The College’s sports website is running a great series on Eph ex-athletes who are now in broadcasting. So far, it includes:

Sam Flood ‘83

Mika Brzezinski ‘89

Erin Burnett ‘98

I wish the series were signed or had some background, as I’d be interested to know how it came about and whether we can expect more installments. Excellent work. Dick Quinn runs quite a shop. Kudos.

Forget about unemployment numbers or new home starts or LIBOR. Henry Blodget (formerly an analyst at Merrill Lynch (formerly an investment bank)), posts some seriously troubling news:

ERIN BURNETT IS CUTTING BACK ON SPENDING 

Okay, now try not to panic. Although this proves that the bailout and the coordinated central bank rate cuts have been abject failures, we may still be able to dig ourselves out of this hole.

The Fed and the Treasury now need to take their monetary and fiscal response to the next level. The Fed needs to immediately start issuing gold credit cards with no spending limit to individuals, starting with Erin Burnett and her friends. We could call it the Temporary Personal Emergency Discretionary Liquidity Plan, or TPEDLP for short. Furthermore, Hank Paulson needs to declare a national state of emergency and make any store closings or stock price declines illegal. Congress needs to come together in a bipartisan fashion to provide an emergency bailout for the handbags and shoes industry. This won’t be popular or easy, but together, we can do it.

Until and unless the Erin Burnett Personal Spending Indicator™ starts to tick upwards again, EphBlog Research recommends a portfolio allocation of 90% cash and 10% soup*.

*Full Disclosure: EphBlog currently holds a long position in soup.

Vanity Fair has a piece in its October issue looking at Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett (cue drooling and panting by geeky econ boys). While I’m glad there is an article about women reporters who actually know something about their subjects (rather than being Fox newsreaders), the tone of the article is rather insulting even as it tries to dispell the myth of the bitchfight. If it were two attractive men, would we have the term “money honey” (which I know Bartiromo has now claimed for the branding) or “street sweetie”? Would there EVER be an entire article discussing who is the “Queen B” and making the whole damn thing seem like a stupid high school catfight? God forbid these just happen to be two intelligent people reporting the news. Yes, all news personalities have to be attractive or they wouldn’t be on tv, but male anchors are not subjected to this kind of inane overlay to stories about them. It is perhaps acknowledged briefly that they are “distinguished” or “handsome” and the article moves on. Nobody assumes that two men are backbiting or threatened by one another - perhaps because nobody questions that there can be several prominent men reporting business whereas women have to fight for the one designated female financial reporter slot? Hmmm…

Example:

With sultry blue eyes, sharp, almost perfect features, dimples, and a lazy, bedroomy smile, Burnett not only was knowledgeable about financial issues but had a knack for translating them into plain English, and in contrast to Maria, who was more singularly focused on corporate news, Burnett was interested in broader policy issues—education, health care, how to pay for the repair of America’s crumbling infrastructure. She had a casual, breezy on-air persona. She was also a bit irreverent—and spontaneous. 

Seriously, a “lazy, bedroomy smile”? Are you f-ing kidding me? The rest of that quote is fine - it talks about her style of reporting, her interests, also known as her qualifications for the job. Don’t even get me started on the photo that is half-way down the page:

Again, Burnett is a savvy woman who knows how to promote herself and she is playing off of it. But male reporters don’t have to go there, no photo shoot would even propose to have a man pose like that. She agreed to it, but why was she even asked?

Frankly, I think Bartiromo says it best in the article (and note the total LACK of cattiness):

“I think it’s a disservice to us as women and as businesspeople, by the way, to compare what you’re seeing from a handful of situations to women who are really trying to make it in business. You could look at CNBC and see women who are beautiful and smart and they’re not showing all this skin: Becky Quick, Erin Burnett, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera—[all] beautiful successful women doing great,” she says. “It’s more than prancing around the Stock Exchange with little dresses on. We’re covering business and it doesn’t matter what you look like if you don’t know your stuff. If you don’t have the goods, you will not last.” 

And from Burnett at the end of the article:

“I think that when people see strong, successful women, they love to imagine that there is a rivalry,” says Burnett. “Maybe it’s because there are not as many women. And maybe, I don’t know,” she says, rolling her eyes, “it’s a male-fantasy thing.”

Erin Burnett ‘98 was on Meet The Press today. (Thanks to Soph Mom for the tip.)

(Burnett’s main comments start at 1:15.) Transcript here. Quotes and comments below.
(more…)

Who remembers Stacy’s Mom, hit 2003 single from Fountains of Wayne?

Adam Schlesinger ‘89 and Chris Collingwood ‘89 are founders of the band. Is this theme — sexual attractiveness of older women/mothers — somehow relevant to US politics? Erin Burnett ‘98 thinks so! Context is an overview by Donny Deutche of the Palin candidacy, with special emphasis on her attractiveness.

Erin: You know Donny there is a 4 letter acronym that would apply, but I won’t say it, but it begins with M and ends with F.

Donny: Ends with what?

Erin: Begins with M, ends with F, it’s a four letter acronym, that’s all I can say.

You stay classy, Erin! (See Wikipedia for an explanation of the acronym.) Yet Palin is not the only women (or person!) to benefit from her good looks. Consider this Eagle article on Burnett.

There is no doubt that Burnett is major ammo for CNBC; she delivers the news, and she becomes it. In some cases, she eclipses it. Watching MSNBC “Hardball” host Chris Matthews tell Burnett she was a “knockout” during a recent broadcast was more than embarrassing to some viewers.

James E. Mahon, chairman of Williams College’s political economy program and Burnett’s senior thesis adviser, watched a broadcast of Matthews’ public display of affection toward Burnett and said he found it “disgusting.”

The idea that his former student is simply a “Money Honey” — the oft-used epithet used for attractive business news anchors that implies they’re all looks and no substance — is more than a little irksome.

“She works very hard,” Mahon said. “When she sees a job, she knocks herself out.”

For her senior thesis at Williams, Burnett researched labor standards and product identity, and Mahon helped her work it into form.

Under the title “Complying With International Labor Standards,” an abridged version of the thesis was published in a trade journal in 2001.

Mahon described her as a serious student who didn’t use her good looks as currency.

“She wasn’t a beauty queen,” he said. “She was a field hockey player. She wasn’t going around campus trying to be Miss Glamour.”

If you are as beautiful as Burnett, you do not need to try to be “Miss Glamour.” You already are. Beautiful women, like Burnett and Palin, do not need to try to use their “good looks as currency.” Every time they walk into a room, their good looks come with them. Chris Matthews may be “disgusting,” but his reaction to Burnett’s beauty was only outrageous in its obviousness. (And note that she was wearing purple at the time. Who among us can resist an Eph woman in purple?)

Men like to look at Burnett. You think that she would be on CNBC if she were ugly? And, for the record, the phrase “Money Honey” implies nothing about the “substance” of attractive female CNBC anchors. All CNBC anchors, Burnett included, are highly intelligent and quick on their feet. It just so happens that (most of) the female anchors are also very attractive. Turns out that smart women can be attractive and attractive women can be smart! This should hardly come as news to Ephs. Also, Money Honey is not an “epithet.” Maria Bartiromo has actually trademarked the term!

I don’t know if Professor Mahon finds the term irksome or really thinks that it is an epithet. He seems like a smarter guy than that! Yet I do think that Burnett’s good looks played a part in her rise to fame. And the same is true of Palin. What is interesting is that so many people like to pretend that looks don’t matter, or that they shouldn’t. Alas, it is an imperfect world we live in

Other article highlights below.
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The New York Times has an article on Erin Burnett ‘98. I’ll leave it to # 1 Fan to discuss it.

Interesting Vanity Fair article on the collapse of Bear Stearns includes a single Eph mention.

For the next hour the Bear Stearns rumor became a topic of conversation between CNBC correspondents and various market traders and analysts. At 1:50, Matthew Cheslock remarked, “The sentiment [on Bear] is pretty negative. The general consensus is ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.’ ”

A few minutes later, Griffeth, perhaps sensing the network might have gone a bit too far, asked Dennis Kneale, “What about the jittery nature of this market right now? Are we starting to believe some rumors that may or may not be true?” Kneale agreed. “Someone,” he observed, “is always making money on the other side of that bad news or that rumor.”

Yet CNBC’s coverage remained anything but skeptical of the rumor. At two the network’s new “money honey,” Erin Burnett, headlined the hour by announcing “credit issues at Bear,” never mind that there was no such thing. She turned to correspondent David Faber, who observed, “Of course, no firm’s ever going to say that they are having trouble with liquidity, and, in fact, you’ve either got liquidity or you don’t. So if you don’t have it, you’re done. Those are the kinds of concerns in this market, concerns of confidence You can have crises of confidence, causing meltdowns.”

As Dealbreaker notes the claim that there weren’t “credit issues at Bear” on Monday March 10 is absurd.

But, more importantly, can we please think up a better nickname for Burnett ‘98, something that references Williams and, therefore, gets the College some good press? “Money Honey” really belongs to Maria Bartiromo. Both “Street Sweetie” and “Maria 2.0” have been tried for Burnett. Surely, the readers of EphBlog can do better.

Looking for more news about Burnett? Go here.

“Isn’t it obvious Tim? I am wearing yellow in preparation for my 10th reunion at Williams College.”

She is coming on The Celebrity Apprentice on CNBC at this very moment.

I’m not in on the whole Erin craze or this show, but I happen to have heard her name flipping through and I sense some of you might really like to know this.

In case you thought EphBlog had a creepy obsession with Erin Burnett ‘98, I’d just like to point out that our interest is positively healthy compared to this latest post by John Carney of Dealbreaker.

Has it been almost 6 weeks since the last update about Ephblog’s favorite CNBC anchor and the Keely Smith to Jim Cramer’s Louis Prima (how does that grab you, jazz lovers?), Erin Burnett? I only mention this because Dealbreaker had linked to a video of EB98 riding around on a hobby horse during a CNBC segment, only to have that video taken down by the no fun editors there. I hoped to find said clip on YouTube, but found this instead. Before watching this, just remember that most Ephwomen are more like our awesome CRASH-B champ, Diana Davis ‘07 (most Ephs know this, but there could some impressionable high school seniors reading this blog, so better safe than sorry). Sing to us, O muse, about recessions.

 

 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hers is the face that launched a thousand blog posts, drawn rapturous praise from Rush Limbaugh and drew the ire of George Bush supporters by referring to him as a slightly less evolved mammal. Yet, through all these times, including her unfortunate Wish list in Men’s Health, there has always been one place EB could come for a digital hug and pat on the head. Alas, she may have now gone beyond the pale even here. Two words: Donald Trump. EB, time for the dreaded five words, Where is this relationship going?  

The New York Post reports higher-ups at CNBC are shocked, SHOCKED that Erin Burnett ‘98 would admit to liking nice things, fancy trips, and rich men:

In the jaw-dropping piece, first revealed on this page Monday, Burnett says guys can “unlock” her heart by giving her round-trip, business-class tickets to Australia and New Zealand, sending a yoga instructor and personal chef to her apartment, and treating her and her sisters to a long-weekend spa getaway, among other suggestions.

“This has caused a lot of hand-wringing at the network,” an insider told us, suggesting Burnett comes off as a trite, gold-digging hussy. “There’s worry she’s damaged her brand. Everybody’s talking about it and asking, like, ‘Why did you do this?’ Everybody think it’s a major [bleep]-up.’ “

And, of course, this is just as bad as a conflicted journalist taking advantage of corporate perks at shareholder expense:

Burnett’s boo-boo takes even more heat off Bartiromo, who last year survived an ethics scandal over globetrotting on Citigroup’s private jet with its then-wealth-management chief Todd Thomson, who later got the ax. She also had animal-rights activists screeching for posing in a $3,695 Michael Kors wool coat and gushing about its fluffy fox-fur cuffs.

Our source said: “For the moment it looks like Maria’s off the hook. Erin’s the problem child now.”

As a practical follow-up to David’s exhortation, Bess Levin (Amherst ‘07) at DealBreaker summarizes how to woo Erin Burnett (Williams ‘98):

1. Buy me a vacation.

2. Let me pick a vacation, and then buy it for me.

3. Buy my parents a vacation.

4. Buy me a yoga instructor.

5. Buy me an expensive stationary bike.

6. Buy me a couple of famous authors to dine with (simultaneously).

7. Buy me a personal chef.

8. Buy me a vacation.

In case you’re interested, you can read Erin’s original list. And here’s Bess in a more forgiving mood:

There comes a time in every Amherst student’s life when she must put aside the feelings of hate that stir in her body for the vile weed that is Williams College and say, in the face of Williams alum Erin Burnett: this chick is hot.

And as a Williams grad, I must admit that Amherst alum Bess Levin is probably the funniest writer in the financial world. Here is a marvelous interview with Ms. Levin.

Please tell me that CNBC anchor Erin Burnett ‘98 took several tutorials at Williams which prepared her for the likes of Jim Cramer.

Whatever they are paying Burnett, it is not enough.

UPDATE: As to the substance of the video, this is the sort of stuff that an EphCOI devoted to finance should talk about. My comment: Neither Cramer nor Burnett makes the obvious point that Andrew Cuomo does not care about the mortgage market. All he cares about is getting famous so that he can follow in the footsteps of Eliot Spitzer and be governor of New York (or a Senator). If beating up on Washington Mutual gets him in the New York Times, then that’s what he is going to do. Politicians respond to incentives, just like the rest of us.

I am having trouble seeing this on a Mac, but this link provides a preview of College GameDay, including an appearence by Erin Burnett ‘98. (Thanks to an anonymous comment. All GameDay related posts are here.) Is there any way to display this video nicely on the blog? Perhaps some could place it on YouTube?

By the way, I was thinking of live-blogging this event, if only to avoid doing actual work . . .

We are getting many hits relating to some combination of “Erin Burnett” and “field hockey” and “Williams College”. Anyone know why? I am guessing that Burnett might have mentioned something on CNBC today, but the only relevant Google link that I see is from this old article.

Q: My favorite memory from Williams College:

Burnett: It is impossible to pick one! But many were sports-related, as one of the things I miss most is field hockey. I remember walking up to the field house from practice with two of my former teammates, roommates and still closest friends Sarah and Melissa. Those walks involved a lot of our best conversations about topics inappropriate for TVNewser.

And there was one game in particular against my hometown college where Sarah and I each scored a goal. We were the underdogs and won 2-1. It was a moment of great pride for me!

Good stuff. I have vague plans of doing some podcasting (contain your excitement) in conjunction with the class of 1988’s 20th reunion. Basic plan is to interview a classmate each week and ask similar questions, one of which was precisely this one: What is your fondest memory of Williams? Another: What was the biggest mistake you made at Williams? I would appreciate other suggestions.

New York Times article on Maria Bartiromo, CNBC’s “Money Honey,” includes a too brief mention of Erin Burnett ‘98.

Ms. Bartiromo said she has never had a problem with the “Money Honey” nickname (tagged on her early in her CNBC career by Mr. Murdoch’s New York Post) — she has trademarked it for herself. She plans to use that trademark for a cartoon character called “Money Honey,” who will appear in a series of animated short pieces aimed at teaching children some basics about money.

Not an EphBlog paraody, I swear! Money Honey videos will, I hope, not make it into my daughters’ DVD collection.

Of the name, she said, “Let it roll off my back, and I’m flattered to have the notice.”

If Ms. Bartiromo’s striking looks and high profile in business circles have helped her draw viewers and land big interviews, they have also helped attract the kind of attention that male television figures — like, say, Larry Kudlow and Jim Cramer of CNBC — never seem to draw. Most recently, there have been items in the gossip columns about a supposed rivalry with a new CNBC star, Erin Burnett.

“You know, people love to see some kind of controversy,” Ms. Bartiromo said. “I think Erin’s terrific; she’s doing a great job. And frankly, we have, at this point, several women who are beautiful and very smart. What’s not to love?”

Indeed. But if you are Erin Burnett’s agent, Alan Berger, you want the controversy to continue, you want Erin’s name in the papers, you want Robert Murdoch to offer her a big raise to move over to the Fox Business Channel. What do you do? Consider three options as to how you would recommend that Erin respond to a question from the Times reporter.

(For her part in the mutual admiration society, Ms. Burnett said, in an e-mailed comment, “Maria is the hardest-working person I know. She’s raised the bar in business news and it’s invigorating to work with her.”)

(For her part in the mutual admiration society, Ms. Burnett said, in an e-mailed comment, “Maria is the hardest-working person I know. Over two decades, she’s raised the bar in business news and it’s invigorating to work with her.”)

(For her part in the mutual admiration society, Ms. Burnett said, in an e-mailed comment, “Maria is the hardest-working 40 year-old I know. She’s raised the bar in business news and it’s invigorating to work with her.”)

The problem with basing a career on the Money Honey schtick is that age catches up with all of us. (Alas, it appears that Alan Berger did not get through to Erin before she sent that e-mail. So, the first option is what got into the Times. I bet that Berger wishes she went with option 2.)

Is CNBC anchor Erin Burnett ‘98 a secret member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Eph Division? Good question. Rush Limbaugh seems to like her.

Joe Scarborough finally nabbed Rush Limbaugh for Morning Joe, and, naturally, Scarborough wanted to get right into politics. But Limbaugh wasn’t quite ready. Rush’s segment followed a few minutes after Erin Burnett’s daily business report for Joe and she was still connected to the MSNBC control room:

Scarborough: Let’s talk about the Republican field… Limbaugh: Wait a minute, Joe. Before you go there, I have to say something. I heard Erin Burnett sounding a little wifey, Erin, you said you’re gonna be listening. I love listening to myself, but it’s great to know you’re listening to me too. Nobody can big foot you, Erin… Burnett: I got bigfooted out, that’s what happened Rush. Limbaugh: The truth is that anybody that follows you, Erin, can’t match what you’ve done. Burnett: Thank you, Rush. Scarborough: That is big. Getting that from Mr. Excellence in Broadcasting right there. Burnett: You made my day. I’m done now, I’m going home.

Limbaugh went to tell Scarborough, Burnett is “fabulous on economics. She understands it and she’s not afraid to go against the conventional wisdom….fresh voice. I’m not sucking up here I’m giving you an honest professional assessment.”

Slow loading video of the encounter here. Someone needs to put this on YouTube. Indeed, a collection of Burnett’s greatest hits would make for fun viewing . . .

Part with Burnett stops after two minutes, so you don’t need to watch the whole thing. Note that Rush thinks she is “extremely well-educated!” Some tell the Williams Office of Public Affairs.

And, why not have Burnett invite Rush to give a Commencement address?! Of course, I prefer having a less famous Williams graduate (like Burnett) instead of a mega-famous non-Eph like Limbaugh. But, if we are to have non-Ephs, it would be nice to see some ideological diversity among the Commencement speakers. Since 1996, there hasn’t been a single identifiable non-Democrat while we have had at least 5 fairly serious Democrats.

Can’t resist this item on Erin Burnett ‘98, if only for the title.

Dan Winston ‘09 sent in this link on Erin Burnett ‘98.

Today, the media biz’s juiciest smackdown is taking place inside the hallowed halls of CNBC. Maria Bartiromo is fending off Erin Burnett, who is about nine years her junior. When I checked IMDB.com, it said Bartiromo will turn 40 on Tuesday (which is the sixth anniversary of 9/11, no less). Happy Birthday, Money Honey! Lately, the blogosphere and the tabloids have been captivated by the melodrama unfolding at CNBC headquarters in suburban New Jersey. For its part, CNBC officials play down the chatter as silly gossip and say the two popular anchors can work and play well together.

Sure, this sort of talk is probably inevitable in a male-dominated business like television news. The emergence of a pair of attractive (and highly capable) newswomen is bound to spark speculation about a feud. Now, if CNBC showed signs of favoring one over the other in its promotions, there could be trouble. If it appeared that the network was starting to give one or the other more plum assignments, CNBC would have a major problem on its hands.

The tabloids and blogs love nothing more than building you up and then knocking you down.

So they tell me. But let’s focus on the positive! Surely Ephs of all political colorations will wish Burnett well on her career. Yet she needs a better nickname. Her current one, Maria 2.0, is too derivative. Suggestions? Ideally, we would like to get some sort of Eph/Williams reference in there. Perhaps a riff on Burnett’s athletic past as a field hockey and lacrosse player for the Ephs . . .

Dealbreaker admits what we all know to be true.

There comes a time in every Amherst student’s life when she must put aside the feelings of hate that stir in her body for the vile weed that is Williams College and say, in the face of Williams alum Erin Burnett: this chick is hot.

Indeed.

Dealbook links to this article.

For the coming war between CNBC and Rupert Murdoch’s planned Fox Business Channel, the scrappy incumbent is grooming a secret weapon.

That weapon is a petite, blue-eyed brunette who makes her home at a cluttered desk in a cramped studio overlooking the New York Stock Exchange, where she is typically typing furiously on a laptop or asking questions by phone. Erin Burnett, 31, is a co-host on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street (weekdays at 9 a.m. ET), solo anchor of Street Signs (2 p.m. ET) and a frequent guest on network shows, including NBC’s Today. Since making her debut on Squawk during its relaunch in December 2005, the program is up 142% over first quarter 2006 in adults 25-54; Street Signs is up 57% in the demo.

Burnett rises every morning at 5 a.m. and hops in a car bound for the NYSE. Once there, she makes calls, checks e-mail, sets up potential guests and reads the papers–all while getting her hair blown-out and her makeup applied. “She’s a natural,” says Jonathan Wald, senior VP of business news for CNBC. “She’s both energetic and solicitous, but she never appears fawning.”

Just like EphBlog!? On the hotness issue:

Does it matter that some critics see her as just another pretty anchor? “Let’s be honest,” Burnett says. “It is a factor. Initially. But if you want to be good and if you want to be at the top of your game, you have to know the material, and you have to love it. Otherwise, regardless of your looks or your age or whatever, you won’t have any staying power.”

Correct. Burnett would not have gotten hired (or been successfu) if she were not both attractive and smart. Previous discussion here.

Do you think it is a coincidence that so many attractive women work at CNBC? I don’t. If Erin were ugly, she would not have the job that she has. This doesn’t mean (obviously!) that she also isn’t smart and hard-working, but only the PC police would pretend that sex doesn’t sell.

And not just at CNBC! Do you think that the Goldman Sachs recruiters are blind? Do you think that it is a coincidence that so many junior GS analysts are also attractive? Wrong! Note that this is not just true of female GS hires from Williams (i.e., Erin Burnett and Bethany McLean ‘92) but also of male hires (Richard Georgi ‘87).

Words of wisdom for fall interviews.

What Eph has been viewed the most times on YouTube? Tough to know! This and this are certainly contenders.

Among the most viewed videos this month is one featuring Erin Burnett ‘98. This version, however, includes more from Burnett.

Comments:

1) Whatever CNBC is paying Burnett, it isn’t enough to put up with the likes of Cramer.

2) I think most hedge fund professionals have seen this video. It is hilarious, although perhaps a bit confusing to the layEph. When I first saw it, I didn’t realize that the interviewer was Burnett. My mistake.

3) The Fed did decrease the discount rate last Friday, as Cramer suggested.

UPDATE: Daily Show Clip -

————————————-

Condé Nast Portfolio has a fawning profile of “business broadcasting’s hottest host”, Erin Burnett ‘98. And here’s another gushing piece, from the NY Post.

Some excerpts from the silly FHM-style interview in the Post:

Q: Do you get stopped on the street and propositioned by your fans on Wall Street?

A: Oh God, no. People who recognize me from the show have stopped me a few times, but it doesn’t happen often. In New York, there are a lot of real celebrities running around.

Q: How much e-mail do you get from obsessed viewers?

A: It’s flattering that people notice you, but some of the stuff is just weird. It comes in but I don’t respond to it. I guess it just comes with the job. I actually get a lot of really thoughtful and insightful e-mails from hedge-fund managers and brokers.

Q: What’s your typical day like?

A: I get up at 5 a.m. and head straight down to the stock exchange and there it’s just a race to get ready on the set. Around 7 a.m. we have our first call for “Squawk on the Street” to figure out what news stories we’re following.

Q: Sounds like a lot of work. Do you ever get to go out during the week?

A: By the time the end of the day comes, I’m pretty exhausted. Sometimes I’ll have dinner or drinks with a source but if I have a free night, I usually go to the gym.

Q: How often to you get to the gym?

A: Not as often as I should, but I usually get there three or four times a week counting both Saturday and Sunday. It just makes me feel better. I played field hockey and lacrosse in college so I miss the exercise.

Q: After you graduated from Williams College, you worked at Goldman Sachs. Why did you leave?

A: I loved the experience and I still have a lot of friends there. I just didn’t feel an excitement about it.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant?

A: “Henry’s End” in Brooklyn Heights.

Q: Are you getting annoyed with the comparison with Maria?

A: Yeah. The way I look at it, it’s good for CNBC because we have such a strong lineup. People like rivalries. Our styles are very different.

Q: Are you single?

A: The only thing I can say is that I’m not married.

Williams’ own Erin Burnett ‘98 has a “fan” in “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, though it may have been better to have shown his feelings off air…

Fun interview with Erin Burnett ‘98, a two sport athlete at Williams.

In less than two years, Erin Burnett, host of CNBC’s “Street Signs” and co-anchor of “Squawk on the Street,” has blossomed from a relative unknown into Wall Street’s sizzling media star. Ratings of “Squawk” are up 79 percent over last year in the crucial 25-to-54 year old demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The 31-year-old farm girl from Mardela Springs, Md., has her own listing on Wikipedia and obsessed fans have created a chat room on Yahoo! that tracks her every move. Earlier this year, Burnett handily won a poll of the hottest financial news anchors on Wall Street gossip blog Dealbreaker.com. She got 37 percent of the votes while rival CNBC anchor Becky Quick came in second with 22 percent. Maria Bartiromo only got 13 percent, prompting media watchers to dub Burnett “Maria 2.0.” The Post’s Zachery Kouwe uncovers just what Burnett thinks of her newfound buzz.

Q: Do you get stopped on the street and propositioned by your fans on Wall Street?

A: Oh God, no. People who recognize me from the show have stopped me a few times, but it doesn’t happen often. In New York, there are a lot of real celebrities running around.

Q: How much e-mail do you get from obsessed viewers?

A: It’s flattering that people notice you, but some of the stuff is just weird. It comes in but I don’t respond to it. I guess it just comes with the job. I actually get a lot of really thoughtful and insightful e-mails from hedge-fund managers and brokers.

Q: What’s your typical day like?

A: I get up at 5 a.m. and head straight down to the stock exchange and there it’s just a race to get ready on the set. Around 7 a.m. we have our first call for “Squawk on the Street” to figure out what news stories we’re following.

Q: Sounds like a lot of work. Do you ever get to go out during the week?

A: By the time the end of the day comes, I’m pretty exhausted. Sometimes I’ll have dinner or drinks with a source but if I have a free night, I usually go to the gym.

Q: How often to you get to the gym?

A: Not as often as I should, but I usually get there three or four times a week counting both Saturday and Sunday. It just makes me feel better. I played field hockey and lacrosse in college so I miss the exercise.

Q: Do you want to stick with financial news for the foreseeable future?

A: I really love business news, talking about deals and having CEOs on air. The guys who run nuts and bolts companies - like the companies that inject air into diapers - really know what’s going on. So you could sort of say that I took to business news like a fish to water. The best thing about being in business news is you don’t have to cover Paris [Hilton] unless Hilton Hotels is being sold.

Q: What are your favorite stories?

A: I love breaking news, when something big hits the wire and you have to start talking about it off-the-cuff with no teleprompters. It’s a lot of fun and invigorating.

Q: After you graduated from Williams College, you worked at Goldman Sachs. Why did you leave?

A: I loved the experience and I still have a lot of friends there. I just didn’t feel an excitement about it.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

A: One thing I really like to do is travel. I have this goal of going to 100 countries and I’m already up to 30. I just got back from Bulgaria.

Q: Who is your favorite business personality?

A: Rupert Murdoch (wink wink). No seriously, [it's] the Jeffs. Immelt and Zucker, of course!

Q: Is there a story you are getting sick of covering?

A: For me, I’m tired of the immigration debate. The discussion has become irrational and exhausting - people talk at each other and refuse to listen. At first, it was fascinating. It has become repetitive.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant?

A: “Henry’s End” in Brooklyn Heights.

Q: Are you getting annoyed with the comparison with Maria?

A: Yeah. The way I look at it, it’s good for CNBC because we have such a strong lineup. People like rivalries. Our styles are very different.

Q: Are you single?

A: The only thing I can say is that I’m not married.

Q: What do think of the threat posed by the new Fox Business Network?

A: I say, bring it on.

No more talk of “Jeffs,” please.

After all the back and forth on Athletes and International students, I thought I’d bring up a lighter topic. A friend of mine recently brought to my attention that Erin Burnett ‘98 started working as a contributor on multiple shows on CNBC. Her profile can be found here. So congratulations to her.

Also just FYI she was an athlete at Williams. Sorry I had to do it.