates revolting against that network's moderators. The CNBC moderators were repeatedly booed for their supposedly "nasty" questions.
"Debates need to focus on the issues, and that goal was accomplished tonight. Our candidates, not the moderators, were at the center of tonight’s debate, and they were all treated with fairness and respect," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
"Thanks to a well-run debate, the country was able to see our diverse field of talented and exceptionally qualified candidates exchange ideas for how to reinvigorate the economy and put Americans back to work."
Fox Business debate moderator Maria Bartiromo asked retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson a pointed line of questions during Thursday night's Republican presidential debate.
"Dr. Carson, one of the other candidates on this stage has brought up Bill Clinton's past indiscretions," Bartiromo said, a reference to remarks made by real-estate mogul Donald Trump.
Trump has gone on the offensive against the former president after Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, accused Trump of exhibiting a "penchant for sexism."
"Is that a legitimate topic in this election?" Bartiromo asked.
The crowd cheered, with many people shouting, "Yeah!"
Bartiromo then added: "And what do you think of the notion that Hillary Clinton is 'an enabler' of sexual misconduct?"
Carson, speaking vaguely, said Bill Clinton's past is fair game regardless of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
"There's no question that we should be able to look at any past president, whether they're married to somebody who's running for president or not, in terms of their past behavior," he said.
The retired surgeon then pivoted to a call for national unity.
"But here's the real issue: Is this America anymore?" Carson asked. "Do we still have standards? Do we still have values and principles. You look at what's going on, you see all of the divisiveness and the hatred that goes on in our society. We have a 'war' on virtually everything. Race 'wars.' Gender 'wars.' Income 'wars.' Religious 'wars.' Age 'wars.' Every 'war' you can imagine, we have people at each other's throats. And our strength is actually in our unity."
Carson cited internet comments sections to make his point.
"You go to the internet. You start reading an article," Carson said. "And you go to the comments section. You cannot go five comments down before people are calling each other all matter of names. Where did that spirit come from in America? It did not come from our Judeo-Christian roots, I can tell you that."
He added: "We need to start once again recognizing that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and let's not let the secular progressives drive that out of us."
President Donald Trump said Sunday he's "not backing down" on tariffs.
"Every country is calling every day saying, "Let's make a deal"' on trade," Trump told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News.
Trump's comment comes after months of a widely criticized trade war sparked by his decision to impose tariffs on China and US allies.
President Donald Trump said he's "not backing down" on tariffs.
"The big thing that I'm focused on now is trade. I have to straighten out trade deals,"Trump told host Maria Bartiromo in an interview broadcast on Fox News Sunday morning. "... We have the worst trade deals in the world; we lose money with everybody. ... We're going to make it reciprocal, we're going to make them fair."
Trump continued: "I will tell you, you don't know about this, but every country is calling every day saying, 'Let's make a deal, let's make a deal.' So it's going to all work out."
He also repeated a claim that the current economy "may be the greatest economy we've ever had."
Trump's comments come amid tensions on trade with China, Europe, Mexico, and Canada, all of which retaliated after Trump announced steel, aluminum, and agricultural tariffs last month.
American lawmakers and international leaders have criticized Trump's decision to impose tariffs, a new wave of which will go into effect July 6th to target Chinese industrial goods.
"Would it be better to actually have our allies together to go against China, instead of pushing back on our allies?"Bartiromo asked.
But Trump doubled down on his previous comments against US allies and his decision to impose tariffs on them.
"The European Union is possibly as bad as China, just smaller, OK? It's terrible what they do to us," Trump said, adding, "I love those countries, Germany, and all of the countries. Scotland. ... But they treat us very badly. They treat us very unfairly."
Meanwhile, economists say Trump's protectionist policies are comparable to economic policies from the 1980s policies, which overall harmed the US economy, raised costs for American consumers, and failed to reduce the US trade deficit.
Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo is facing particularly fierce criticism over her latest interview with President Donald Trump, during which she let Trump make unsubstantiated and false claims.
A barrage of critics online accused Bartiromo of peddling Trump's propaganda and following an administration-approved script.
"Almost every time Trump said something shocking or unsubstantiated, Maria Bartiromo let it slide. Sometimes she didn't just fail to follow up, she encouraged it," wrote CNN's Brian Stelter.
Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo is facing particularly fierce criticism over her latest interview with President Donald Trump, during which she lobbed what critics called softball questions and repeatedly agreed with the president's controversial, false, or misleading statements.
At one point, Trump asserted that there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russian government and that the special counsel investigation has "found nothing."
"I know," Bartiromo responded, despite the fact that 20 people — some who worked at high levels of Trump's campaign — and three companies have either pleaded guilty or been charged with crimes in Robert Mueller's investigation.
The morning host later asked Trump if he would bring up Russian interference in the election during his upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump ignored the question, instead saying he would like to know "why the FBI didn't take the server from the DNC," apparently referring to the unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic National Committee refused to cooperate with federal law enforcement during its investigation of its hacked server during the 2016 election.
Bartiromo did not follow up on the question, instead agreeing with Trump that the DNC didn't want to give its server to the FBI, and that the investigation into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server was somehow corrupt.
A barrage of critics online accused Bartiromo of peddling Trump's propaganda and following an administration-approved script.
Aaron Blake, a Washington Post political reporter, tweeted out segments of the interview in which Bartiromo failed to challenge Trump's claims.
Actual Bartiromo responses:
TRUMP: My tax cuts are great. BARTIROMO: "I agree"
TRUMP: No collusion. BARTIROMO: "I know"
TRUMP: Wall Street & farmers trust me. BARTIROMO: "They do"
TRUMP: My tariffs are great. BARTIROMO: "You’re doing the right thing on pushing back on China"
"Almost every time Trump said something shocking or unsubstantiated, Maria Bartiromo let it slide. Sometimes she didn't just fail to follow up, she encouraged it," CNN's Brian Stelter wrote in his Monday newsletter.
Stelter pointed to Trump's statement claim that Immigration and Customs Enforcement — which has come under fire from immigrant rights activists and left-wing politicians — has liberated towns from MS-13 gang members. Bartiromo did not ask for any evidence for Trump's unsubstantiated claim, instead moving on to a question about North Korea.
"When Trump supporters say the media is biased, they simply mean that most journalists don't unequivocally agree with Trump when he makes false/subjective claims,"tweeted Brian Klaas, a Washington Post columnist and author of How to Rig an Election. "Their vision of good journalism is Bartiromo's sycophancy, which would fit in very well in authoritarian state media."
During the interview, Trump announced that he will push for a second "phase" of tax cuts, that he'll wait until after the midterm elections to sign a re-negotiated North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, and that he won't back down from his trade fights with allies.
Brian Jones, the president of Fox Business, defended Bartiromo in a statement to Business Insider.
"Maria Bartiromo's wide-ranging interview with President Trump made news on multiple fronts and elicited answers to numerous questions," Jones said. "We are proud of her hard work and continued success across each of her FBN and FNC programs."
White House reporters, including Fox's own John Roberts, have criticized the president for refusing to participate in sit-down interviews with anyone other than his friendliest allies in the media.
"I will say that I am a little bit frustrated that the last time I interviewed the president was in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, in August of 2016," Roberts told Business Insider in April. "I've been asking for an interview with the president since the day he was elected and they have not complied ... And I tell them — by this time in the Bush administration, I'd done four sit-down interviews with him. And in the Clinton administration I'd done a number of sit-down interviews with him as well."
A pretty common thing you hear is that Obamacare has been responsible for the death of full-time jobs, as employers switch workers to part-time so that they don't need to be covered under health insurance.
"After 20 years of groundbreaking work at CNBC, Maria Bartiromo will be leaving the company as her contract expires on November 24th. Her contributions to CNBC are too numerous to list but we thank her for all of her hard work over the years and wish her the best," CNBC's Brian Steel said in a statement to Business Insider.
This summer, New York Post's Claire Atkinson reported that Bartiromo, whose five-year contract is about to expire, had been in discussions with Fox Business Network and CNN.
Bartiromo joined CNBC in 1993. She was the first journalist to report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
"After twenty great years of having a front row seat to some of the most important economic stories in the world, it’s hard to sum up the gratitude and appreciation I have for the team that helped make it happen. I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish. I want to thank all the people at CNBC who have been with me on this journey, and of course the viewers and investors everywhere for making me love every minute of it," Bartiromo said.
She's insanely knowledgeable about markets and economics, putting her a cut above a lot of the talent that appears on TV.
According to a network statement, Evans will be the host on an "interim basis" with Bill Griffeth of "Closing Bell" at 3 p.m. ET.
Evans, 28, joined CNBC in early 2012 from The Wall Street Journal.
While at The Journal, she worked as an economics reporter. She also wrote the "Ahead of the Tape" column and hosted the daily "News Hub."
Evans began her career at CNBC in the London bureau before quickly being brought back stateside for "Squawk on the Street."
She's been a standout at CNBC. She would frequently anchor "Closing Bell" when Bartiromo was away. She's also a star in the digital world, and a favorite of the Twitterati.
The financial media world was stunned this week when Drudge Report broke the news that Maria Bartiromo would be leaving CNBC for FOX Business Network.
Bartiromo, affectionately known as the "Money Honey," has been a fixture at CNBC for two decades. She was one of the network's earliest and biggest stars, and she celebrated her 20-year anniversary there just last month.
A Brooklyn native, Bartiromo joined CNBC in 1993. A couple of years later, she made history as the first journalist to report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Roger Ailes, who is currently FOX News Channel's president, was the one who got Bartiromo on air back then when he was working for CNBC.
The news of Bartiromo's departure got people talking. Why would one of CNBC's biggest stars quit the network? And why would CNBC let her leave?
Yes, CNBC's ratings have been low of late, but they're still well above FOX Business Network's ratings. CNBC still remains the No. 1 business news channel.
According to a source familiar with Bartiromo's thinking, her decision came down to three factors:
Money. FOX made a big offer. CNBC increased its own offer, but didn't quite match FOX's.
Visibility. FOX is going to give Bartiromo a live Sunday show on the FOX News Channel, which has a vastly larger audience than either business network. Bartiromo explored the possibility of hosting a similar show on NBC, but "Meet The Press" was taken and NBC wasn't willing to create a similar slot for her.
The opportunity to, once again, help build something. FOX Business is no longer a startup network, but it has a long way to go before it challenges CNBC as the most popular business network.
FOX's overtures were also made more attractive and persuasive by the personal involvement of FOX boss Roger Ailes. Ailes persuaded Bartiromo that he would be personally committed to helping her further develop her career, support that Bartiromo did not feel she would have at CNBC and NBC.
Ailes also knew the number he had to hit to make Bartiromo switch.
Another big enticement for Bartiromo was the promise of the live Sunday morning show on FOX News Channel.
NBC wasn't willing to offer her that.
One CNBCer, who will remain anonymous, noted that it was pretty obvious that there weren't many opportunities left for her there in terms of the NBC network.
"There just didn't seem to be a lot left here for her to do. She clearly wasn't on the network radar screen, so if she wanted to grow her options were limited at NBC. Kind of reminds me of the Erin Burnett situation."
FOX also seems to be an obvious fit for Bartiromo politically.
Over the last year, she has been more and more vocal on her show expressing her own viewpoints in her own opinion segment.
Back in 2012, CNBC hired a producer named Gary Schreier, who was Neil Cavuto's Executive Producer FOX Business, to be the Executive Producer of Bartiromo's "Closing Bell." One insider said that he thought Schreier was brought on to make Bartiromo happy.
"The sense was that they brought him in to kind of like make Maria happy that he was a guy that...suits her politics. Her politics are more aligned with FOX."
Schreier was the one who helped Bartiromo start her "Maria's Observations" segment where she would share her views at the close of each show.
WATCH: Lou Dobbs Told Maria Bartiromo That Going To CNBC Would Be The Biggest Mistake Of Her Life
"He was brought over to help continue and cultivate and grow her as an anchor and try to draw out more of her personality and viewpoint," another CNBCer said.
The timing of the news of Bartiromo's departure caught CNBC by surprise.
Ever since Bartiromo passed on CNBC's final offer and informed the network that she was leaving, the plan had been to announce the news on Thursday, November 21st, the day before Bartiromo's final day on the air, one source says.
The Drudge leak caught CNBC by surprise.
CNBC may also have to make some changes in the wake of Bartiromo's departure.
One of Bartiromo's assets has always been her ability to book big-name guests. CNBC has long had a policy in which guests have to appear "first on CNBC" before they appear on other networks, and the concern is that Bartiromo's guest-booking power may be able to upend that.
"The real stiff CNBC guest policy—This is going to turn that on its head. She works her ass off and gets great guests," a CNBC insider told us.
"I know for a fact that she does a lot of hands on booking herself and keeps in touch with big folks like [Larry] Fink [Prince] Al-Waleed...What does CNBC do then? Are they forced to take that person second that's been with her the whole time. You go 'come on us first or you don't come on at all?' Are they going to say that to the biggies?"
Not everyone thinks this will have a big impact, though.
"I think the most immediate impact is going to be in booking, but I have a feeling her prowess was always a little overrated in that department. I don't think anybody's panicking because we might get a few less Meredith Whitney interviews," another CNBCer said.
Even those who don't think Bartiromo's departure will have much impact on CNBC have huge respect for her work ethic.
"She is a bulldog. She just works really, really hard. She's an impressive person. She's just driven. She's smart. She's energetic...She fiercely guards her territory...She's tough in a good way... She's just a hard working, driven person and she's competitive. I think that's going to be interesting to see what they're able to do with that," one source who has worked with her said.
So this brings us back to the question of why CNBC is letting her go?
CNBC clearly has the money, so why not match it?
The story some CNBC executives are telling is that Bartiromo is a member of an old-school TV generation and that CNBC now wants to invest in younger talent who are comfortable working in digital as well as broadcast media — rising stars like Kelly Evans, for example, who has been dubbed the "next Money Honey."
Sources say that Bartiromo's deal with FOX Business hasn't been signed, and that some minor details still need to be worked out. (The location of her Sunday show, for example, as well as who she will bring with her from CNBC.)
Bartiromo's contract with CNBC expires on Sunday, November 24, and she is actually not allowed to sign a new contract before then.
It's also unclear when Bartiromo will debut on FOX Business. Contractually, she is required to wait 60 days past the end of her CNBC contract, but it's possible that this restriction will be waived. In any event, we won't likely see her on FOX until January.
The entire financial TV industry is in a state of flux.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the dismal ratings at CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg. Bloomberg, meanwhile, is in the midst of some kind reassessment of its TV business, and there's widespread apprehension there about what the next direction is for the network.
And the big momentous event was the recent departure of Maria Bartiromo from CNBC to Fox Business.
Bartiromo is the biggest star in financial TV history, and her leaving the biggest network to go to a much smaller rival is a major moment.
So what's the mood at CNBC following this departure?
One person who was at CNBC headquarters the day after Bartiromo's departure actually described a widespread sense of "relief."
It's not that Bartiromo was disliked. It's that CNBC, according to multiple sources, is an insanely competitive place internally, especially with respect to booking guests. And Bartiromo often had a lock on the best guests, leaving other reporters, anchors, and producers out in the cold.
One person familiar with the workings of CNBC, when asked about the environment, responded via email: "CNBC is SO COMPETITIVE ABOUT BOOKINGS. So much so that it always spilled over to infighting between shows."
Another former employee at CNBC described constant head-butts with Bartiromo over guests, and told us that well-known guests have complained about how if they ever went on another show on CNBC they would get angry phone calls about it.
So basically, in an environment where everyone is extremely territorial about their guests, the departure of the network's most famous name frees up a lot of booking chances. It also frees up money — Bartiromo's hefty salary — that CNBC can now invest in other on-air talent.
Bartiromo will almost certainly be able to help Fox Business get bigger guests, but she's unlikely to have is any kind of monopoly on them, the way she did at CNBC. This means the move might help Bloomberg a bit, too. Loyalty to Bartiromo and CNBC was one thing keeping some big names off of Bloomberg. Nobody, meanwhile, will have exclusive loyalty to Bartiromo at Fox, at least not in the beginning.
So there's something for everyone with the Bartiromo move.
CNBC frees up money, and the rest of the editorial staff get more opportunity.
Fox Biz gets a big name and probably better guests.
And Bloomberg now has one less roadblock to booking better guests.
Fox had not made an official announcement until now.
Bartiromo has been named a Global Markets Editor at Fox Business. She will anchor a daily show for Fox Business and a Sunday business-focused show for Fox News Channel.
She starts on February 1st.
Bartiromo is currently in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.
Here's the full announcement:
FOX Business Network (FBN) has signed veteran financial anchor Maria Bartiromo to a multi-year deal, announced Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of FOX News. In her new role, Bartiromo will serve as Global Markets Editor, anchoring a daily market hours program for FBN, as well as a Sunday business focused show on FOX News Channel (FNC). She will begin her tenure at FOX Business on February 1st with each program launching before the end of the first quarter.
In making the announcement, Ailes said, “I tapped Maria to report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange while at CNBC, and I am delighted to have her join me once again alongside our star lineup at FOX Business.”
Most recently, Bartiromo anchored CNBC’s top-rated markets program, Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo. In 2004, she took over as anchor of the weekly nationally syndicated show, The Wall Street Journal Report, which was later renamed On the Money with Maria Bartiromo. She joined CNBC in 1993, and made history in 1995 as the first journalist to report live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on a daily basis. Prior to tenure there, Bartiromo served as a producer, writer and assignment editor for CNN Business News.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Bartiromo was the first female journalist to be inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2009, the Financial Timesnamed her one of the “50 Faces That Shaped the Decade.” She was honored with two News and Documentary Emmy Awards; in 2008 for her NBC Nightly News special, Bailout Talks Collapse, and in 2009 for her Inside the Mind of Google CNBC documentary. She also received a Gracie Award for her CNBC special, Greenspan: Power, Money & the American Dream.
Bartiromo is the author of several books, including The Weekend That Changed Wall Street and The 10 Laws of Enduring Success. She writes a monthly column forUSA Today and has written columns for Businessweek, Milano Finanza, Individual Investor, Ticker and Reader’s Digest magazines. She has also been published in theFinancial Times, Newsweek, Town & Country, Registered Rep and the New York Post.
In addition to being a member of the Board of Trustees of New York University, she is on the Board of Directors of the New York City Ballet, the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York, and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, and the Board of Governors of the Columbus Citizens Foundation.
A graduate of New York University, Bartiromo earned a degree in journalism and economics. She later served as an adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of Business in the fall semesters of 2010 through 2012.
Maria Bartiromo premiered her new show on Fox Business Monday morning, and it's off to a pretty slow start.
We see two reasons for this: First, the former CNBC star known for her booking prowess failed to schedule any show-stoppers. Second the discussion-based format of the show isn't quite hot enough to keep viewers glued to the screen.
Being the scrappy kid nipping at Bloomberg and CNBC's heels, observers expected Fox Business and Bartiromo to pull out all the stops for her debut — ticker tape parade, 76 trombones, the works. The reason why a network hires a lifer like Bartiromo is for her fire (and star) power, after all.
And what makes a big part of a great hour of informative news? The guests. Booking is crucial and it means everything to financial news consumers, especially in a world where information on stocks and breaking news can be found online.
On day one Bartiromo booked Jon Hilsenrath, the Wall Street Journal reporter known for Federal Reserve scoops; Bank of America Head of U.S. Equity Savita Subramanian; Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher; and Mario Gabelli, CEO of GAMCO investments. All of these folks are interesting people with large followings, but they aren't necessarily market movers (read: headline-makers).
Plus, Gabelli was on Bloomberg TV Jan. 22nd. Wall Street has seen him since the "hey, this ain't 2013's 30%-market anymore" discussion that's dominating headlines these days.
Meanwhile, CNBC booked Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam (telecoms — so hot right now), former European Central Bank President Jean Claude Trichet (everyone's talking about eurozone inflation), and economist Larry Summers (he was a frontrunner for Fed chair) for Monday morning.
Booking day one isn't something you can do over again, but our second issue with the show — Bartiromo's comfort with its slightly more discussion-heavy format — will likely improve with time. For now, it's not quite lively enough to keep viewers from switching back to their regularly scheduled programming.
Here's an example: During her discussion with Hilsenrath and Subramanian, Bartiromo made a quick comment about the stock market, which people are getting into fist fights over on Wall Street these days.
"The corrective action of the market is almost over," she said, citing a technical trader.
It's a relatively bold statement to make in a year when analysts all over the street are predicting choppy waters. On Bartiromo's show though, it just rolled off the tongue and into the atmosphere without further debate. In fact, the S&P 500 actually went green for the year this morning — so what is there to discuss?
If you're trying to peel viewers away from channels that are muscle-memorized into their fingertips, it's important to take every opportunity to jump on the questions that are on everyone's mind. Guests and hosts alike have to stay on their toes and be vigilant for moments when they can turn things up a notch.
All that said — hey, it's day one. Even a professional like Bartiromo needs time to hit her stride, no?
Wrinkles, like the one below can get ironed out ("Maria" Gabelli).
"Money Honey" Maria Bartiromo hosted her first show on Fox Business Network after leaving CNBC late last year.
In case you missed her new show's debut, we've included some screenshot highlights below.
Here's Bartiromo in her show's promo video heading uptown in a car. (She doesn't appear to be wearing a seatbelt.)
In the promo video, Bartiromo is seen walking into News Corp's headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. While at CNBC, she was a fixture at the New York Stock Exchange where she hosted her show. She was also the first journalist to report live from the floor.
Here's the new logo for her show. It's called the "Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo." She used to host the "Closing Bell" at CNBC.
The show set...
Bartiromo opening her show in a red skirt suit. She didn't use her old tagline "I'm Maria Bartiromo...Do you know where your money is?"
She broke some news that Prince Al-Waleed might purchase a stake in Jack Dorsey's Square.
She also left the set to tease a segment with Mario Gabelli.
Here she is greeting Gabelli.
She also had Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher right around the time the Dallas Fed manufacturing report came out.
Another big enticement for Bartiromo was the promise of the live Sunday morning show on FOX News Channel.
"She is a bulldog. She just works really, really hard. She's an impressive person. She's just driven. She's smart. She's energetic...She fiercely guards her territory...She's tough in a good way... She's just a hard working, driven person and she's competitive. I think that's going to be interesting to see what they're able to do with that," one source who has worked with her said. 
