TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Rival business news networks CNBC and Fox Business Network fought last night and this morning to have exclusive interviews with Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally, according to those involved in the situation.

Fox Business Network booked Mulally for a “First on Fox Business Network” interview. The interview was to take place this morning, leading up to Mulally’s keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Apparently CNBC pitched a fit when it found out that Mulally was going on Fox Business first. When Mulally wouldn’t go on CNBC first, it cancelled the segment they had planned with Mulally.

So this morning, Fox Business Network anchor Liz Claman had an exclusive with Mulally, while CNBC ran snippets of his keynote. Such high-handed tactics when dealing with corporate CEOs doesn’t come off looking good for CNBC, and it gives the upstart Fox Business credibility when it’s the only one with the interview.

The question remains — do business news readers really notice such things? I doubt it.

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