Here’s a programming announcement that CNBC really wants you to know about. The network is producing a documentary on Facebook, but it won’t hit the air for another three months. It could be that CNBC is taking advantage of last week’s release of “The Social Network,” (#1 at the box office) or the fact that biz channel Bloomberg also announced this week it is debuting a new series of docs, with the premiere episode about Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. NBC News anchor Lester Holt is reporting the CNBC doc.

CNBC will premiere an original documentary, THE FACEBOOK OBSESSION, on Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 9pm ET.

“The Facebook Obsession” is the real story behind the rise of the largest social media site in the world, told through Facebook’s founders, friends and foes. Correspondent Lester Holt delivers a comprehensive look at how this internet phenomenon, with half a billion users, is affecting society in ways most people are unaware of. From a girl who is reunited with her birth mother with the help of Facebook, to a woman who lost her job because of her online postings, “The Facebook Obsession” explores how the site is fundamentally altering American life for better or worse;

even the White House and many police departments have their own Facebook pages. Holt also investigates what kind of user data Facebook sells to advertisers, and explores the foundation of the business model that has sparked intense controversy over privacy concerns.