Bartiromo-Burnett: Feud or Corporate Dust-Up?

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 Quote) prepares to launch its own business television network.

While News Corp.'s acquisition of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones (DJ Quote) 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 Quote) 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.