Erin Burnett on NBC Today Show

The first segment of the Today Show is now back in my routine. This week I have watched CNBC's Erin Burnet co-anchor with Matt Lauer. Here are some quick thoughts (as always these are simply my personal opinions and in no way meant to be taken personally by the reader).
--Burnett is "ok" on this show. She's young. She's growing.. and she's just "OK"
--She's trying too hard at times. Opening the show this AM with a reference to sun needed in NY when the first story was the shooting at the Holocaust Museum was awkward. Lauer knew it. He moved on without a reference. Given more hard news exposure, Lauer is the most under-utilized "hard news" guy at NBC. How long can he keep doing cooking segments.
--When all else fails, reference mom. She's done it this week. Just seems odd.
--I still like Natalie Morales and Ann Curry filling in. Both are strong and enjoyable for different reasons. NOTE: I don't like the silliness that happens on the show sometimes. Curry and Morales, like all the others, get caught up in themselves too often. Still, I watch.

In the end, Burnett is OK. She's easy on the eyes. She is a "TV expert" on the evonomy. She'll grow. SEARCH for more of my posts about Burnett by entering her name in the search box above.


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CNBC: When People Make No Sense

From the Business Insider.
Poor Dennis Kneale thought he was just asking Jeff Macke some meaningless softball question, and Macke comes back at him, talking in what we think is probably English, but with no coherence to it whatsoever. Seriously, if anyone has any clue what's going on here or can translate Macke-speak, we'd love to know what it all means.

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CNBC's Donny Deutsch Says Sarah Palin Is "Sexy'

I missed this clip a few days ago from Donny Deutsch on CNBC. Here is his take on Sarah Palin.

If this is a sign of the analysis that is to come during this campaign, it's going to be a long way to November 4th!
Still... it is worth a chuckle.
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New Trish Regan CNBC Profile

Seacoastonline.com has a new profile of CNBC money woman Trish Regan., co anchor of 'The Call'. who left news at CBS for business at CNBC.
Growing up with a journalist for a mother and an economist for an uncle, a stint writing for the Hampton Union while in junior high, and former reign as Miss New Hampshire, Hampton native Trish Regan appears to have been destined for her career as a financial television journalist.
The Phillips Exeter Academy graduate has been reporting on top stories for more than a year as co-anchor of "The Call," which airs 11 a.m. to noon daily on CNBC.
"The economy has been the number one story right now and this has been my background," she said. "It's great to be within your line and have the story that is dominating the news."
Read the full profile here.
CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS POST ABOUT REGAN HERE.

Is Trish Regan CNBC's New Chosen One?

It seems CNBC's Trish Regan is everywhere in the last few weeks. She just wrapped up an appearance on 'Sunday Today' talking about the economy. She seems to be on 'Today' more lately than either Erin Burnett or Maria Bartiromo (once referred to as the battling 'money honeys'). She seems very relazed and relatable... perhaps more so than Bartiromo or Burnett. That may be becasue she has not been in the glare of the 'money honey' spotlight.

From here bio on CNBC.com.

Trish Regan is co-anchor of the "The Call" (weekdays 11a-12p ET). An Emmy Nominated correspondent, she also reports for CNBC's investigative magazine program "Business Nation" and contributes to "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams".... Regan joined CNBC from CBS News where she was a correspondent reporting for the “CBS Evening News” and “The Early Show” and contributed to “48 Hours” and “Face the Nation.”... Previously, Regan was a television correspondent for CBS MarketWatch contributing to Marketwatch.com and CBS News. In 2002, her work at CBS Marketwatch earned her The Most Outstanding Young Broadcast Journalist Award from the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to MarketWatch, Regan reported for Bloomberg Television.

Jim Cramer Predicts $5 A Gallon Gas

A quick note from this AM's news coverage... Jim Cramer from CNBC's 'Mad Money' predicted $5 a gallon gas by this time next year. Cramer appeared with 'Today's Matt Lauer to talk about the economy. By the way, Cramer discounted a Wall Street Journal suggestion that stockpiling food now may be a good thing to consider. Cramer all takes a swipe at Rupert Murdock for coming up with some 'creative' ideas.

Cable News Late With NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's Prostitution Scandal

Let's give credit to the New York Times for breaking another major story with news that New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer hired a prostitute. (Is anyone noticing that the 'Times' is working it's way back into mainstream conversation more and more these days.) You would expect CNN, FOX or MSNBC would have picked up on the story next after the news broke on the 'Times' website. But alas, an assignment editor at CNBC noticed the news first, alerted producers and got it on the air a full 10 minutes before the cable NEWS networks. The man/woman deserves an extra pat on the back and maybe a little bonus!

Here's the time line according to TVNewser:
2:07 - CNBC reports Spitzer investigation
2:08 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:09 - FOX Business and Bloomberg jump on board
2:10 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:11 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:12 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:13 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:14 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:15 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:16 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:17 - Finally.. the cable NEWS nets start reporting this.

Good assignment desk editors are usually unsung heroes of newsrooms. In this case, the CNBC editor was on top of it! Cable NEWS nets must have been scrambling for this news. In perspective, it's another politician caught in his own web. It's a headline for a news cycle. Beyond that, it's more of politicians gone wrong. BUT, cable news managers should scratch their heads wondering why is took them so long to realize that their business channel competitors were so far ahead of them... nevermind the fact that the New York Times broke the story before everyone. The ins and outs of daily 'breaking news' are really just prepartion for major breaking news that affects peoples lives... 9/11 is the best example of a horrible event. No one should panic but asking questions about why it took CNN, FOX and MSNBC so long to report this news is a fair point.

'Time' Magazine's Surprise: Putin as 'Person of the Year'

I have to admit I was a little surprised by Time magazine's selection of Vladimir Putin as its 'Person of the Year'. I don't think I was alone. The reaction is mixed. For instance, CNBC disagreed and this afternoon named thier own honoree: the American homeower. That actually is a very good thought.

Here is a brief summary of Time's reasoning:
In a year when Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize and green became the new red, white and blue; when the combat in Iraq showed signs of cooling but Baghdad's politicians showed no signs of statesmanship; when China, the rising superpower, juggled its pride in hosting next summer's Olympic Games with its embarrassment at shipping toxic toys around the world; and when J.K. Rowling set millions of minds and hearts on fire with the final volume of her 17-year saga—one nation that had fallen off our mental map, led by one steely and determined man, emerged as a critical linchpin of the 21st century.
Read more in the magazine's cover story here.

CHECK OUT my first post about 'Who Should Be Time's Person the Year'

Hillary Clinton on 'World News'

The big headline from the taped piece tonight on Charlie Gibson's 'World News'... NO BIG NEWS. The interview was really light with little substance. This was simply a list of feature questions.

Some quick notes about each Q/A.
What was she like as a kid? Ordinary, middle-class, Chicago kid.
Did father know best (in reference to the TV show and her family experience)? Yes.
When she was a teen, what was her fascination? She was president of the Fabian fan club. She spent a lot of time at slumber parties. She added that there were never gender differences in her family. If the family played football, the males and females all played.
Did you write to NASA at 14? Yes. They told her to be an astronaut, she needed to be a man… that they were not accepting girls.
Her college experience at Wellesly? She hated it. She wanted to go home. Her mother said ‘Don’t you dare.’ She became the first student speaker at commencement.
About meeting and marrying Bill Clinton. She was reluctant to marry Bill Clinton. ‘I have never known anybody like him’ ‘I knew I was getting into something really big… what ever it was.’
About the first female president…. She’s modest… saying she doesn’t want any special privileges in the campaign.

As a whole, this piece was a letdown. It took 2:00 to ask questions that really give us no insight into her ability to lead this country in such troubled times.

ONE MORE NOTE...WHEN THE CONTROL ROOM GOES WACKO!
Hillary Clinton's serious answer about the economy goes wrong when the CNBC control room tries to change shots. Special note to anchors, directors and TDs... the power of user-submitted sites make all your simple mistakes readily available for the world to see.

Quick Post: ‘Today” All About CNBC

If you caught the ‘Today’ show this morning (Tuesday), you would have thought it was CNBC. In the first 18 minutes of the show, three (count them.. 3) CNBC anchors/reporters appeared on air. No doubt it’s not a blatant attempt to pump CNBC before Fox’s FBC debut next week. I’m sure next week will be a catfight between the networks of NBC and FOX. Can’t wait to watch!