Rip It Up And Start Again
Putting together a worthy business TV show on a morning when all hell is breaking loose is much like running a marathon -- it’s sometimes much more fun and satisfying after the fact.
We had all sorts of cool segments planned for this morning’s “Squawk Box” -- segments that got canceled or postponed when the markets started going crazy.
Among the unseen: J.D. Power’s latest automotive survey which showed, surprisingly, Buick tied for first with Lexus, a “pork” segment detailing millions of taxpayer dollars spent on a prison museum, and a guest on the popularity of healthcare REITs.
When BNP Paribas suspended redemptions from two funds and global markets plunged as a result, we pretty much knew the show, as planned, was going to be ripped to shreds.
It’s a drill we’ve done many times. Our segment producers scramble to get guests (and somehow always do), while we closely monitor the news and plan the next block of news, sometimes only minutes -- or even seconds -- before the fact.
That part is what we’re trained to do, and being able to do it is a real accomplishment. I have to admit a soft spot, though, for our guests who eagerly show up and wait for their turn in the spotlight, only to be told that we have to bump them. I always feel bad for them, even though I know it’s necessary. That’s probably why I never volunteer to be the one to tell them.
