TVSquad

There are very few sure fire signs that a network is completely worthless and this is one of them.

Comcast has been looking to buy the financially troubled NBC from General Electric, but Wall Street insiders say the deal won't be good for Comcast's stock.

Even confirmed reports of a takeover bid can't save the network in the eyes of the almighty stockholder. What would make NBC more profitable in Wall Street's eyes?

If you didn't see it, here's a video of The Real Housewives of New York City ringing the stock market opening bell yesterday morning. They also give their opinion on the economic crisis, because they have a reality show on Bravo.

[via Gawker]

There was a time when I watched CNBC all of the time. I got to know the anchors and the reporters, memorized many of the company symbols flying by at the bottom of the screen, and even watched Power Lunch every single day at noon. I don't watch it that often anymore, though it has been fun to tune in here and there during the current Wall Street crisis (and by "fun" I don't mean the crisis has been fun, I mean the coverage of it).

But I'm not sure that even die hard fans of the network would be able to explain the video after the jump. It's from a segment the other day with Charles Gasparino, Dylan Ratigan, and Melissa Lee. Ratigan and Lee, on the floor of the stock market, are trying to get Gasparino, in the studio, to talk about Merrill-Lynch. But Gasparino can't get the phrase "what have you got" out of his head and just keeps talking about it, as Ratigan and Lee try to get him to move on. It's all very strange, but those are the best kinds of live TV moments, right?

And remember: "what I got is not what I have." Someone make a t-shirt or bumper sticker with that phrase and sell it on CafePress.

CNBC analyst and Mad Money host Jim Cramer has been in a few controversies lately, from comments he made about what we should do with our stocks to picks that he has made. Now Cramer has said this:

"We should hound them in the supermarket, we should hound them in the ball park, we should hound them everywhere they are. We should make fun of them and we should point fingers at them and we should tell them that you have no shame."

I know, you probably think that Cramer is talking about reality show contestants, but he's not.

Isn't there a rule where you can't say something about yourself or it automatically makes it untrue? Like if you call yourself "hip" or "cool" then that means you're not hip or cool?

I thought of that when I read this piece (scroll down) about CNBC's Maria Bartiromo. Several years ago people gave her the nickname "Money Honey" because she talked about finance on the network and...well, look at her. It was revealed that Bartiromo herself had trademarked the "Money Honey" phrase last year, and now Hamptons mag tells us why. She's starting her own show titled Money Honey.

How is she going to be able to say "Hello and welcome to Money Honey" with a straight face? Will she wear bikinis and evening gowns for various stock segments? Will there be Money Honey Dancers to entertain viewers?

[via TV Newser]

TiVo today reported $835,000 income for the first quarter of 2007, showing he first profit in the company's history. That amounts to about $.01 per share, which is better than the $.02 per share loss many analysts had been predicting.

The company has fewer subscribers than it had during the same period last year. But service and hardware revenues rose while technology revenues fell. At the same time, the company's administrative expenses dropped nearly $4 million from last quarter.

While TiVo faces stiff competition from cable and satellite companies deploying their own personal video recorders, the company has managed to hang on to market share, both by partnering with cable providers and by continuing to offer new services like Universal Swivel Search.

I was kinda obsessed with CNBC in the mid to late 90s, when the stock and internet boom was in full throttle. The station was quite entertaining, even if I didn't really understand all the numbers. The personalities on the channel kept things lively and fun.

And one of my favorites was Maria Bartiromo, the really hot Wall Street babe financial expert who was dubbed the "Money Honey." I can't remember who dubbed her that, but it fit. And now you can still call her the "Money Honey," only this time it's official. Bartiromo has filed a trademark registration for the term, and it's been trademarked for many things, including coloring books, notepad, comic books, and coupon books.

Wow, a Maria Bartiromo coloring book. I would so buy that.

Bartiromo is in the news for other reasons lately as well.

For all you CNBC fans who can't get enough breaking news about Wall Street, money, stocks, bonds, and corporate deals have a new place to hang out: CNBC.com has re-launched.

A quick look around the site and you'll see lots and lots of numbers and lots and lots of colors. You get a live stock chart, exclusive online-only content (for example, this morning they had an interview with Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Michael Moskow), a video player, daily schedules and diaries, and a ton more. It's all very busy and the layout out could be a bit better, but it will be a good resource.

There was a time - in the mid to late 90s - when I was sort of addicted to watching CNBC. Those days have gone, but it's good that the info is still there at the click of your remote control (and mouse).

(Note: the main CNBC.com page is for financial info. If you're looking for the page for the TV network CNBC specifically (show info, schedules, pictures of Maria Bartiromo), then you should go here.)

[via TV Newser]