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Bartiromo-Burnett: Feud or Corporate Dust-Up?

Nat Worden

Is all the gossip over CNBC stars Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett about a catfight between co-anchors, or is it really about a catfight between media conglomerates?

The blogosphere is buzzing with speculation that Bartiromo, who trademarked the nickname Money Honey, is peeved about the rising star of Burnett, and the rivalry may lead one or both of them to leave the network.

Those rumors come as Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS.A) prepares to launch its own business television network.

While News Corp.'s acquisition of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones (DJ) helps provide credibility to the fledgling Fox Business Network, analysts say the channel still has to score a Money Honey if it's going to dethrone General Electric's (GE) CNBC. (Full disclosure: TheStreet.com co-founder Jim Cramer hosts "Mad Money" on CNBC and appears on a daily segment with Burnett.)

"Fox is starting off way behind CNBC in terms of distribution and name recognition," says Porter Bibb, managing partner with Mediatech Capital Partners. "They're going to have to be oriented towards retail investors if they're going to make any dent, and Maria Bartiromo is one of the most recognizable names on CNBC, so it makes sense to go after her."

On-air personality Liz Claman has left her gig at CNBC, and she's now sitting out her noncompete clause with her former employer. It just happens to end on Oct. 15 -- the launch date for the Fox Business Network.

Also, former CNBC contributor Eric Bolling has made two appearances on Fox News, even though he has a noncompete clause with CNBC through February. The network has taken him to court over the contract in an effort to keep him off Fox.

Nevertheless, the ultimate coup for the new Fox channel would be to steal Burnett or Bartiromo, who has a contract with CNBC expiring in 2008.

"[The Fox Business Network is] a month away from launching and they don't have anybody that is really compelling to be the face of the network," says Bibb. "Maria has her own network of relationships and she can get to people where a lot of other reporters cannot."

Most of the Internet buzz over Bartiromo and Burnett links back to pieces that have appeared recently in the gossip pages of the News Corp.-owned tabloid the New York Post.

Laced with sexist innuendo and loosely sourced information, the Post's Page Six series on the Money Honey and Burnett the "Street Sweetie" launched a torrent of commentary on the Web. Those rumors centered on the theme that a "catfight" is breaking out and CNBC may be losing its grip on one or both of its female stars.

All this comes after Murdoch's efforts to wrest Dow Jones from its controlling family inspired a string of examinations in The Journal, The New York Times (NYT) and The New Yorker into the mogul's record. Those stories revealed that News Corp. has a long history of manipulating the content purveyed by its media outlets to advance its business agenda, and CNBC spokesman Kevin Goldman suggests that this may be another example.

"It's clear to everyone why the News Corp.-owned New York Post is trying to manufacture something that doesn't exist," says Goldman about the so-called feud between Bartiromo and Burnett.

Asked whether the Post's coverage of the feud was an attempt by News Corp. to spark dissension in the ranks at its rival, a spokeswoman for the newspaper said the allegation was "unworthy of comment."

Andrew Butcher, a spokesman for News Corp., says it's a conspiracy theory invented by bloggers.

"We've got better ways to compete with CNBC than by coming up with plot lines like that," says Butcher.

CNBC declined to make Burnett or Bartiromo available for comment.

In addition to personnel issues, News Corp. has to contend with Dow Jones' exclusive content-sharing contract with CNBC, which puts multiple Journal reporters on air. It remains to be seen how this will actually affect synergies between the Fox Business Network and Dow Jones' venerable publishing institutions.

A spokesman for Fox declined to comment on the network's plans. Murdoch said on a recent conference call that Fox will still be able to work with The Journal in areas outside business and financial news.

Also, News Corp. could make use of Dow Jones' online news outlet, MarketWatch, in its television efforts. The company has bought the rights to the Web address FoxMarketWatch.com, according to MarkMonitor.com.

Representatives at News Corp., Dow Jones and CNBC couldn't confirm whether MarketWatch is included in the CNBC-Dow Jones contract.

Goldman would say only that Dow Jones' content-sharing partnership with CNBC remains in place through 2012, despite the News Corp. acquisition, and he expects "the quality" of the partnership to continue.

"CNBC's focus is on being first in business worldwide," says Goldman. "CNBC has respect for Fox News and the people who work there. That being said, CNBC is even more confident in our growth and success and our ability to be first in business worldwide."