CNBC TV

I like CNBC and most of their television shows that come on throughout the weekday. CNBC is a great resource and as they say, they are America’s business channel. I spend enough time watching CNBC that I believe I can provide a fair shakedown of each show and what, if anything, they bring to the table.

CNBC is easy to recognize because of the streaming stock quotes that run across the bottom of the screen. I’d imagine that there are many people out there who have no idea what these numbers are or what they mean.

The top of the two are stocks that trade on the NYSE. The bottom row is for NASDAQ stocks. For those that don’t know how to read the stock quotes I will give a very short explanation. You will see the following coming across the screen (we will use Ford as an example): Ford (F) 10k@2.17 ^ .05. So here you have the company “Ford” whose stock symbol is “F” where the last trade was for 10,000 shares at a share price of $2.17/share. Then you will see a green up arrow or a red down arrow with .05 (or however much it says) next to the stock price which indicates how much the stock is up or down for the day.

Now lets get into the CNBC TV programs that come on throughout the day. This is my unbiased personal opinion of each show.

CNBC TV

Squawk Box - 6:00am EST.
If you can get to the TV early enough Squawk Box is probably the best business television show you will find on TV today. Becky Quick, Joe Kernen and Carl Quintanilla bring us all the news we missed while we were sleeping. There is always a 4th guest host, and usually the guest host is a very prominent figure bringing fresh perspective and ideas. Rick Santelli is on every morning providing information on interest rates, foreign exchange markets and bonds.
Rating: 10/10

Squawk on the Street - 9:00am EST
Squawk on the street is a great show to get started with. If you missed anything on Squawk Box you will get all the updates you need during this show with Erin Burnett and Mark Haines. Both hosts have great personalities and interpersonal skills that help make this show a success. David Faber also brings the “Faber Report” where he provides original information that no one else has reported on.
Rating: 9/10

The Call - 11:00am EST
Trish Regan, Dylan Ratigan and Melissa Francis host the call. I think this show is usually very forgettable. Its not bad, but usually seems uneventful. The guests they have on however are usually very good and Dylan Ratigan does a great job of getting good answers out of them.
Rating: 6/10

Power Lunch - 12:00pm EST
I really don’t care for Power Lunch because it ads no value. It is full of repeat information meant to fill time. Sue Herera and Bill Griffeth are just OK, but hardly worth watching if you are looking to get expert insight. I find Dennis Kneale to be very annoying and irrelevant.
Rating: 2/10

Street Signs - 2:00pm EST
Street Signs with Erin Burnett is really the only decent midday show CNBC has going. Erin always has good ideas and great interviews. Around 2:45pm each day she does a segment with Jim Cramer called “stop trading” where she and Jim exchange ideas about the current market conditions. Jim also shares a few of his trading ideas and talks about what his show Mad Money will be covering later that day.
Rating: 9/10

Closing Bell - 3:00pm EST
Maria Bartiromo and Dylan Ratigan host the closing bell. The purpose of this show is to wrap up the trading day and report on all the major news that comes in after the bell. Both Maria and Dylan do a great job of asking hard questions and following up when someone tries to avoid giving an answer. Bob Pisani is usually on giving great inside information from the floor.
Rating: 7/10

Fast Money - 5:00pm EST
True to form fast money is a show for traders. The hosts and guests of this show are very sharp and most of them still trade for a living. If you want to hear what the some of the best traders did today and what they are going to do tomorrow then this is the show for you.
Rating: 7/10

Mad Money - 6:00pm EST
Booyah! Jim Cramer is the host of the show Mad Money. This show has taken off since it first aired a few years ago. Jim is very transparent and never fakes it. He fills his show with good information every day and always has new ideas. He doesn’t get every pick or play right but his show is a great resource for all traders.
Rating: 8/10

Kudlow & Company - 7:00pm EST
Larry Kudlow seems to focus less on individual stock picks and more on politics, news and our economy in general. Not that any of that is a bad thing. If you are more political in your thoughts regarding the stock market and want to hear what the great minds are thinking about our economy then tune in.
Rating: 8/10