After that huge story in Vanity Fair about CNBC's Maria Bartiromo catfight with fellow business channel anchor, Erin Burnett, the suits are all a'scramblin to find out who "leaked" the story to Graydon Carter's people.
It's all the Post's fault according to CNBC, though Richard Johnson's people are blaming it on station executives trying to improve ratings by promising some tension between the two.
Let's air on the side of caution here and assume that one of Bartiromo's or Burnett's people — these types always have "people" — leaked the story themselves: adding a little bit of the Sarah Jessica Parker/Kim Cattrall off-camera bitchiness to their persona so more viewers will tune in to witness the fake smiles and facial tics whenever the two are forced to talk to each other.
'In fact, the current issue of Vanity Fair features a piece on Burnett and CNBC veteran Maria Bartiromo - the “Money Honey” - titled “Who is Wall Street’s Queen B.?” Burnett said the pair is not at odds. “Her schedule is as crazy as mine is,” Burnett said. “In many cases, we’re like ships passing in the night in terms of our schedules, but we have always, always been friendly.”' [Boston Herald, earlier]
Also, remember when the Post's Page Six was calling Bartiromo not "The Money Honey," but "The Bank Skank"? Oh, the summer of 2007 was such a brighter time.
CNBC has a great combo going: Money and chicks. Sure, the ads on the station's website sometimes gets managing editor Allen Wastler into hot water with the provocative bikini-clad women on a site ostensibly about finance, but come on: hearing about the economy tanking all the time can sometimes be sort of dry.
That's why the NBC biz chan banks on two of its stars to get the movers and shakers moving and shaking over to their channel. Maria Bartiromo (on the left) of Closing Bell and Erin Burnett (on the right) of Street Signs are two of the biggest…uh…assets that business station has going for it. Especially now, when there is an inverse relationship between how bad off the country is financially and the ratings for the network.
But given the primadonna nature of the station's leading ladies, it was only a matter of time before the rumored catfight between Maria "The Money Honey" and Erin "Street Sweetie" made its way into the pages of Graydon Carter's baby. Because he likes celebrities, beautiful people, and money. CONTINUED »
Erin Burnett is basically the only competition to Maria Bartiromo for the title of Hottest Chick on Finance TV — if you don't count the Fox Business Network, where, not to insult our friends over there, but their understanding the difference between bull and bear was not the top hiring criteria.
Burnett receives an evergreen write up from Times TV scribe Brian Stelter, who points out that Burnett kinda just came out of nowhere and became an overnight success story. And that it was very calculated from inside CNBC. (This is a very nicely packaged tale. Its backstory might need more re-telling.)
But: Co-anchoring a program within weeks of her arrival? Currently anchoring three hours of live programming a day? How ever did such a woman of so few years (she's 32) get to do all that? CONTINUED »
Are we reading this correctly? The New York Post's Page Six is calling out CNBC's Erin Burnett for being a China-lover, when owner Rupert Murdoch couldn't be described any other way himself? [P6]
ERIN BURNED Someone's out for Erin Burnett. (Let's hope for scandal by alleging it's Maria Bartiromo!) Page Six goes back attacking the CNBC anchor over her Men's Health "Eight Things That Would Impress Me" article, which supposedly pissed off the higher ups. Because it's hurting the CNBC "brand." It just so happens, it's probably helping the CNBC "ratings." [P6]
This just in: CNBC star Erin Burnett (the anchor of Squawk of the Street and Street Signs) admits to loving her alma mater, occasionally reading horoscopes and visiting the roof bar of the Met; refuses to say anything even remotely interesting about her rivalry with Maria Bartiromo or respond to Roger Ailes' unflattering insinuation that she'll be burnt out and ugly by 2009.
Yesterday, we told you about Roger Ailes preference for nubile CNBC anchors, and his concern that rising star Erin Burnett will burn herself out before usurping her in-network rival, Maria Bartiromo. And since Ailes makes no secret of his belief that female anchors should trade in on their looks before they age and become irrelevant, it comes as no surprise that Ailes' own network, Fox News is taking heat for its anchors' barely-there on-air wardrobe.
CHRISTIAN "media watchdog group" The Resistance is all worked up over the ultra-femme anchors of Fox News. The group's leader, Mark Dice, rants in an e-mail, "I see shorter skirts on the women of Fox News than I do on the prostitutes being arrested on cop shows."
Meanwhile, the ever apologetic Fox responded, "We're always flattered to have everyone talking about us in one form or another."
Totally. In fact, we're sure veteran journalists Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters and Katie Couric would all be extremely mollified by that sort of attention.
Rebecca Dana asks Roger Ailes if there's anyone from CNBC he'd like to hire for the Fox Business Network. His reply: "I'm the one who put Maria Bartiromo on the air. She's a fine talent. This new woman that they're overusing because she's on now 15 hours a day, Erin Burnett, is a good talent. But she's gonna age. She'll only last another year, the way they're working her. …So, I hope, at some point she steps up and says, 'I need water; I need a little break here.'"
What we've learned…after the jump.
Whether those rumors about the Fox Business Channel considering making a takeover bid for CNBC's Erin Burnett are true. A source connected to the Fox camp hints yes; a CNBC source has "no knowledge" of it. Fox is said to have already made a play for Maria Bartiromo, but her current contract kept her from realistically considering the option.
Finance hotties Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett continue to catfight whenever there are reporters handy. NY Post continues to diligently chronicle their mostly manufactured rivalry. Insanely jealous female CNBC staffers continue to hate them both equally. Jossip editors continue to rapidly lose interest.
• Paris Hilton flashes some nipple on the pages of German GQ, then finds out her precious teddy bear tested positive for Herpes…type two.
• Gays aren't buying rumors that a secretly gay Jake Gyllenhaal has an illegitimate lovechild. When reached for comment, a flaming homosexual replied, "Secretly gay? Puh-leeze. That's wild"
• You’re mom is right, you could lose some weight. New York comes in as the 38th fattest state.
• "Careful, Ashley, stop!" they cried. But it was too late, and Ashely went over the side.
• CNBC anchor Erin Burnett becomes Daily Show fodder. And finds out that the Money Honey hates her. Presumably, because she's hotter.
• The iPhone hacker proves he has lots of brainpower by working 800 hours straight. Not even stopping to shower.
• Backstreet Boys: Are they too cool for school? Or just a bunch of washed-up no-talent fools?
This, we imagine, is not the type of attention Erin Burnett thought she'd score as she tries turning herself into the more relatable Maria Bartiromo. Perhaps certain people "should be care what they wish for" on China and TV.
Sit back and admire the MSNBC anchor's very subtle attempt to cruise CNBC's Erin Burnett. [NB]
"CNBC might not be big enough for both the Money Honey, Maria Bartiromo, and the Street Sweetie, Erin Burnett," writes Page Six.
At least, not according to the older (and arguably less attractive Bartiromo) who is said to be less than thrilled about Burnett's meteoric rise to financial world fame.
Writes the New York Post:
An inside source tells Page Six the Money Honey has been fuming that curvy Burnett, in addition to her duties as anchor of "Street Signs" and co-anchor of "Squawk on the Street," is getting substantial airtime on the "Today" show, which gives her a much bigger audience. "Maria is like, hey, why isn't it me on the 'Today' show? She's very jealous of all the attention Erin is getting," our source said.
And that's just the beginning.
Who wants to be the next Maria Bartiromo? Apparently, no one. (Okaaay, that's not entirely true. That Telemundo chick definitely made a run for it by nailing the Los Angeles mayor). But now, obsessive MSNBC fans are claiming Bartiromo has found her match in rising network "star" Erin Burnett.
"Since her CNBC debut in 1993, Maria Bartiromo’s status as Wall Street’s anchorwoman has largely gone unchallenged," writes Portfolio. "That is, until Erin Burnett came along. The host of Street Signs and co-anchor of Squawk on the Street, Burnett is being dubbed 'Maria 2.0' by her fans, business bloggers are anointing her CNBC’s new superstar, and message boards are debating her merits and her makeup."
But how does Bartiromo's CNBC rival feel about the comparison? Turns out not so favorably!
Editorial Director
