TVSpy LostRemote FishbowlNY FishbowlDC FishbowlLA SocialTimes MediaJobsDaily more GalleyCat AppNewser UnBeige AgencySpy PRNewser 10,000 Words AllFacebook AllTwitter semanticweb.com
RNN is looking for a Booker/Producer DC. see all

Posts Tagged ‘Melissa Francis’

Why Melissa Francis Won’t Ever Buy Suede Boots

There’s probably more than 25 things you don’t know about Melissa Francis. Still, “UsWeekly” found at least “25 Things You Don’t Know about…” the FBN anchor.

#25 is what drives her nuts:

25. It drives me nuts when people make emotional arguments ignoring the cold hard facts. That’s why I’m launching my new show, “Money with Melissa Francis,” where you get the real story about your money.

Also…

4. I have the ugliest feet in the world. You’ll never see them.

and…

23. I can’t touch suede. It gives me the chills for some strange reason.

‘Money with Melissa Francis’ Debuts Monday on Fox Business

Melissa Francis, who joined Fox Business Network from CNBC in December, launches her new show Monday. “Money with Melissa Francis” debuts Monday at 5pmET. Francis will continue as co-anchor of FBN’s “Markets Now” at 1pmET alongside Lori Rothman.

The addition of Francis’s show at 5pm means a shift for two other shows. “The Willis Report” with Gerri Willis moves to 6pmET and Neil Cavuto‘s “Cavuto” takes over the 8pmET time slot. “Lou Dobbs Tonight” remains at 7pmET.

Fox Business says Francis and her guests will “discuss and debate key issues facing business in America and examine their impact on the economy.”

Melissa Francis Writing Her Memoir

TVGuide’s Stephen Battaglio chats with FBN’s Melissa Francis whose penning a memoir due out later this year. Francis, who went from child star, to Harvard, to business network anchor, gets praise from a former boss:

“She has a playful yet inquisitive edge to her that makes her different than the die-cast cable anchors,” says “Piers Morgan Tonight” executive producer Jonathan Wald, who worked with Francis at CNBC.

A Kiss Before Flying. Jane Velez-Mitchell Has No ‘Issues’ at NLGJA Fundraiser

Actual news got in the way of last night’s annual New York fundraiser for the journalism group NLGJA. Soledad O’Brien, who was to co-host with her HLN colleague Jane Velez-Mitchell, couldn’t as she moderated CNN’s Trayvon Martin town hall which airs tonight.

Don Lemon jetted up from Atlanta to co-host with Velez-Mitchell, who mixed and mingled before making a beeline for Time Warner Center herself to participate in the town hall.

Velez-Mitchell made the biggest splash of the night when, during her welcome remarks to the crowd, she pulled her girlfriend on stage and planted a big kiss on her. “I won’t be doing that!” Lemon joked. “Ben doesn’t like that kind of thing,” he said glancing over to his partner, Ben Tinker, who is a producer in CNN’s medical unit.

CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker talked about his network’s commitment to diversity in the ranks and on the air. CNN was the lead sponsor for the event which was held at the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams showroom in SoHo.

Also spotted in the crowd: NBC News VP Alex Wallace, former “Today” show co-anchor Meredith Vieira, “CBS This Morning” co-host Erica Hill, MSNBC’s Willie Geist, former MSNBC anchor Contessa Brewer and Fox News meteorologist Rick Reichmuth.

We chatted with FBN’s Gerri Willis who told us she has a new appreciation for the work of the Supreme Court after anchoring her show from Washington during oral arguments on the health care law. We also caught up with Fox News’s Alisyn Camerota and new Fox News political analyst Sally Kohn, who is settling in to her role as progressive pundit both on air and online, which

Read more

Melissa Francis Talks ‘Avery Jessup’

This morning Fox Business Network’s Melissa Francis guest-hosted “Fox & Friends,” filling in for Gretchen Carlson. Among the stories covered, “Is living longer always better?”

Francis also spoke to the Detroit News, where she was asked about that longstanding rumor that the character of “Avery Jessup” on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock” is based on her:

I’m flattered. The funny thing is, I was supposed to go to North Korea for a story five years ago but couldn’t go because I was pregnant with my first child. When I was at CNBC, we all wanted to be on “30 Rock.” Like everybody else, I was constantly angling to get on the show. I wanted to be Jack’s love interest but I can see why they went with a professional actress.

As we’ve reported in the past, the character could also be based on financial journalist Jennifer Rogers who is married to “30 Rock” Executive Producer Robert Carlock.

Dennis Kneale Set to Join FBN Anchor Lineup

After shaking up its primetime, FBN is poised to change up daytime anchor pairings as well. Investor Place reports Dennis Kneale (right), who joined FBN from CNBC in October 2010 will join Cheryl Casone to co-anchor at NoonET while Tracy Byrnes and Ashley Webster will take over as the new anchors of the 2pmET hour. Melissa Francis and Lori Rothman continue at 1pm. The changes are expected next month.

The Saturday Ticker: Francis, Turner, Twitter

  • TVNewser hears that FBN’s Melissa Francis–who is getting her own 5PM FBN show later this year–will be making her Fox News guest-hosting debut next week. Francis will be filling in for Gretchen Carlson on “Fox & Friends” Monday and Tuesday.
  • Our sister blog FishbowlDC scoops that CNN has poached Fox News Capitol Hill producer Trish Turner to join the staff at “AC360.” She will be leaving DC and heading to New York.
  • The Wrap’s Lucas Shaw writes about CNN’s social media domination, and argues that maybe… just maybe, there could be a correlation between social media reach and ratings, at least during big events. “I don’t think anyone can make case that there’s this causation where what happens on social media cause big ratings,” Steve Krakauer, senior digital producer for CNN, told TheWrap. “But on some of big events there’s a correlation.”

The Ticker (Business Network Edition): Brennan, Bartiromo, Francis…

  • Bloomberg TV’s Margaret Brennan talks with Silicon Republic about the impact of the current economic climate on journalism. “People used to be able to work on a story for a longer period of time,” she says. “There are very few news organizations that still invest in that.”
  • Maria Bartiromo recalls her early experiences on the NYSE floor at CNBC. “The New York Stock Exchange is an institution that’s 200 years old, with a Boy’s Club from the get-go, that’s very difficult to open up to women,” she tells Business Insider. “But I’ve never really faced people not taking me seriously.”
  • Melissa Francis says that making the move from CNBC to FBN was “an offer she couldn’t refuse.” She tells The Hill, “Roger Ailes was really persuasive and charismatic and dynamic and told me about the vision he has for Fox Business, and I was drawn in immediately.”

Networks Slate Special Coverage of Super Tuesday

Voters in 10 states head to the polls tomorrow to weigh in on the next GOP Presidential candidate. Here’s the plan for Super Tuesday coverage on the broadcast and cable news and business networks.

The broadcast networks:

  • “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams will helm a one-hour special on NBC News from 10-11pmET. Williams will also present live updates on the voting results between 7-10pmET as news dictates. “Nightly” will be updated for later feeds throughout the evening.
  • Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulous will anchor special reports on ABC beginning at 7pmET. “World News” will also be updated for later feeds. At 11:35pmET, Terry Moran will anchor a special edition of “Nightline.”
  • On CBS, Scott Pelley will provide live primetime updates throughout the night.
  • Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will anchor a live “PBS Newshour” at 11pmET.
  • On FOX, Shepard Smith will anchor live updates from 8-11pmET.

The cable networks:

Read more

Primetime Shakeup at FBN: Bolling, Asman, Napolitano Shows Dropped

A major overhaul is coming to Fox Business Network’s primetime programming later this month. The network is dropping three shows, hosted by Judge Andrew Napolitano, David Asman and Eric Bolling.

Beginning February 20, the network will repeat “The Willis Report,” “Cavuto” and “Lou Dobbs Tonight” at 8pm, 9pm and 10pmET, respectively.

The network is developing a new show hosted by Melissa Francis, who recently joined FBN from CNBC, that will air at 5pmET. When it debuts later this year, the current 5pmET program — “The Willis Report with Gerri Willis” — will air live at 8pmET.

Bolling and Napolitano will continue their on-air roles at Fox Business and Fox News; Asman will continue to anchor the 4pmET show on Fox Business.

“We look forward to Judge Napolitano, David and Eric continuing to make significant contributions to both FOX Business and FOX News,” FBN EVP Kevin Magee said in a statement.

Fox Business Network, which launched in October 2007, continues to struggle in the ratings. Last week, FBN ranked 89th in primetime and 86th in Total Day among ad-supported cable networks, drawing 51,000 and 56,000 viewers, respectively.

>We just got off the phone with Fox Business EVP Kevin Magee, who told us that the production staffs of the three cancelled shows will be up for positions on Francis’s new 5pm show, as well as daytime positions on FNC and FBN. As for the scheduling shifts: “She’ll do better at 8 than what we’ve had at 8,” Magee said of shifting Willis into the 8pmET timeslot.

“We want to make sure that the people who are doing the best job with the audience and who have the most credibility with the audience get more exposure,” he adds.

<< PREVIOUS PAGENEXT PAGE >>