Five years ago this week, Fox Business Network launched in some 30 million homes, and with a big party at the Met. We thought it was time to take a look back.

Today, the channel is in nearly 60 million homes (although on digital tiers outside of New York City) Update: According to Nielsen, it is now in 68 million households, and according to News Corp. COO Chase Carey it is no longer losing money. Aside from a strong performance by Lou Dobbs at 7 PM, and some non-business specials like the political conventions, the network is far behind CNBC in just about every daypart. That said, many programs, like “Varney & Co.” have had some daily wins against the more widely-distributed CNBC competition.

While there have been stalwarts of the channel (Neil Cavuto comes to mind), there have been a flurry of changes too, as is typical in the TV universe. Alexis Glick, who was there from the beginning, left two years after it launched. “Imus in the Morning” was added to the lineup, but the relationship between the provocative radio host and FBN management has ranged from cool to sour, at least on-air. That said, Imus has never said anything negative about Roger Ailes on-air.

In 2010, the network launched a new slogan and branding campaign, promoting “The Power to Prosper.”

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MarketWatch.com’s Jon Friedman catches up with Alexis Glick, who, in her own words, “just dropped off the face of the earth,” when she left Fox Business Network in late 2009, after being one of the founding anchors and executives of the network.

Glick, who was a rising star at NBC joined Fox Business before launch in 2007. After her departure, Friedman reveals, the personal struggles began.

Shortly after she left Fox, her husband, [pictured at the Fox Biz launch party in October, 2007] a vigorous man who had been a collegiate wrestler, had agonizing back problems and could barely walk. “We were in a panic and we didn’t know how to explain it to our kids,” Glick said.

The Glicks went to several hospitals in the New York area, trying to understand what had happened. Finally, he could undergo a procedure at the Hospital for Special Surgery that sent him on the road to a recovery. “Pieces of his discs separated and

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Former CNBC and FBN anchor Alexis Glick will be back on the air this weekend. She Tweeted she’ll be on WABC radio in New York. “Plus some very special guests covering a wide range of topics. One of them owns an NBA franchise! Tune in. We’re going to have a lot of fun!”

Alexis Glick was on AC360 last night. The former NBC and FBN anchor was on to talk about Goldman Sachs. Before TV, Glick worked in financial services. Her first job was as an analyst in the Equities Division at Goldman Sachs. A tipster wonders, “Does this mean she’s leaning toward working for CNN?”

• Earlier: Alexis Glick Leaving FBN

Former Fox Business anchor and exec Alexis Glick dropped in at CNN yesterday. This news comes from from Nick Ragone, a PR executive who was a guest on Ali Velshi‘s CNN show from the New York bureau. He blogs:

I just came back from CNN, and ran into Alexis Glick in the 5th floor lobby. I asked her if I should “read anything into it”, and she sort of hedged and hawed (with a big smile).

A CNN insider tells TVNewser Glick was at CNN for an informal meet and greet.

ICN has the scoop on the programming changes coming to Fox Business Network in the wake of Alexis Glick‘s departure late last year.

Imus in the Morning will now go until 9:20amET, when Stuart Varney‘s new show, Varney & Company takes over until 11amET. Varney, a CNBC and CNN alum, joined Fox in 2004 and became an FBN anchor at the network’s launch in Oct. 2007.

Other changes to the schedule include FBN’s Dagen McDowell and Brian Sullivan co-anchoring from 11-NoonET and 1-2pmET. Cheryl Casone continues at NoonET.

TVNewser has the FBN press release with more details after the jump…

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At the end of “Opening Bell” on FBN, anchor and VP of Business News Alexis Glick announced it would be her last broadcast on the network.

“I want you guys to know that today will be my last day here at the Fox Business Network,” she said. “How many people can say that they’ve had the opportunity to help build a brand new network. Being the first new employee of FBN. Seeing it grow today to over 300 extraordinarily talented people. It’s been an experience of a lifetime.”

“I’m about to embark on a new venture that’s going to allow me to utilize the skills I’ve learned at Fox Business, Morgan Stanley and the ‘Today show,’” she continued. “I can’t give any details yet, but suffice it to say that I’m extremely excited about taking on another interesting and unique project.”

Shortly after stepping off the air, she tweeted:

I am about to embark on a new venture. Can’t give any details , but I can say that am extremely excited. Thank you all for your support!

Glick had been with the network since 2006 and had been one of the most visible personalities. Previously she had been an anchor on the NBC “Today” show’s third hour. In addition to “Opening Bell,” Glick was formerly the anchor of the preceding “Money for Breakfast,” which was ended with the addition of Don Imus to the FBN lineup.

Glick was joined on-screen for a final goodbye by some of her “Opening Bell” colleagues, including Charles Payne, with whom she shared an emotional moment.

Earlier on TVNewser:

• Alexis Glick’s first day on air – “Money For Breakfast”

• FBN launch party at the Met

• Alexis Glick keynotes the TVNewser Summit

• The mediabistro.com So What Do You Do? interview with Alexis Glick

After the jump, an email Glick sent to colleagues and friends…

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Fox Business Network has announced, after weeks of speculation around the industry, that radio host Don Imus will be joining the network starting October 5th. Imus signed a multi-year deal with FBN to simulcast “Imus in the Morning” weekdays from 6-9amET along with his radio syndication. The announcement stated that Imus will be incorporating more business news into his format.

TVNewser had reported in early August that the host was in talks with FBN to bring the simulcast to the network. A few weeks later, Imus announced that he would be leaving RFD-TV much earlier than he had originally signed on for, furthering speculation.

Executive VP Kevin Magee made the announcement today saying, “We’re excited to welcome a renowned broadcaster like Don Imus to the FOX Business team. His 40 years of on-air experience combined with his superb interviewing skills and capitalist sensibilities will be a great addition to our lineup.”

DEVELOPING

> Update: Here’s how it will affect FBN’s programming: Jenna Lee, Connell McShane, and Ashley Webster will co-anchor the 5-6amET “Fox Business Morning” and will report breaking financial and pre-market news on “Imus in the Morning.” “Money for Breakfast” will end and host Alexis Glick will continue as anchor for “Opening Bell” at 9amET and as FBN’s VP for Business News.

This will be Imus’ cable news return after being dropped by MSNBC following controversial comments in 2007.

TVNewser has confirmed with a source close to the negotiations that Fox Business Network executives are in talks with Don Imus to bring his radio show to the 22-month old network.

AllYourTV.com, which first reported the news Friday night, reports the show “could make the move as early as September 1.” RFD-TV, which currently simulcasts Imus in the Morning is looking to drop the show, “due to financial problems at the network,” the blog reported.

A Fox Business spokesperson tells TVNewser, “We’re always talking to interesting talent.”

The Imus radio show would be simulcast on FBN in the mornings until 9amET, which means “Money for Breakfast” would go away. Alexis Glick, who is a co-host of “Breakfast” but is also an executive with the network, is likely part of the Imus negotiations. Glick also anchors “Opening Bell” at 9amET.

“Imus in the Morning” on WFAN radio was simulcast on MSNBC for 11 years, beginning in 1996 until April 11, 2007. A week earlier, on April 4, Imus made some derogatory comments about the Rutgers Women’s basketball team calling them “nappy headed hos.” Despite an apology, an appearance on Al Sharpton‘s radio show and a meeting with the team, the comments cost Imus the TV simulcast and, the following day, his show on WFAN.

Imus returned to the airwaves six months later on WABC Radio. At the time, there was speculation that Imus would be simulcast on Fox News. A Fox spokesperson told TVNewser, “there have been no conversations with Imus about joining Fox News.” Instead, the radio show has been simulcast on RFD-TV.

> More: The LATimes’ Matea Gold reports, “if the talks conclude as anticipated, the arrangement could start sometime in September.”

Fox Business Network’s Washington correspondent Peter Barnes is not just known for his reports from the Capitol. He’s also a children’s book author and publisher, according to a WaPo profile about the reporter/entrepreneur.

He was on Nantucket, where his parents had moved, when he overheard a harried ferry-bound tourist ask a bookstore owner for a children’s book about the island. The owner told her that he didn’t have such a book, “but if we did, we’d sell a million of them,” Peter recalls.

So Peter decided to write “Nat, Nat, the Nantucket Cat.” He and Cheryl hired an artist. They set up a publishing company called VSP Books — which stands for Very Special Places — had “Nat” printed and asked the island’s stores to stock it. “This was just kind of a lark,” he says.

Since then, VSP has sold 1 million copies of various hardcovers and, through a deal with Scholastic, another half million paperbacks, which makes Barnes not just a rare business reporter who runs businesses on the side, but a successful one at that. Right now Barnes admits to being consumed by the recession he’s covering, but says, “Eventually when we retire, we will still have this great little business that is very rewarding personally, because we teach kids how to be citizens; we teach kids about these historic places.”

> Related: FBN’s, Alexis Glick, was on GMA this morning for the big Goldman-Sachs announcement. Check out the video here.