Charlie Gasparino
Encyclopedia
Charles Gasparino (age 47) is a senior correspondent for the Fox Business Network
, where he reports on major developments in the world of finance and politics, as well as a blogger, occasional radio host, New York Times bestselling author, and print journalist. He lives and works in New York City. He also frequently serves as a guest panelist on the FOX Business Network program segment The Cost Of Freedom
, and the stocks/business news program Cashin' In
that both appear on the network.
before earning his Masters degree in journalism from the University of Missouri
in Columbia, Missouri
. A lifelong New Yorker outside of his time in higher education, Gasparino was previously a senior writer for Newsweek
, where he covered politics, Wall Street, and corporate America, and among other stories broke the news of the controversial pay package of former New York Stock Exchange
chairman Richard Grasso
, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik
's controversial (and eventually withdrawn) nomination to run the US Department of Homeland Security, and the dispute surrounding former New York Attorney General (and eventual Governor) Eliot Spitzer
's crackdown on corporate crime. Before working at Newsweek, Gasparino was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, which nominated him for the Pulitzer Prize
in 2002. During his time at the WSJ he wrote extensively on issues on Wall Street
, including pension funds, mutual funds and regulatory issues. In 2003, he was part of a team nominated for the Pulitzer for the paper's coverage of the Grasso dispute. He won the New York Press Club
award for coverage of Wall Street research scandals. Gasparino then moved to cable business network CNBC
where he reported extensively on Wall Street. During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, Gasparino played a major role in CNBC's coverage, breaking a number of stories, including the news that the U.S. Government was going to bail out insurer AIG
, as well as news of the US government's broader bailout of the financial system, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
Gasparino, known for being somewhat combative on-air (Marketwatch described him as "Fox's Rocky Balboa"), was reported in the Washington Post as saying that "[his] job was to rip the lungs out of the competition for Fox Business Network." A Financial Times
profile of Gasparino illustrates his combativeness, describing him as a "pugnacious pundit Wall Street can't ignore", citing as examples Gasparino's frequent run-is with colleagues, including then-fellow CNBC reporter Dennis Kneale (See, e.g., this video), and cycling star Lance Armstrong. Despite his aggressiveness, his reporting frequently has a dramatic impact on the markets. The Financial Times quotes Goldman Sachs
chief spokesman Lucas Van Praag as saying "Most trading floors have CNBC on with the sound turned down, but when Charlie comes on, they listen.... [H]e does move stock prices." Similarly, Gasparino's then-colleague at CNBC Larry Kudlow
said of him: "He broke some great stories. I give Charlie a lot of credit for having great sources and, to tell you the truth, most of his steers have been good. He has got us ahead of the game."
with news reports and commentary, as well as contributing regularly to The New York Post and Forbes
and online for The Daily Beast
, FoxBusiness.com, and the Huffington Post. At Fox, Gasparino has broken stories on, among others, the US government's plans to sell its stake in Citigroup
and the government's pressure on Bank of America
to shrink itself. In one dig at his former channel, while CNBC was interviewing John Mack
, chairman of Morgan Stanley
, who declared on air that "[t]his doesn't feel like the crisis that I went through [in 2008], so I feel a lot better about it," Gasparino timed his report of Morgan Stanley's laying off 1,200 workers and closing up to 300 branches so that it aired opposite the interview. Although notably combative towards his former network ("My job is to come up with a scoop (everyday) and promote that scoop," he said. "Just jam it down CNBC's throat every single day."), Gasparino has also spoken highly of his former colleagues, calling Maria Bartiromo
"a good reporter," Erin Burnett
"a class act -- I used to love doing TV with her," and of Jim Cramer, "I like Jim personally." In response to accusations of being as much a showman as a journalist, Gasparino has said, "You want to be entertaining when you present news. People don't want a droll Charlie Gasparino droning on about Merrill Lynch."
In 2010, Marketwatch
named Gasparino one of "12 Broadcasters Who Are Making a Difference", and The Daily Beast
called him one of the "Top 15 "Economic and Business Commentators" (and the only television journalist on the list).
Gasparino also posts breaking news updates on Twitter and for several years regularly filled in for John Batchelor
on Friday nights as the host of "The John Batchelor Show" on WABC-AM in New York City.
. In November 2007, HarperCollins
released Gasparino's second book, King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange, which covered the rise and fall of former New York Stock Exchange
head Richard Grasso
, from the outrage occasioned by his near-$140 million compensation package.
Gasparino's latest book, Bought and Paid For: The Unholy Alliance Between Barack Obama and Wall Street, was published by Sentinel, a division of publisher Penguin Putnam. on October 5, 2010. His previous book, covering the financial crisis from its inception in the 1970s to the present day, its impact on the economy and on the financial markets, is entitled The Sellout: How Wall Street Greed and Government Mismanagement Destroyed America's Global Financial System, and was published by HarperCollins
in November 2009. A New York Times bestseller, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today
, and Library Journal
all named it one of the best business books of 2009, and it received the 2009 Investigative Reporters and Editors
Award for Books.
Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network is an American cable news and satellite news television channel that began broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
, where he reports on major developments in the world of finance and politics, as well as a blogger, occasional radio host, New York Times bestselling author, and print journalist. He lives and works in New York City. He also frequently serves as a guest panelist on the FOX Business Network program segment The Cost Of Freedom
The Cost of Freedom
The Cost of Freedom is an American business program block on the Fox News Channel, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET Saturdays and 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. ET Mondays and several times throughout the weekend on sister network Fox Business Network, while a short seguments called Money Break air...
, and the stocks/business news program Cashin' In
Cashin' In
Cashin' In is an American business analysis program, the fourth and last show of the The Cost of Freedom business block, on Saturdays at 11:30 am ET and Mondays at 5:30 am ET on the Fox News Channel. The show was originally hosted by FNC senior business correspondent Terry Keenan until her...
that both appear on the network.
Career
A former amateur boxer born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx, Gasparino graduated with a B.A. from Pace UniversityPace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
before earning his Masters degree in journalism from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
. A lifelong New Yorker outside of his time in higher education, Gasparino was previously a senior writer for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, where he covered politics, Wall Street, and corporate America, and among other stories broke the news of the controversial pay package of former New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
chairman Richard Grasso
Richard Grasso
Richard A. "Dick" Grasso was chairman and chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange from 1995 to 2003, the culmination of a career that began in 1968 when Grasso was hired by the Exchange as a floor clerk...
, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik
Bernard Kerik
Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik is a former New York City Police Commissioner, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee, and now a federal felon. Kerik was New York City Police Commissioner from 2000 to 2001, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In December 2004, President George W. Bush nominated Kerik as...
's controversial (and eventually withdrawn) nomination to run the US Department of Homeland Security, and the dispute surrounding former New York Attorney General (and eventual Governor) Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
's crackdown on corporate crime. Before working at Newsweek, Gasparino was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, which nominated him for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 2002. During his time at the WSJ he wrote extensively on issues on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, including pension funds, mutual funds and regulatory issues. In 2003, he was part of a team nominated for the Pulitzer for the paper's coverage of the Grasso dispute. He won the New York Press Club
New York Press Club
The New York Press Club is a membership organization of and for journalists and media professionals in the New York City metropolitan area. The club is a private, non-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any government office or agency and does not advocate or participate in any political...
award for coverage of Wall Street research scandals. Gasparino then moved to cable business network CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
where he reported extensively on Wall Street. During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, Gasparino played a major role in CNBC's coverage, breaking a number of stories, including the news that the U.S. Government was going to bail out insurer AIG
AIG
AIG is American International Group, a major American insurance corporation.AIG may also refer to:* And-inverter graph, a concept in computer theory* Answers in Genesis, a creationist organization in the U.S.* Arta Industrial Group in Iran...
, as well as news of the US government's broader bailout of the financial system, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
Gasparino, known for being somewhat combative on-air (Marketwatch described him as "Fox's Rocky Balboa"), was reported in the Washington Post as saying that "[his] job was to rip the lungs out of the competition for Fox Business Network." A Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
profile of Gasparino illustrates his combativeness, describing him as a "pugnacious pundit Wall Street can't ignore", citing as examples Gasparino's frequent run-is with colleagues, including then-fellow CNBC reporter Dennis Kneale (See, e.g., this video), and cycling star Lance Armstrong. Despite his aggressiveness, his reporting frequently has a dramatic impact on the markets. The Financial Times quotes Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
chief spokesman Lucas Van Praag as saying "Most trading floors have CNBC on with the sound turned down, but when Charlie comes on, they listen.... [H]e does move stock prices." Similarly, Gasparino's then-colleague at CNBC Larry Kudlow
Lawrence Kudlow
Lawrence "Larry" Kudlow is an American economist, television personality, and newspaper columnist. He is the host of CNBC's The Kudlow Report. As a syndicated columnist, his articles appear in numerous U.S. newspapers and web sites, including his own blog, Kudlow's Money Politic$.-Early...
said of him: "He broke some great stories. I give Charlie a lot of credit for having great sources and, to tell you the truth, most of his steers have been good. He has got us ahead of the game."
Move to Fox
In February 2010, Gasparino left CNBC for the fledgling Fox Business Network. In addition to his book writing, Gasparino appears on Fox Business and Fox News ChannelFox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
with news reports and commentary, as well as contributing regularly to The New York Post and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
and online for The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
, FoxBusiness.com, and the Huffington Post. At Fox, Gasparino has broken stories on, among others, the US government's plans to sell its stake in Citigroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
and the government's pressure on Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
to shrink itself. In one dig at his former channel, while CNBC was interviewing John Mack
John J. Mack
John J. Mack is the current Chairman of the Board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Mack announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer on September 10, 2009, which was effective January 1, 2010. Former Co-President James P...
, chairman of Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
, who declared on air that "[t]his doesn't feel like the crisis that I went through [in 2008], so I feel a lot better about it," Gasparino timed his report of Morgan Stanley's laying off 1,200 workers and closing up to 300 branches so that it aired opposite the interview. Although notably combative towards his former network ("My job is to come up with a scoop (everyday) and promote that scoop," he said. "Just jam it down CNBC's throat every single day."), Gasparino has also spoken highly of his former colleagues, calling Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo
Maria Bartiromo is an American television journalist, magazine columnist and author of three books. Bartiromo is a native of New York and attended New York University. She worked at CNN for five years before joining CNBC television...
"a good reporter," Erin Burnett
Erin Burnett
Erin Isabelle Burnett is the anchor of CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront. She was the co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk on the Street program and the host of CNBC's Street Signs program...
"a class act -- I used to love doing TV with her," and of Jim Cramer, "I like Jim personally." In response to accusations of being as much a showman as a journalist, Gasparino has said, "You want to be entertaining when you present news. People don't want a droll Charlie Gasparino droning on about Merrill Lynch."
In 2010, Marketwatch
MarketWatch
MarketWatch operates a financial information website that provides business news, analysis and stock market data to some 6 million people. MarketWatch offers personal finance news and advice, tools for investors and access to industry research. Along with its flagship website, the company operates...
named Gasparino one of "12 Broadcasters Who Are Making a Difference", and The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
called him one of the "Top 15 "Economic and Business Commentators" (and the only television journalist on the list).
Gasparino also posts breaking news updates on Twitter and for several years regularly filled in for John Batchelor
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor is an author and host of The John Batchelor Show radio news magazine. Based at WABC radio in New York for five years from early 2001 to September, 2006; the show was syndicated nationally on the ABC radio network. On October 7, 2007, Batchelor returned to radio on WABC New...
on Friday nights as the host of "The John Batchelor Show" on WABC-AM in New York City.
Books
In 2005, Gasparino wrote Blood on the Street: The Sensational Inside Story of How Wall Street Analysts Duped a Generation of Investors, published by Free PressFree Press (publisher)
Free Press is a book publishing imprint of Simon and Schuster. It was founded by Jeremiah Kaplan and Charles Liebman in 1947 and was devoted to sociology and religion titles. It was headquartered in Glencoe, Illinois, where it was known as The Free Press of Glencoe...
. In November 2007, HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
released Gasparino's second book, King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange, which covered the rise and fall of former New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
head Richard Grasso
Richard Grasso
Richard A. "Dick" Grasso was chairman and chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange from 1995 to 2003, the culmination of a career that began in 1968 when Grasso was hired by the Exchange as a floor clerk...
, from the outrage occasioned by his near-$140 million compensation package.
Gasparino's latest book, Bought and Paid For: The Unholy Alliance Between Barack Obama and Wall Street, was published by Sentinel, a division of publisher Penguin Putnam. on October 5, 2010. His previous book, covering the financial crisis from its inception in the 1970s to the present day, its impact on the economy and on the financial markets, is entitled The Sellout: How Wall Street Greed and Government Mismanagement Destroyed America's Global Financial System, and was published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in November 2009. A New York Times bestseller, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
all named it one of the best business books of 2009, and it received the 2009 Investigative Reporters and Editors
Investigative Reporters and Editors
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the quality of investigative reporting. Formed in 1975, it presents the IRE Awards and holds conferences and training classes for journalists. Its headquarters is in Columbia, Missouri, at the University of...
Award for Books.
External links
- Gasparino's Twitter page
- Gasparino's articles, video, and blog on FoxBusiness.com
- Gasparino's articles for the Huffington Post
- Gasparino's articles for The Daily Beast
Books
- Blood on the Street ISBN 9780743276511
- King of the Club ISBN 9780060898335
- The Sellout ISBN 9780061697166
- Bought and Paid For ISBN 9781595230713