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CNBC's bold move:
MBAs in a faceoff

Teams of B-schoolers vie to pick winning stocks

By Diego Vasquez
Aug 22, 2007

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As CNBC girds itself for the October launch of Rupert Murdoch’s deep-pocketed and highly anticipated Fox Business Network, the longtime business news leader has been trying new things.

It is branching out from its traditional numbers-focused financial market coverage, offering some entertainment alongside the usual information.

In June, CNBC launched “American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals,” a primetime series about the dark side of the American dream. Sunday it will premiere “Against the Tide: The Battle for New Orleans,” a documentary focused on the business community’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

But perhaps the most drastic departure is “Fast Money MBA Challenge,” the network’s first original game show, which airs its finale tonight at 9 after premiering on Aug. 1.

The contest pits squads from different business schools against each other, challenging them to invest $100,000 in virtual money in five publicly traded stocks of their choice. The winner will be selected based on whose portfolio has performed best during the four-week period from July 16 to close of trading today.

The winning squad will receive $200,000 to split among its four members, who can apply the money to any school-related expenses. The field has been whittled to just two schools, Texas and Yale, and viewers can submit their guess as to who will win the money via text message or online. One voter will be selected to win an iPhone.

While it’s smart for CNBC to try such new ploys, it’s uncertain whether “Money” will return after middling viewership. Last week’s episode averaged 129,000 viewers, down 25 percent from the previous week and below the network’s primetime average, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Disney Networks.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	Actor Samuel L. Jackson guests, and R&B singer Ne-Yo performs.
7 p.m.	ESPN2	"Major League Baseball" (S)	Two teams vying for playoff spots, the Padres and Mets, face off at Shea.
8 p.m.	Fox	"Anchorwoman" (R, C)	Series premiere. A swimsuit model takes a TV news anchor job in a conservative Texas town.
8 p.m.	TLC	"The Death of JFK, Jr." (N)	A look back at the 1999 death of JFK Jr. and his wife, Carolyn.
9 p.m.	NBC	"Last Comic Standing" (R)	The final five perform their routines once again.
10 p.m.	FX	"Rescue Me" (D)	Tommy tries to get some information about Janet out of Colleen.
10 p.m.	MTV	"The Real World" (R)	Parisa tries to get with Dunbar, but he's more into KellyAnne.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy talk women's soccer as the Women’s World Cup approaches.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Big Brother" (R)	One of the always-tense eviction episodes.
8 p.m.	Fox	"NFL Football" (S)	The Jaguars take on the Packers in Green Bay.
9 p.m.	Sci Fi	"Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" (R)	The wannabes' fears manifest themselves during this week's challenge.
10 p.m.	AMC	"Mad Men" (D)	The workers begin to murmur about a possible affair within the office.
10 p.m.	USA	"Burn Notice" (D)	A guy has a good time house-sitting for a millionaire until his fiancée is kidnapped.
10 p.m.	Discovery	"Wildcatters" (N)	Series premiere. New show follows three oilmen in their quest for black gold.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	Country star Martina McBride performs.
8 p.m.	CBS	"NFL Football" (S)	The Patriots battle the Panthers in another preseason tilt.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Miss Teen USA 2007" (A)	The 25th annual event, hosted by Mario Lopez.
9 p.m.	WGN	"Major League Baseball" (S)	It's a battle of the Sox, as Boston takes on Chicago.
9 p.m.	Sci Fi Channel	"Flash Gordon" (D)	A fatally infectious insect is accidentally let onto Earth.
9 p.m.	USA	"Monk" (D)	Monk finds out the secret identity of a famed daredevil, and he just can't get over it.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
Time	Network	Program	Description
12:30 p.m.	ABC	"Little League Baseball" (S)	The championship game of the international side of the tournament.
3 p.m.	ESPN	"Basketball" (S)	It's Canada versus the U.S.A. in the FIBA Americas tournament.
3 p.m.	ABC	"Little League Baseball" (S)	Another title game, this time on the U.S. side.
3:30 p.m.	Fox	"Major League Baseball" (S)	Today it's either Red Sox-White Sox or Dodgers-Mets.
8 p.m.	ESPN	"NASCAR Racing" (S)	The Nextel Cup Sharpie 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Bob Saget: That Ain't Right" (C)	Stand-up special in which the comedian makes fun of the shows that made him a star.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 26
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	CBS	"PGA Golf" (S)	Final round of The Barclays, won last year by Vijay Singh.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	"Little League Baseball" (S)	The U.S. champs take on the international title winners for the Little League World Series crown.
4 p.m.	NBC	"Golf" (S)	The final match of the 107th U.S. Amateur, live from San Francisco.
8 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	Pennsylvania grudge match between the Eagles and Steelers.
9 p.m.	VH1	"Rock of Love" (R)	The final six ladies split into two teams and see who can come up with the best album cover.
9 p.m.	Spike TV	"The Kill Point" (D)	Series finale. Mr. Rabbit and Capt. Horst each try to execute their plans.
10 p.m.	HBO	"Entourage" (C)	On their way to Cannes to screen "Medellin," the guys have airport security issues.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.