Erin Burnett
Encyclopedia
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. She also appeared on NBC
's Meet the Press
, Today, MSNBC
's Morning Joe
, and NBC Nightly News
, as well as occasional appearances on The Apprentice
as an advisor to Donald Trump
. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
.
Burnett has hosted a number of documentaries filmed outside of the United States: "India Rising: The New Empire", "The Russian Gamble", and "Dollars & Danger: Africa, The Final Investment Frontier.
She has focused extensively on the Middle East as well, reporting live from across the region and hosting documentaries including: "On Assignment: Iraq", "Big Money & the Middle East", "City of Money and Mystery" and "The Forbidden Zone".
. She is the youngest daughter of corporate attorney Kenneth King Burnett, and his wife Esther Margaret (Stewart). She attended St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware
, graduating in 1994. Burnett later attended Williams College
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
.
At Williams College, she studied political science
and economics
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
in political economy
. As an undergraduate, she played lacrosse and field hockey.
She is engaged to Citigroup
executive David Rubulotta.
for Goldman Sachs
in their investment banking division, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions
and corporate finance. While working as an investment-banking analyst, Burnett was offered a position at CNN
as a writer and booker for CNN's Moneyline
with Stuart Varney
, Willow Bay
, and Lou Dobbs
.
From CNN, she moved to Citigroup
, where she served as vice president
for Citigroup/CitiMedia, and was responsible for all anchoring of the Citigroup online financial news network.
Burnett accepted a position in 2003 with Bloomberg Television
, where she was the anchor of Bloomberg on the Markets, covering the stock market open and newsmaker interviews, and In Focus, where she broke down the day's top business story.
from 2005 to 2011. Since making her debut on Squawk
in December 2005, the program's ratings increased 142% over first quarter 2006 in adults 25–54; while Street Signs gained 57% in the adults 25–54 demographic
.
On May 6, 2011 she left CNBC after 5-1/2 years. She was hired by CNN
as an anchor of a weekday general-news program, called Erin Burnett OutFront
, working out of the cable network's New York headquarters. The program began on October 3, 2011 in the 7pm/ET timeslot.
On May 24, 2009, Burnett gave the commencement speech at her alma mater, St. Andrew's School. Erin was recently honored as one of Fortune Magazine’s "Top 40 Under 40" in 2011.
On December 7, 2010, Burnett did an investigative report on chemical giant Transammonia doing business in Iran. In the report, Erin Burnett reported that a Transammonia subsidiary—100% owned by Transammonia in the United States—purchases ammonia from Iran. In the same report, Burnett said according to an economic plan released by the Iranian government, Iran is trying to increase ammonia production by 60 percent in the next five years. She also mentioned that ammonia is used for explosives, including roadside bombs in Afghanistan. On Dec. 13, 2010, as a result of the CNBC report, Transammonia sent a press release to Congressional leaders that Transammonia's Swiss subsidiary will not enter into new contracts with Iranian companies and wind down its business with Iran "as soon as possible."
, premiered on October 3, 2011 in the 7PM and 11PM time slot and replaced John King, USA
. Wilson Surratt has been named Executive Producer. While Burnett's premiere show drew 535,000 total viewers and 215,000 demo viewers (25-54), which put her ahead of MSNBC's "Hardball" one week later, Monday's episode, drew 370,000 total viewers and 99,000 in the demo a loss of 30%. The following week on Oct. 25th she lost another 34% of her viewers, getting only 67,000 viewers in the 25-54 year-old demo, an all time low. Launch to date, “CNN's new 7 p.m. show….
averaged 146,000 viewers in the demo and 490,000 among total viewers for gains of nine percent and seven percent year-over-year."
Kevin Rudd
's plans to spend millions of dollars on aerial shooting to cull Australian feral camel
s in the outback
. Her comments, which included a reference to Rudd as a "serial killer", were reported by the Australian media and other international news services. Burnett stated on an August 6 show that she was making a joke.
Shortly after arriving at CNN, Burnett did a segment on the Occupy Wall Street protests titled "Seriously?" In the segment, Burnett appeared to portray the protests as disorganized and aimless, and the protesters as ignorant bohemians. The segment was widely criticized in both the mainstream and alternative media, with numerous analysis, parodies and lampoons portraying Ms. Burnett as a laughingstock. CNN issued a statement in response to the blowback, saying "We support Erin and the OutFront team and we respect that there will be a range of opinions on any given story."
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
’s Erin Burnett OutFront. She was the co-anchor of 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...
's Squawk on the Street
Squawk on the Street
Squawk on the Street, which debuted on December 19, 2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States....
program and the host of 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...
's Street Signs program. She also appeared on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, Today, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
's Morning Joe
Morning Joe
Morning Joe is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC, with Joe Scarborough discussing the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. It was created as the replacement for Imus in the Morning, which was canceled in April 2007 after simulcasting on MSNBC since 1996...
, and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
, as well as occasional appearances on The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
as an advisor to Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
.
Burnett has hosted a number of documentaries filmed outside of the United States: "India Rising: The New Empire", "The Russian Gamble", and "Dollars & Danger: Africa, The Final Investment Frontier.
She has focused extensively on the Middle East as well, reporting live from across the region and hosting documentaries including: "On Assignment: Iraq", "Big Money & the Middle East", "City of Money and Mystery" and "The Forbidden Zone".
Personal life
Burnett was born and raised in Mardela Springs, MarylandMardela Springs, Maryland
Mardela Springs is a town in Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Mardela Springs is located at ....
. She is the youngest daughter of corporate attorney Kenneth King Burnett, and his wife Esther Margaret (Stewart). She attended St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
, graduating in 1994. Burnett later attended Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
.
At Williams College, she studied political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
. As an undergraduate, she played lacrosse and field hockey.
She is engaged to 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...
executive David Rubulotta.
Early years
Burnett began her career as a financial analystFinancial analyst
A financial analyst, securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, or investment analyst is a person who performs financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core part of the job.-Job:...
for 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...
in their investment banking division, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
and corporate finance. While working as an investment-banking analyst, Burnett was offered a position at CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
as a writer and booker for CNN's Moneyline
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program hosted by Lou Dobbs, previously broadcast on CNN and currently on Fox Business Network. The hour-long show aired live on evenings every weekday, and was replayed in the overnight/early morning hours. It covered the major...
with Stuart Varney
Stuart Varney
Stuart Varney is a British-American economic journalist, and as of 2011, working for the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network. Varney joined Fox News in January, 2004 as a business contributor on many shows, such as Your World with Neil Cavuto. He also occasionally serves as guest host...
, Willow Bay
Willow Bay
Willow Bay is an American television correspondent, editor, author, former model, and wife of Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger. She is currently a Senior Editor for the Huffington Post and a special correspondent for Bloomberg Television.-Career:Bay was born Kristine Carlin Bay in New York, New...
, and Lou Dobbs
Lou Dobbs
Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
.
From CNN, she moved to 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...
, where she served as vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
for Citigroup/CitiMedia, and was responsible for all anchoring of the Citigroup online financial news network.
Burnett accepted a position in 2003 with Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
, where she was the anchor of Bloomberg on the Markets, covering the stock market open and newsmaker interviews, and In Focus, where she broke down the day's top business story.
CNBC
Burnett was the host of CNBC's Street Signs and co-anchor of Squawk on the StreetSquawk on the Street
Squawk on the Street, which debuted on December 19, 2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States....
from 2005 to 2011. Since making her debut on Squawk
Squawk on the Street
Squawk on the Street, which debuted on December 19, 2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States....
in December 2005, the program's ratings increased 142% over first quarter 2006 in adults 25–54; while Street Signs gained 57% in the adults 25–54 demographic
Demographic profile
A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment...
.
On May 6, 2011 she left CNBC after 5-1/2 years. She was hired by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
as an anchor of a weekday general-news program, called Erin Burnett OutFront
Erin Burnett OutFront
Erin Burnett OutFront is an hour-long television news program hosted by Erin Burnett on CNN. The show premiered on October 3, 2011 in the 7PM and 11PM time slot to replace John King, USA. CNN's executives hope that Burnett's new show will help with CNN prime time's ratings.-External links:* *...
, working out of the cable network's New York headquarters. The program began on October 3, 2011 in the 7pm/ET timeslot.
On May 24, 2009, Burnett gave the commencement speech at her alma mater, St. Andrew's School. Erin was recently honored as one of Fortune Magazine’s "Top 40 Under 40" in 2011.
On December 7, 2010, Burnett did an investigative report on chemical giant Transammonia doing business in Iran. In the report, Erin Burnett reported that a Transammonia subsidiary—100% owned by Transammonia in the United States—purchases ammonia from Iran. In the same report, Burnett said according to an economic plan released by the Iranian government, Iran is trying to increase ammonia production by 60 percent in the next five years. She also mentioned that ammonia is used for explosives, including roadside bombs in Afghanistan. On Dec. 13, 2010, as a result of the CNBC report, Transammonia sent a press release to Congressional leaders that Transammonia's Swiss subsidiary will not enter into new contracts with Iranian companies and wind down its business with Iran "as soon as possible."
Back to CNN
Burnett returned to CNN with her new show, Erin Burnett OutFrontErin Burnett OutFront
Erin Burnett OutFront is an hour-long television news program hosted by Erin Burnett on CNN. The show premiered on October 3, 2011 in the 7PM and 11PM time slot to replace John King, USA. CNN's executives hope that Burnett's new show will help with CNN prime time's ratings.-External links:* *...
, premiered on October 3, 2011 in the 7PM and 11PM time slot and replaced John King, USA
John King, USA
John King, USA is an hour-long television news show that is hosted by John King on CNN. The show debuted on March 22, 2010.It airs at 7:00 PM Eastern, and as a result, shortened The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to 2 hours...
. Wilson Surratt has been named Executive Producer. While Burnett's premiere show drew 535,000 total viewers and 215,000 demo viewers (25-54), which put her ahead of MSNBC's "Hardball" one week later, Monday's episode, drew 370,000 total viewers and 99,000 in the demo a loss of 30%. The following week on Oct. 25th she lost another 34% of her viewers, getting only 67,000 viewers in the 25-54 year-old demo, an all time low. Launch to date, “CNN's new 7 p.m. show….
averaged 146,000 viewers in the demo and 490,000 among total viewers for gains of nine percent and seven percent year-over-year."
Host shows
- Street Signs (2005–2011)
- Squawk on the StreetSquawk on the StreetSquawk on the Street, which debuted on December 19, 2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States....
(2005–2011) - Bloomberg on the Markets (2003–2005)
- Erin Burnett OutFrontErin Burnett OutFrontErin Burnett OutFront is an hour-long television news program hosted by Erin Burnett on CNN. The show premiered on October 3, 2011 in the 7PM and 11PM time slot to replace John King, USA. CNN's executives hope that Burnett's new show will help with CNN prime time's ratings.-External links:* *...
(2011-)
Controversial comments
On August 5, 2009, Burnett reported on the Australian Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
's plans to spend millions of dollars on aerial shooting to cull Australian feral camel
Australian feral camel
Thousands of the two main species of Australian feral camels, mostly dromedaries but also some bactrian camels, were imported into Australia during the 19th century for transport and construction as part of the colonisation of the central and western parts of Australia. Motorised transport replaced...
s in the outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
. Her comments, which included a reference to Rudd as a "serial killer", were reported by the Australian media and other international news services. Burnett stated on an August 6 show that she was making a joke.
Shortly after arriving at CNN, Burnett did a segment on the Occupy Wall Street protests titled "Seriously?" In the segment, Burnett appeared to portray the protests as disorganized and aimless, and the protesters as ignorant bohemians. The segment was widely criticized in both the mainstream and alternative media, with numerous analysis, parodies and lampoons portraying Ms. Burnett as a laughingstock. CNN issued a statement in response to the blowback, saying "We support Erin and the OutFront team and we respect that there will be a range of opinions on any given story."
External links
- Erin Burnett biography at CNBC
- Squawk on the Street official website at CNBC
- Street Signs official website at CNBC
- Erin Burnett's OutFront blog official website at CNN