Rupert Murodoch's Fox Business network fell flat in its first months, but that’s normal for a new cable network or something like that

-SDH Would the suits at News Corp say that Fox Business News met their expectations or fell short of them? Rupert Murdoch's invasion of CNBC's turf may not have had the shock and awe we think some at News Corp thought it would. Fox Business News prime time averaged 15,000 viewers in the nine weeks through the week of December 16. Rupert Murdoch says he expects the network to reach 40 million U.S. homes in this year. But we doubt Rupe is worried about it. "The launch of any new cable network in this environment -- the numbers are going to be very small starting out, regardless of whether it's coming from a big media conglomerate or not," said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media, who tracks media trends. Fox Business draws few viewers in first months [Reuters]

Alexis Glick to add host of “Opening Bell" to her many other duties at Fox Business News

-YOSH Maybe Rupert Murdoch needs to hire some more people for his Fox Business Network because it looks like the staff is stretched thin over there. Alexis Glick who already performs many duties as FBN’s vp of business news will host the one hour program starting Monday Dec. 17 from 9-10 am. FBN correspondents slated to make regular appearances on the new program include Robert Gray, Liz MacDonald, Connell McShane, Charles Payne, Nicole Petallides, Adam Shapiro and overseas markets editor Ashley Webster, who is based in London. Fox Business Net to Launch Opening Bell [Mediaweek]

Rupert Murdoch on his plans for the Journal, its competitors and what he would have done if he was the Financial Times

-SDH Moments after he officially took control of Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch did what any other media mogul who owns a cable business network would have done, he stopped by his Fox Business News studios for a sit down with FBN lead anchor Neil Cavuto. In his strong Aussie twang, Rupert speaks of what’s to come for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. Rupe totally forgetful of the fact that with the Thomson-Reuters merger Dow Jones will have to work double time to become a prominent player in financial information says he wants it to be the preeminent source of financial news and information. Asked by Cavuto if he bought a dinosaur Rupert of course did not and does not believe that. We look forward to what’s coming.

One of CNBC's first major moves to back off Fox Business News, putting it's content on Yahoo! Finance

We hope the suits at business news network CNBC aren't giddy about their little deal to put their content on Yahoo! Finance. This apparently one of their moves to make sure they stay ahead of the game with Fox Business News being around and all. Yeah you know, this is the same deal a bunch of gossip and media blogs had with Yahoo! about a year ago where their gossipy content was available in Yahoo!'s entertainment section. You guys have to walk with an 800 ft stick to keep FBN at bay, seriously. CNBC to distribute business news on Yahoo Finance [Reuters]

On Jeffrey Immelt's orders, Jeff Zucker will fuck up the Holidays for many

-YOSH There goes the Holiday's for some at NBC Universal. CEO Jeff Zucker, on orders from his rulers at General Electric will trim the fat where needed so that NBC Uni will look better on paper, or perhaps they need the cash to pump into Hulu.com. This is Zucker's second bloodbath since taking over as CEO. The people who remain should prepare for their work loads to double because it looks like Zucker won't be filling the spots in the future. Maybe there was another way around all this though. Like perhaps employees would have been cool with paying 100% for their health coverage or something? Sources inside or close to NBC yesterday claimed the cuts, which are expected to come down this week or next, will be weighted evenly between NBC News and MSNBC. CNBC staffers are being shielded from this round of cuts because Zucker wants the network to be at full strength now that the battle with Fox Business Network has begun. (FBN is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Post.) Guess those lucky bastards at CNBC should thank Rupert Murdoch for saving their jobs. PEACOCK PURGE [NYP]

Jeff Immelt urged to take action regarding potential threat from Fox Business Network

-By MARTY You know there must be a serious threat against CNBC by Fox Business News when an open letter that should have been addressed to Jeff Zucker goes over his head and is addressed to his boss at GE Jeff Immelt. In the open letter Immelt is reminded of the things he is that former GE boss Jack Welch wasn't and is reminded that if he doesn't act now it may haunt him. Though there are no available reports on how Rupert Murdoch's new channel is doing, people continue to refer to the ass whipping his Fox News has given CNN over the years predicting that it will happen again with Fox Business News kicking CNBC's ass. Should Jeff Immelt take this open letter seriously and order his media chief Jeff Zucker and his troops into battle? We kinda think so. Because as the saying goes, never bet against Rupert Murdoch. Rescue Memo to Jeff Immelt [Portfilio.com via Yahoo]

FRESH NEWS: No wonder Jeff Zucker isn’t worried about Fox Business News

Jeff Zucker has expressed his lack of concern about Fox Business news gaining on CNBC basically calling Rupert Murdoch's business network a joke. Fresh in our inbox comes a press release about a new animated news segment that will air on FBN’s Happy Hour called "Hoofy and Boo’s News and Views". Is Fox Business News really about entertaining Wall/Main Streeters, unlike CNBC's dead serious business news and information? We don't know. The guys over at FBN seem to be really psyched about this new addition to their line up though. MINYANVILLE’S HOOFY & BOO MAKE TELEVISION DEBUT ON FOX BUSINESS NETWORK New York – Minyanville Publishing and Multimedia (http://www.minyanville.com)/ and Fox Business Network (FBN) today announced that Hoofy and Boo’s News and Views, TV’s first-ever regularly scheduled animated news segment will air each Friday on FBN’s Happy Hour, which is presented daily from 5-6PM (EST). It will also air on the network throughout the week and online at both www.minyanville.com and http://www.foxbusiness.com/. Hoofy and Boo already have a loyal following on Minyanville.com. Representing Wall Street’s iconic Bull and Bear, the animated “Critters” provide an off-beat and humorous look at what’s going on in the world of business. Created by Founder and CEO of Minyanville Publishing and Multimedia Todd Harrison to represent the dynamic trends in the financial marketplace, the comic characters have become synonymous with market activity and entertainment. They will continue to be created and produced by Minyanville’s own team of writers and producers. In making the announcement, Harrison said, “With Hoofy and Boo appearing on Fox Business Network, we are truly bringing Main Street and Wall Street closer together. We are partnering with a leading broadcast entity to deliver entertaining and engaging content across a new medium: an animated news show.” Brian Jones, FBN’s Senior Vice President of Operations added, “Hoofy and Boo’s News and Views are a refreshing addition to our line-up and are in line with Happy Hour's overall aim to bring Main Street to The Street.”Minyanville President Kevin Wassong added, “Hoofy and Boo are quickly becoming the icons of finance. Their voice and perspective on main stream financial issues and topics has been well received on Minyanville.com and we expect them to be just as popular with viewers of Fox Business Network.”

When the Zuck attacks

NBC Universal's little big man, Jeff Zucker has been stepping up his attacks on News Corp's newbie business network saying that the network has had no impact whatsoever. Yeah both NBC Uni and News Corp may be in bed together with their Internet venture Hulu.com but that isn't stopping either side from firing shots at one another. The battle between NBC and Fox ratcheted up Monday when NBC chief Jeff Zucker waved aside Fox Business Network's chances of competing with CNBC, and Fox responded by firing back at Zucker. "We seem to be doing two different things," Zucker told reporters at a breakfast Q&A with the New Yorker's media writer, Ken Auletta. "CNBC is a serious financial news network. From what we've seen from Fox, it's not as investor focused, not as financially focused." Zucker dismissed the financial implications of FBN for NBC. "From a business standpoint it's had no impact," Zucker said of the new News Corp. channel. The Hollywood Reporter could have come up with a better headline though instead of recycling one that has been used by many. Fox Business Network gets Zucker-punched [THR]

Morning Wire: And now this morning's worthy media news

NBC, not wanting to send traffic anyone else's way, quietly killed it's year old Youtube channel as they do finally prepping for the launch of Hulu.com their online video venture with news Corp. [NYP] The New York times recognized a little jump in profits during their third quarter report.[NYT] So if no one really knows for sure how many hits their websites are getting, aren't advertisers being naive? [NYT] Rupert Murdoch has become quite the celebrity [News] Is Fox Business taking away some eyes from CNBC, or are business news fiends going through what we call "The New New Syndrome"? Jeff Zucker we're sure is hoping its the latter [MN]

Jeff Zucker may have nothing to worry about after all...NOT!

Roger Ailes did say that the games have just begun, so maybe we shouldn't jump the gun just yet. But published reports say that the new Fox Business News Network debuted to luke warm reviews. But do the luke warm reviews really matter? Ailes said that info on how many people are actually watching the new network won't be public for about 6 months or even the first year. So regardless of the reviews, could Fox news have had a huge debut as far as viewership, and we won't know until they are made public? "I don't think this will change the entire landscape of American TV as we know it," said Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University. "So far, this morning, it's not been terribly exciting." FBN's move to take Wall Street to Main Street, interspersing business with lifestyle and entertainment spots, underwhelmed media experts who had expected a splashier debut to compete with incumbent cable business news leader CNBC. Perhaps Ailes & Murdoch should have orchestrated a picketing style promo campaign in front of CNBC headquarters or something. Well this is only their second day of broadcasting, but let us not forget that the last business network (CNNfn) that went up against CNBC crashed and burned. Then again Fox News did eventually kick CNN's ass. Fox Business will definitely be using dirty tactics to get at least a big toe up on CNBC, but it will cost them. CNBC has a deal with the Wall Street Journal that runs until 2012. Rupert Murdoch can cut those ties if he writes Jeff Zucker a fat check. NBC will then probably run to the Financial Times. Who knows? Hey Zuck, watch your back! Roger Ailes is trying to sit on you. Fox Business launches to lukewarm review [Reuters]

It would have been so refreshing to see Carli Fiorina on Fox Business with a new do

With this morning's debut of Fox Business Network, came the debut of former HP CEO and spotlight whore Carli Fiorina and her now trademark butch do. The tired looking Fiorina who is contributor to the new network was ask to weigh in on what former CEO's of major companies are asked to weigh in on... the major company they used to run.

Is Fox Business already playing dirty?

NBC Universal's CNBC had ads scheduled to run on the front page of Marketwatch.com today. But then out of the blue, the agency what bought the ad space on behalf of CNBC got word from the folks at Marketwatch.com that they won't be able to run the ads after all. Hmmm? Is it a coincidence that, Marketwatch.com is owned by DowJones which is about to be taken over by Rupert Murdoch, whose new business network launches today? Is this the doings of Newscorp? Does Murdoch and company already have their hands in the DowJones pot? If this is the case, then no one should be surprised due to the fact that Fox Business Chairman and long time Murdoch lieutenant Roger Ailes is known for riding dirty! In early September, CNBC negotiated and signed a contract with Dow Jones to buy advertising that was to run today on two Dow Jones Web sites, MarketWatch and The Wall Street Journal site. Last Tuesday night, CNBC’s ad buyers received a call from a Dow Jones representative saying that those ads could not run today, the first day of Fox’s competing channel. In the case of MarketWatch, CNBC had bought both an introduction ad for the site — meaning that every user on the site today would have seen an ad for CNBC before getting to the MarketWatch home page — as well as what is called a “road block” of ads — meaning CNBC would have been the exclusive advertiser on the site’s home page today. Can Fox Win Its Frontal Assault Against CNBC? [NYT]

We have a klaxon from a World War II submarine, one of those, 'Ah-oo-gahs!:Kevin Magee executive vice president Fox Business

Even though he claims he isn't worried about the launch of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Business News network, we don't think Jeff Zucker will sleep peacefully tonight. Hell, he will probably be up waiting for the 2am launch time Monday morning just to get a glimpse at what his CNBC may end up going against hard. We know one things for sure, anyone who is anyone on Wall Street will give Fox Business once over just to see what all the fuss is all about. We know we'll be watching. AMONG Fox News Channel's influences on television news has been the proliferation of the "swoosh," the dramatic sweeping graphics and loud chime that accompany a breaking news bulletin on the cable network.So, as its sister Fox Business Network launches today, what kind of attention-grabbing innovations will News Corp.'s latest cable venture introduce? "We have a klaxon from a World War II submarine, one of those, 'Ah-oo-gahs!' " quipped Kevin Magee, the Fox News executive vice president in charge of the new channel's daily operations. Fox Business Network opens for business [LAT]

The "F" in Fox Business is for Fiorina, and we guess Fare?

Fox Business is about to put Carli Fiorina where she loves to be, back in the spotlight. Rupert Murdoch's soon to be launched business news channel is still working at beefing up its on air personalities. The latest member of the Fox Business family is non other than the former fame whore CEO of Hewlett Packard Carleton Fiorina. Fox has not made clear what her exact roll at the new network is, which usually means they are still trying to figure it out and her hire was more about publicity. However we are looking forward to hearing what the former corporate exec has to say. "We are proud to have her join FBN as a contributor," Kevin Magee, Fox News' executive vice president, said in a statement. "Carly Fiorina is one of the foremost business leaders of our time." Fiorina joins new Fox business channel [AP]

Rupert Murdoch beefing up his new business network for attack on CNBC

Rupert Murdoch is building up the troop levels at his Fox Business Network for an all out invasion of CNBC's territory. The soon to be launched network under the command of long time Murdoch, general Roger Ailes has been somewhat under the radar during preparations leaving its competitors guessing and wondering when and where the attack will come from. Its probably kinda like the way Saddam felt the days leading up to the start of the Iraq war. No? Well we're sure NBC Universal Chief Jeff Zucker is bracing himself.