Excellent Development at CNBC

Anyone who follows CNBC knows that the “Kudlow & Cramer” show recently became “Kudlow & Company.” This is great news on a couple of levels. First, it frees Larry Kudlow to go his own thoughtful, optimistic, free-market way, no longer hamstrung by Jim Cramer‘s discordant style and liberal politics. Having these two men co-host a show seems in hindsight to have been a waste of both of their talents, and particularly of Kudlow’s. The show was good before, but Larry’s new solo act has quickly distinguished itself as by far the best daily politics-and-economics show on TV.

Second, it is great news because it shows that CNBC management, which has given the impression of being unimaginative and politically doctrinaire, may be responsive to reality after all. (These are the same people who canceled the unique WSJ editors’ show and ran a dime-a-dozen liberal talking-head show in its place.) It looks as though either CNBC woke up to the fact that its hottest property is a socially conservative free-market economist, or someone high up at GE got fed up with CNBC’s tacitly statist, anti-business editorial policy and insisted that Kudlow be given his own show. Either way it’s progress.

16 thoughts on “Excellent Development at CNBC”

  1. I actually enjoyed the interplay between Kudlow and Cramer. Cramer may not be a go-go Reagonite like our man Kudlow, but he is also far from the whiney, irritatingly condescending lefty counter-point you see everywhere else. I’ll probably watch both shows, but will miss the way the two played off each other.

  2. Like Capt Mojo, I found the chemistry charming. (If it wasn’t real, they’re in the wrong field.) But it moved around & I haven’t seen it in months.

    One of the great tv moments (as I remember it) was when they weren’t polite – in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen interviewers take off the gloves in quite the way they did; this was shocking because Kudlow, especially, is polite and respectful of guests. It was an interview – I believe – with the author of Dot.con, John Cassidy. I don’t know or care much about economics or dot.coms but had it on; suddenly, I was staring with my mouth open. I don’t know who was right or wrong, whether the book was good or bad, accurate or not – but suddenly, a protectively irate & grown up Kudlow was on the attack and Cramer, the boisterous child dissed in the book, remained uncharacteristically quiet & touched. Cassidy (?) looked like he’d been hit by a 2×4 and metaphorically he had been.

  3. I liked Cramer the few times I watched.

    As to this — (These are the same people who canceled the unique WSJ editors’ show and ran a dime-a-dozen liberal talking-head show in its place.) —

    Didn’t the BBC have a problem w/the WSJ editors giving their view?

  4. I’ve been liking the content alot, but I’m turned off by the FOX style slogan repetition and overly exuberant forcefulness. I added it to my DVR schedule.

  5. I thought the show was much better before. I predict that Kudlow flying solo will last six months. The show had much greater breadth with Cramer there. Kudlow’s optimism can be a bit much at times.

  6. I stumbled upon his solo act last night and thought – hey he sounds like he should be on FOX.

    which is where he will jump if CNBC doesn’t keep him happy IMHO.

    Cramer – find his appearance and voice to distracting to hear the message.

    He’s a liberal? I never knew. I just scrambled for the remote whenever he started screeching.

    He always seems like he is going to explode the way his eyes bug out and he seems too hyper for a TV show. Better for radio. At least if he explodes there, I don’t have to see the goo.

  7. Thanks for the update. I didn’t realize that CNBC was still in existence. Kudlow was the best soldier we ever had.

  8. CNBC seems to be trying to become a serious contender on cable.

    If you want conservative with cutting humor (ala Coulter without the short skirt), check out the Dennis Miller show.

  9. I had a very high opinion of Cramer until I read Trading with the Enemy by Nicholas Maier. Eye opening and disappointing since I was a fan of Thestreet.com. According to Maier, Cramer is Buzz & Batch, the fictional traders Cramer uses to vilify bad Wall Street traders. Cramer was a hero of mine, so it was a complete let down.

  10. I loved the Wall Street Editorial Board. The bastards…

    I actually liked the interplay between Kudlow & Kramer. Ones constantly bubbly & full of joy & the others a red faced nuke ready to go BOOOOOMMMM

  11. WSJ Ed. Board now on PBS; shorter at 1/2 hr & with “feature” segment cuts down on the charming & slow-paced chat, which is now chaired by Paul Gigot. (Used to follow Bill Moyers here, to add perhaps to the sense of PBS’s even-handedness.) I loved the earlier version, too – it seemed to be a model of affection and respect for one another in a work setting. (Yes, I watch far too much tv.)

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