CNBC or NPR?

[timo2]

Marketplace is really stories about business, not really something that claims to prognosticate the future, like FBN or CNBC. And a person really has to listen or read a variety of news stories if they want to attempt to 'connect the dots' for themselves.

The people on FBN and CNBC remind be of an old quote about being cool from the 1970's 'you're not cool if you think your are"

[MBAustin]

I find virtually nothing enlightening about the constant babbling on CNBC, FBN, etc.

Give me NPR, Marketplace (which is actually not NPR but is American Public Media/APM), or Nightly Business Report for stories with substance to understand what's really going on.

[misanman]

For me, Marketplace is much better when there is a sub for Kai Ryssdal. He's got a sort of "attitude" I find really annoying.

[Pharmmgr]

I am sad to say that most of our (US) news outlets have become info entertainment and there are few signs of true journalism (as defined in dictionary). I tend to watch/listen to NPR, BBC, Pete Dominick and Michael Smerconish.

[NW-Bound]

I have never listened to Marketplace, nor known where NPR is on the radio dial (wait, I do not even have a radio handy), but from the descriptions above, it's not a bad show.

Still, I can read an article and get the same info in much less time than what it takes to listen to a talk show. So, surfing the Web for info is my preferred way of getting the news, financial or otherwise.

[Alan]

I don't listen to or watch NPR, CNBC or FBN but I do listen to the podcasts of Marketplace, Marketplace Money, and Moneybox (BBC). I don't believe I watch or listen to anything "live" these days.

[CaliforniaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack +1. Most of it is pointless drivel for passive investors especially, YMMV.

I think it may be even worse than pointless drivel, it can be dangerous to your health. It can affect people and their quality of life in very negative ways. Was recently talking to a friend of mine who is so affected by all of the negative news that he hears, TARP, deficits, taxes, bubbles, inflation, the government, decline of the dollar, etc etc etc it seems to really very negatively affect his quality of life. He is so worried about the dismal future that he cannot get away from all of this and enjoy the potentially very good life that he has now. It makes me sad to see this in him.

All of this is worse than pointless drivel, not only does it give you nothing you can actually use, but it can actually ruin your life.

[34rlsa]

NHL Network

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliforniaMan I think it may be even worse than pointless drivel, it can be dangerous to your health. It can affect people and their quality of life in very negative ways. Was recently talking to a friend of mine who is so affected by all of the negative news that he hears, TARP, deficits, taxes, bubbles, inflation, the government, decline of the dollar, etc etc etc it seems to really very negatively affect his quality of life. He is so worried about the dismal future that he cannot get away from all of this and enjoy the potentially very good life that he has now. It makes me sad to see this in him...

We cannot shut ourselves out of the reality of life, but at the same point not to take it to heart as your friend does. There are indeed dangerous places in the world where people live from day to day not knowing if they may live the next day, let alone making long-term planning for ER like we do. As responsible citizens, we should strive to make this country a better place, but there's no point in worrying sick like your friend.

I used to have a friend like yours, and as he aged and faced with his declining health, he realized that there was only so much he could do to influence people around him or to change the "wrongs" of society, and his immediate concern should be given to himself. I saw him recently and he seemed calmer and enjoying life more. He finally retired at the SS full-retirement age.

As for me, as I battled my own health problem last year, I have mellowed some more too. I feel like posting this 1981 French song, "Il est libre Max" ("He is free Max"), which talks of taking it easy.

Il Est Libre Max / He Is Free Max

Il met de la magie mine de rien dans tout ce qu'il fait / He puts magic in everything that he does
Il a le sourire facile, même pour les imbéciles / He has the easy smile, same as sported by fools
Il s'amuse bien, il tombe jamais dans les pièges / He plays well, he never falls into traps
Il se laisse pas étourdir par les néons des manèges / He does not get dazed by neon signs of carousels
Il vit sa vie sans s'occuper des grimaces / He lives his life without the frowning
Que font autour de lui les poissons dans la nasse / Of those around him, those fish caught in a net

Refrain
Il est libre Max / He is free Max
Il est libre Max / He is free Max
Y'en a même qui disent qu'ils l'ont vu voler / There are people who even say they saw him fly

Il travaille un petit peu quand son corps est d'accord / He works a little when his body agrees to it
Pour lui faut pas s'en faire, il sait doser son effort / For he does not push hard, he paces himself
Dans le panier de crabes, il joue pas les homards / In a basket of crabs, he does not pretend to be a lobster
Il cherche pas à tout prix à faire des bulles dans la mare / He does not stir up trouble at all cost

Refrain

Il regarde autour de lui avec les yeux de l'amour / He looks around him with eyes of love
Avant que t'aies rien pu dire, il t'aime déjà au départ / Before you can say something, he already loves you
Il fait pas de bruit, il joue pas du tambour/ He raises no ruckus, he does not beat on a drum
Mais la statue de marbre lui sourit dans la cour / But the marble statue in the court smiles at him

Refrain

Et bien sûr toutes les filles lui font leurs yeux de velours / And there are surely girls who had velvet eyes for him
Lui pour leur faire plaisir il leur raconte des histoires / To please them, he tells them stories
Il les emmène par-delà les labours / He takes them beyond the plowed field
Chevaucher les licornes à la tombée du soir / Riding unicorns until dusk

Refrain

Comme il a pas d'argent pour faire le grand voyageur / Because he has no money to be a great traveler
Il va parler souvent aux habitants de son coeur / He talks often to people in his heart
Qu'est-ce qu'ils se racontent, c'est ça qu'il faudrait savoir / What they tell him is what he needs to know
Pour avoir comme lui autant d'amour dans le regard / To have as much love as he does

Refrain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je2Pgdwl91U

[CaliforniaMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound We cannot shut ourselves out of the reality of life, but at the same point not to take it to heart as your friend does. There are indeed dangerous places in the world where people live from day to day not knowing if they may live the next day, let alone making long-term planning for ER like we do. As responsible citizens, we should strive to make this country a better place, but there's no point in worrying sick like your friend. I used to have a friend like yours, and as he aged and faced with his declining health, he realized that there was only so much he could do to influence people around him or to change the "wrongs" of society, and his immediate concern should be given to himself. I saw him recently and he seemed calmer and enjoying life more. He finally retired at the SS full-retirement age. As for me, as I battled my own health problem last year, I have mellowed some more too. I feel like posting this 1981 French song, "Il est libre Max" ("He is free Max"), which talks of taking it easy. ...

Thanks NW-Bound for your comments, I agree with you and don't want to minimize my friend's concerns, which are indeed important. He is exceedingly intelligent but I feel that over the years he has crossed over into obsession and it is alienating him from other people and the good life he should be enjoying.

I want to breech the subject with him, and suggest he not worry so much about the barrage of news and all the worlds problems perceived and real, which he cannot change, to more enjoy the things he really can do, which are many. But I don't know how to approach the subject with him, without making him think I don't appreciate his concerns. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Running_Man]

As an investor in individual shares I find CNBC enormously helpful. Avoiding information because some of the information has a negative tilt would never enter my mind. Today on CNBC the following people have been on:
CFO of Proctor and Gamble

Interview with CEO of Coca Cola

Carl Ichan

Tom Lee CEO of One medical group an interesting new company with doctor interaction technology that just received a nice round of financing.

Warren Buffet, who is the most interviewed CEO on CNBC, I wonder if he really felt that individual buying is meaningless and people only should buy mutual funds why is he their most interviewed CEO giving his thoughts on individual companies? His insight in the new Coke stock option giveaway to executives was very interesting, as was his admission that he never even looked at that plan until David Winters brought it up as an issue on CNBC. And he admitted he disagreed with the plan and agreed with Winters on the plan. Also he admitted he approved stock plans on board of directors he never agreed with. Very interesting.

Bill Ackman who is both paying secretly paying an executive of one company to testify negatively against a company he is shorting and purchasing 10% of a company after he found out there was a plan to buy out the company making himself billions by signing an agreement with the company. The ramifications of this and influence of hedge funds on stock prices is going to be huge, a legal way to print money for the hedge funds that take on these issues.

Comparing this to a discussion on NPR on the troubles of income inequality causing difficulty in attending college, how many hours to work in an average city to earn a hamburger, car seats that are inflatable and fit in a back pack or discussing the 3,000 microbes that live on your money just doesn't seem as useful for investment information as being able to see the leaders of companies comport themselves in an interview that I am basing my retirement on the dividends they will produce for me.

[MBAustin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by misanman For me, Marketplace is much better when there is a sub for Kai Ryssdal. He's got a sort of "attitude" I find really annoying.

Interesting - he's actually one of my favorite radio hosts. Went to a meeting one evening recently and two other people had been listening to the same Marketplace piece on the drive so we had a nice discussion about it, and we all agreed that Kai makes it a great show. Actually, they have had 3 excellent hosts over the years: David Brancaccio (who is back with them doing the morning report, TV didn't seem to treat him too well), David Brown (now with Austin's NPR station, and starting a new news show there later this year), and then Kai.

Yes, I am a public radio geek

Perhaps this needs a thread of its own...

[Al in Ohio]

I like NPR best. It's straight up and plain vanilla. CNBC in the early hours though is the next best thing.

[teejayevans]

I like Becky Quick, she usually gets the best interviews, Kudlow was good too, he does a weekly radio show you can download

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound CNBC or NPR? For me, neither.

Same here.

The only thing I occasionally listen to is Bloomberg, but even that is mostly worthless.

[nun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Same here. The only thing I occasionally listen to is Bloomberg, but even that is mostly worthless.

One of NPR or BBC Radio4 are on in my house almost all the time. It's interesting to compare the money/business shows of the two.......I'm amazed at the terrible financial services that the British have to deal with.

[seraphim]

Morningstar.com

TV programs are essentially worthless pundits of personal views, IMO. Each has it's own agenda, which may not include the viewers's best interests, or consider each investor is different.

[sunnysideup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound CNBC or NPR? For me, neither.

+1.

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Neither. Thought I find some NPR podcasts use euphemisms which, after a second to sink in, are LOL. Most recent one I remember: 'then he got into some trouble', a euphemism for 'then he committed a felony'.

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmmgr I am sad to say that most of our (US) news outlets have become info entertainment and there are few signs of true journalism (as defined in dictionary). ...

+1

Both the movie 'Network' in 1976 and the TV show 'Max Headroom' in 1987 accurately predicted the future of televised news. I like the way it was summed up on Max. A network's star investigative reporter is stopped by the police from doing journalism at the site of a terrorist bombing because another network had the exclusive rights to the terror group. After returning to his news room, the report met with his boss. The reporter went off on a long, eloquent rant about the people's right to know and and the importance of an unrestricted press, ending in the rhetorical question "Since WHEN has news been ENTERTAINMENT?" His calm boss gave him a puzzled look and said " ... since it was invented?"