One of my favorite shows to watch on CNBC was Fast Money. The show always aired right at 5PM on Mondays to Fridays. I enjoyed watching the show for trading ideas and the witty back and forth exchanges. Well, CNBC’s Fast Money still airs but I haven’t tuned in to watch like I used too. Apparently, I am not alone. The show’s ratings are down -28% over the last quarter. The show’s target demographic has dropped from 75,000 to 54,000. So, why the drop in ratings?
The reason for the ratings drop is simple. Fast Money is no longer as good as it once was. The show clearly misses Dylan Ratigan and Jeff Macke. Melissa Lee does an adequate job as host but she is no Dylan Ratigan. Ratigan thrived as the show’s moderator. He kept the conversation’s moving and challenged the traders on their bad calls. Ratigan’s presence made the show a must watch as he would often get into lively debates with guests of the show. The show flourished due to his humor and clever sarcasm. He could be irritating at times when he would go on his political rants but all things considered he was a positive for the show.
The other big loss for the show has been Jeff Macke. Macke was always saying something to engage (enrage) the viewing public. He was a polarizing figure. There seemed to be just as many Macke lovers as Macke haters watching Fast Money. His boisterous voice and snide comments helped make Fast Money the popular show that it was. I would tune in sometimes just to see what Macke was going to say. Macke was especially entertaining on days that the Dow tanked.
The show needs more of Dr. Jon Najarian. He does a great job of keeping viewers attention while breaking down his stock picks. Karen Finerman is a big asset too. She adds quality stock analysis and tends to be a longer term investor than most of the Fast Money gang. Pete Najarian is entertaining explaining the options activity. The rest of the traders are pretty forgettable in my opinion.
I think that Fast Money needs a new host and 2 panel members that bring the “wow factor” back to the show. The show needs 2 or 3 entertaining personalities that turn CNBC’s Fast Money back into must watch television. Maybe CNBC could convince Ratigan to give up his MSNBC gig and return to the show that he made famous. The could also see if Macke is interested in returning back to the show that made him famous. If not then the show will continue to have trouble attracting viewers to its 5PM time slot.
What do you think of Fast Money? Do you like the show in its current format?
Photo by: danieljean
