Wheatish and Balanced?

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foxanchors_lgl.jpg Fox News Channel launched a new Business Network today, creatively named Fox Business Network (FBN), and available in almost 30 million homes. In the ever-competitive cable news market, Fox is trying to fish for viewers in a most unusual way:

Fox News Executive Vice President Kevin Magee, who’s in charge of FBN’s day-to-day operations, says it doesn’t want to trade blows with CNBC, (GE) or even Bloomberg TV, the current channels of choice for financial market watchers…Instead, his new business channel aims to draw viewers “from soap operas, game shows — any place we can.”
FBN executives hope to do that with personality-driven programs heavy on personal finance and with stories offering business insights into general interest news. There is some traditional market news, along with an on-screen crawl showing the latest stock prices.link

But you know what they really have? What they’re using to chum the waters?

Hot chicks, duh.

Almost all of the on-air talent that’s plugged on the site are skinny, youthful beauties like Shibani Joshi (a former model in India), Cheryl Casone (a former flight attendant), Jenna Lee (she played Division One softball in college), and Nicole Petillades (she loves slalom waterskiing!). link

Of course, the foxy ladies are also quite talented. Take Ms. Joshi, for example: shibani_joshi_ourteam.jpg

Shibani Joshi, based in New York, joins from her role as a reporter covering breaking news for News 12 Westchester. Before this, Joshi was a producer for Reuters Television and TIMES NOW, the joint venture news channel with The Times of India, where she was responsible for producing news packages and interviews broadcast all over India. Joshi has also served as a contributing writer for ABCNews.com and ABC News Now covering business and technology stories. She began her journalism career as a news production assistant at CNNfn where she contributed to Lou Dobbs Moneyline and CNN Money Morning. link

I think I read about an MBA from Harvard to cap that sweet resume, so, you know, I’m not hating the beautiful. Much. And networks are notorious for playing up the youth and sex appeal of female anchors. But this crew is exceptionally young, and Fox is blatantly plastering their glamor shots everywhere. Is this sort of business plan a harbringer for Naked News (NSFW!!) on network TV? Doesn’t seem so far-fetched, does it?

More on the the FBN at Adweek, USAToday, Forbes, DealBreaker, etc.

69 thoughts on “Wheatish and Balanced?”

  1. Carly Fiorina has just signed on to the network as well, the news hit the PR circles on Friday, so I’m surprised it hasn’t been blasted to the public yet. Maybe she can do a dramatic overview of the relationships of directors and boards and CEOs and use herself as a case study….hahahaha.

    Honestly, I’d rather have a veteran give me the news than anyone else….like the Jack and Suzy column in Bweek. But Carly – overrated.

  2. 48 · monimoni Back to Shibani, is that her real eye color or contacts? What is the consensus on desi’s who wear colored contacts?

    The consensus is . . . . drumroll . . . . super-cool! 😉

  4. Nice. So the way to shatter that glass (FOX News) conservative ceiling is to be a smart, educated, hot chick. 🙂 Too bad the same doesn’t hold true for men (smart, educated and hot ???). What is the equivalent word for chick for a guy anyway?

  5. What is the equivalent word for chick for a guy anyway?

    There isn’t one, that’s why it’s a sexist term.

    Damn, Fox News just gets more and more disgusting! Some day I’d like to see a talented female journalist on my TV who’s not at all pretty.

  6. monimoni on October 16, 2007 01:33 PM Back to Shibani, is that her real eye color or contacts? What is the consensus on desi’s who wear colored contacts? Too jarring? Acceptable depending on their overall looks? Too wanna-be?

    Frightful! Can’t figure it out, but I think it’s bcs it doesn’t match the skin tone.

  7. Back to Shibani, is that her real eye color or contacts? What is the consensus on desi’s who wear colored contacts? Too jarring? Acceptable depending on their overall looks? Too wanna-be?

    Are her eyes green? I can’t really tell. Because some of us desis have green eyes you know. And I recently had a Pakistani cab driver who had blue eyes.

  8. OK, we should be able to come up with some term for a guy that’s equivalent to chick without it having a truly negative connotation like the ones already out there. Hmmm. I’ll have to think about it.

  9. Wheatish

    Does wheatish mean light skinned in USA? In India it is code for ‘not fair’ / ‘dark’

  10. Does wheatish mean light skinned in USA? In India it is code for ‘not fair’ / ‘dark’

    i don’t know. but there’s a growing Wheat Power movement. No one can figure out if they’re more like the KKK or Black Panthers. To complicate matters, there’s a splinter group called the Cream of Wheats.

  11. Just as sad as FBN joining a long line cable ‘news’ nets luring audiences with hot women (and the probem is that they’re ALL hot women) is that it’s totally going to work. I’ll just keep hoping that the major players in this country still care more about Darfur than Britney. Then again, Ann Coulter is still on air, ugh.

    These networks really work?? I had no idea that people would tune into a specific anchor just to look at her, but apparently they do based on this thread. I’m not a regular news watcher, so it all seems the same to me… (and when I do watch TV news, it’s usually network news).

  12. i don’t know. but there’s a growing Wheat Power movement. No one can figure out if they’re more like the KKK or Black Panthers. To complicate matters, there’s a splinter group called the Cream of Wheats.

    I love my Wheaties for breakfast! A wholesome meal.

    Yep, in Deshi “wheatish” means borderline darkish in the TOI and Hindustan Times matrimonials. And “homely” means domestically inclined, not ugly. And “modern with family values” means she’s willing to work a job outside the home to earn $$$ for the family, and come home at night and cook dinner. And if it’s the boy’s family advertising that they want a “modern girl with families values” , that means they are looking for an employed girl who will still come home and cook dinner for them at night, and possibly give dowry as well – “family values”.

  13. And if it’s the boy’s family advertising that they want a “modern girl with families values” , that means they are looking for an employed girl who will still come home and cook dinner for them at night, and possibly give dowry as well – “family values”.

    thats not what that means to me…

  14. Is someone going to ban Tara Watabe/Pardesi Gori already?

    And why do you keep coming back? Are you that dedicated to reminding us how shitty India and Indians are? Because believe me, we get it.

  15. Is someone going to ban Tara Watabe/Pardesi Gori already? And why do you keep coming back? Are you that dedicated to reminding us how shitty India and Indians are? Because believe me, we get it.

    Dont see how the comments of Tara re matrimonial ads are shitty – tis a statement of fact.

    thats not what that means to me…

    Puli – it is a cultural difference. eg you dont find a girl in jeans hot while you find a girl in saree hot – vice versa in most parts of India.
    Family values means that you respect /honour and follow the traditions of your specific community.

  16. Dont see how the comments of Tara re matrimonial ads are shitty – tis a statement of fact.

    c’mon mate, don’t tell me you don’t remember the various unhinged screeds about Indian society, religions and daily life? Wait for the next post about a story involving cruelty towards female children and the subsequent PG/Tara Watabe lecture on the irretrievably rotten core of Indian society.

  17. c’mon mate, don’t tell me you don’t remember the various unhinged screeds about Indian society, religions and daily life? Wait for the next post about a story involving cruelty towards female children and the subsequent PG/Tara Watabe lecture on the irretrievably rotten core of Indian society.

    Murali – I agree PG was rabid but my comment was about Tara statement about Matrimonial ads – true. I await a tirade on vile indians 🙂

  18. Foxy Mutineers,

    FYI : Fox Business News owned by Murdoch’s News Corp. which now owns Dow Jones, Myspace, New York Post, Harper Collins and many more….you name it. I was amazed to find out today how much of our media life in both america and desh is controlled by him. And do you know which presidential candidate Foxy Murdoch is throwing his weight behind – Hillary !!! Now this is what is called foxy news.

  19. You Guys have to watch “Ghida Fakhry”, I’m sure all of you gonna change their minds after watching her. She is the besssssssssssst

    “MTVIGGY” interview with “Ghida Fakhry”

    http://www.mtviggy.com/video/innerview-ghida-fakhry-more-than-just-pretty-face

    http://www.mtviggy.com/video/innerview-ghida-fakhry-alzeera-different-kind

    http://www.mtviggy.com/video/innerview-ghida-fakhry-talks-personalities

    http://www.mtviggy.com/video/innerview-ghida-fakhry-the-rise-of-china