CNBC - All Stories

James Caan to Present 'Business Class' on CNBC

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:10:36 GMT

CNBC has announced that NatWest will sponsor the network's new small business series, The Business Class hosted by entrepreneur and investor James Caan.

The high street bank will associate with the new seven part series which aims to help small and medium sized businesses grow and prosper. The series is hosted by James Caan, who will be joined by experts from a cross section of industries, as they look at the challenges and opportunities faced by six UK businesses. The featured businesses are at different stages in their lifecycle, from start-up to those looking to raise finance, expand internationally and finally considering flotation or selling their business.

NatWest will benefit from branded bumpers at the beginning and end of the programme, using the strapline 'Ahead for Business'. CNBC's Creative Solutions team will also produce a number of branded vignettes featuring segments from each programme and others that feature interviews with NatWest small business executives, which will air in commercial airtime in rotation with NatWest spot ads.

NatWest ads will also appear on-line at CNBC.com and on the series' dedicated website businessclass.cnbc.com, which will launch at the beginning of October.

The terms of the sponsorship were undisclosed and was brokered directly with NatWest.

Justin Davison, Director Ad Sales at CNBC commented, "The Business Class provides NatWest with an ideal platform to associate itself with practical and informative content relevant to the SME market. Through the commercial campaign, NatWest will makes CNBC's influential and affluent audience in the UK, aware of their activities to support SMEs."

Peter Ibbetson, Chairman Small Business, NatWest said: "We need to do all we can to promote the culture of enterprise in the UK. As we face a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, it's even more important we find new ways to provide practical advice to help businesses progress."

The Business Class will discuss the key issues facing today's SME's, the resources available to them and what is needed to become successful. Each 30 minute episode will feature an innovative business which is seeking guidance to help it grow in today's market place. With James Caan's impressive track record of creating and managing successful companies, he uses his first-hand experience to discuss the challenges and offer advice with the guest experts, each providing their own candid insight and growth strategy. The series will be filmed on location and in the studio, where CNBC will track how the CEO's react to the advice.

"Lots of people think about becoming an entrepreneur and starting their own business," says James Caan. "This series will take a look at real businesses and help them navigate their way to greater success. I'm delighted to be part of a fresh new series which will not only look at the real issues facing small businesses today, but will give sound and relevant advice for all business - whatever their life stage."

The Business Class debuts on 17 October at 10.00pm and will repeat at the weekend at 9.30pm (UK time). CNBC can be seen on Sky channel 505, Virgin 613 and Freesat 210.

The first episode will feature LUX FIX, a members-only online fashion boutique which provides customers with exclusive discounts on a selection of current-season collections from the most exciting young and established British designers including Hannah Martin and Theo Fennell. The company was founded in 2011 by ex-Goldman Sachs analyst Alice Hastings-Bass and her childhood friend, digital marketing professional Rebecca Glenapp.

Companies featured in other episodes will include:

- Kwickscreen - the manufacturer of portable, retractable, room dividers, based in in Battersea and with a factory in Corby

- Imagematch Social Enterprise - based in Shrewsbury, an innovative training company working with young unemployed people to support them in the transition to permanent employment

- Shutl - a branded web service company based in Shoreditch, enabling immediate and convenient delivery of online shopping

- BrewDog - a craft brewer based in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire

- Ovo Energy - a gas and electricity supplier based in Kemble, near Cirencester.

CNBC Announces Nominees for Travel Business Leader Award

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:24:58 GMT

CNBC has announced the nominees of this year’s Travel Business Leader Award in Asia Pacific (TBLA).

The winner of the TBLA will be announced at the Asia Travel Leaders Summit (ATLS) Gala Dinner in Singapore on October 16.

CNBC’s TBLA recognizes the business leader who has demonstrated leadership excellence in the
travel and tourism industry – driving growth, success and profitability. Candidates for this award include leaders from the following sectors: airlines, hospitality, attractions and tour operators, travel Agents, and airports.

Nominees contending for this year’s TBLA are:

• John Borghetti, CEO, Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd
• Suthikiati Chirathivat, Chairman of the Executive Board, Central Plaza Hotel PCL
• Robbie Cooke, Managing Director & Group CEO, Wotif Group
• William E. Heinecke, Chairman & CEO, Minor International PCL
• Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd
• Clement Kwok King Man, CEO, The HongKong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd
• Lim Kim Hai, Executive Chairman, Regional Express Holdings Ltd
• Arun Nanda, Chairman, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd
• Jia Ruijun, Chairman, Shanghai International Airport Co Ltd.
• Emirsyah Satar, President & CEO, Garuda Indonesia
• Edward Tracy, President & CEO, Sands China Ltd
• Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Francis Yeoh, Group Managing Director, YTL Corp

“Congratulations to all the candidates for their outstanding achievements throughout the year. I look forward to you joining us at the ATLS Gala Dinner,” said Satpal Brainch, President and Managing Director, CNBC International.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Millward Brown are the Knowledge and
Research Partners for TBLA. They, along with David Scowsill (President & CEO, WTTC) and
Tony Tyler (CEO & Director General, IATA), have worked closely with CNBC to ensure a rigorous selection criteria and judging process.

Organized as part of TravelRave – Asia’s most influential travel trade festival, the Asia Travel Leaders Summit, is an intimate high-level dialogue centered around the industry’s opportunities and challenges, driving sustained growth through collaborative initiatives that would benefit the Asia region.

CNBC to Air Live from the 2012 Democratic Convention

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:51:44 GMT

CNBC’s 'Your Money, Your Vote: The Democratic National Convention' will air live from 10PM -11PM ET on Thursday, September 6th.

The show will be anchored by CNBC's Brian Sullivan from CNBC global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ with CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood live from the convention in Charlotte, NC.

Jason Webby Joins CNBC International as Senior Vice President of Sales

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:23:33 GMT

CNBC has announced that Jason Webby will be joining CNBC International as Senior Vice President Sales.

This is a newly created role for the international business, which will see Webby overseeing CNBC’s advertising sales operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Webby will report to Satpal Brainch, President & Managing Director, CNBC International and will be based in London.

Webby joins CNBC from The Economist Group, where he has worked since 2005, initially as VP of Advertising for The Economist and Economist.com for the Americas and most recently as SVP, Global Head of Sales for the Economist Intelligence Unit, based in New York. Here he successfully managed all commercial aspects of the EIU’s global business, managing a global team of sales executives across 12 countries and was a member of EIU Global Management Committee. Webby will be relocating to London with his family and is due to start in early September.

Satpal Brainch, President & Managing Director, CNBC International commented, “This is an important role in our international business and I am pleased that Jason will be joining CNBC. He brings with him a wealth of experience in international media sales, which will further strengthen our team and ensure that we continue to offer innovative solutions to our advertising partners wanting to target our influential and affluent global audience.”

Jason Webby added, “I’m thrilled to be joining a brand like CNBC, which is so universally revered in the global business and financial communities. I’m looking forward to leading our international sales operations and helping our clients connect with CNBC’s prestigious audience across all platforms.”

CNBC to Premiere 'The Diamond Rush' 27th August

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:14:11 GMT

Investors are setting their sights on another precious commodity, one that could be a real gem. And, those investors aren’t just guys planning to propose to their girlfriends, some actually believe the precious stone is poised to become the next gold.

CNBC’s Bob Pisani travels to Africa to journey deep inside the richest diamond mine on the planet revealing the king of all diamond mines – DeBeers crown jewel in Botswana. From Africa to the Vegas strip…an all access insider’s look at Vegas’ very own diamond rush, where diamond hunters are out in force looking for the best rocks to buy and sell at the country’s largest jewelry expo.

Next stop the most famous street in America for this precious gem, New York’s 47th Street where Bob Pisani brings cameras for the first time into the Diamond Trading Club, the stock exchange of the diamond world. And finally, on the hunt for diamonds in Arkansas – yes, Arkansas – the only diamond producing public site in the entire world where you can go digging for diamonds and you’ll meet a guy who literally hit pay dirt.

Diamonds are in peak demand and producers are spending more money, and digging even deeper to pull rare diamonds from the earth, but will all the effort and the expense pay off? And, will diamond investing be the next big thing?

CNBC's 'The Diamond Rush' airs Monday 27th August at 9pm ET and 12am ET.

CNBC Strengthens Partnership in Japan

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:59:20 GMT

CNBC has expanded its partnership in Japan with a new deal which started on 1 July 2012.

The arrangement will see Nikkei-CNBC representing CNBC for advertising out of Japan onto CNBC’s global broadcast network in the U.S, Asia, EMEA and on CNBC’s digital properties including CNBC.com and mobile apps.
Nikkei-CNBC will develop advertising opportunities in Japan for clients who would like to connect with business decision makers across a range of industry sectors via CNBC’s global platform.

Nikkei-CNBC is a business and financial news television channel broadcast in Japan. Its parent company, Nikkei Inc., is the primary source of business information for top executives and decision-makers in Japan. Its flagship newspaper, The Nikkei, is the world's largest business daily with a circulation of over 3 million, combining both incisive articles on economics, business, finance and politics with first-rate reporting on social affairs, cultural events and sports.

“CNBC is pleased to be able to build on its collaboration with Nikkei group, one of the largest and most prominent media companies in Japan,” said Satpal Brainch, President and Managing Director, CNBC International. “In partnership with Nikkei-CNBC, we aim to provide easier access to advertisers in Japan to reach CNBC’s highly influential and affluent audience.”

“Nikkei-CNBC and CNBC are brands of distinction and therefore our partnership puts us in an extremely strong position in the market,” said Goro Sakai, President, Nikkei-CNBC. “We look forward to a mutually rewarding relationship as we continue to work together.”

CNBC Launches New Series on Middle East

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:17:47 GMT

CNBC has announced a new series covering business and finance in the Middle East, significantly increasing its news coverage of the region.

Each fortnight, starting on 4 July, CNBC’s Yousef Gamal El-Din will present a new half-hour series, Access: Middle East which will air in primetime programming. Gamal El-Din will travel around the region taking an in-depth look at the key business centres, interviewing top business leaders and policy makers. The programme will examine the economy and highlight those industries leading the growth.

Access: Middle East will air across CNBC’s regional networks in EMEA, Asia-Pacific and on CNBC World in the United States, with a combined reach of more than 190 million homes. The series will be produced from CNBC’s bureau in Dubai.

John Casey, Vice President, News & Programming, CNBC International said: “The Middle East remains a critical region for business and finance and the start of Access: Middle East allows us to build on our business day coverage of the region, with a dedicated half-hour programme that will give investors more insight in to the region and where best to place their money.”

The series kicks off with a focus on Dubai. In just over a decade Dubai has transformed from a regional trading hub to an international city. Access: Middle East will discuss how Dubai has achieved its success; the impact of the Arab Spring and its subsequent return to growth.

Access: Middle East - transmission times:

CNBC in the UAE (OrbitSN) UAE times
Premier Wednesday, 4 July, 20.00
Subsequent airings:
Thursday, (Friday morning) 01.00
Saturday, 10.00 & 15.30
Sunday, 15.30 & 19.30

CNBC in EMEA CET times
Premier Thursday, 5 July, 23.00
Subsequent airings:
Saturday, 08.00 & 13.30
Sunday, 13.30 & 17.30

CNBC World EST times
Premier, 6 July, 21.30
Subsequent airings:
Saturday, 19.00
Sunday, 07.00

CNBC in Asia-Pacific SIN/HK times
Premier Saturday, 7 July, 17:30
Subsequent airings:
Sunday, 08.30 & 20:30

Fast Money to Broadcast Special from Chicago Thursday 7th June

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:00:26 GMT

CNBC’s Fast Money is heading to Chicago, the financial center of the Midwest, on Thursday, June 7th for a special one day live event.

What better place to gauge the market’s headwinds and tailwinds…than the Windy City. With Chicago’s markets thriving on the back of strong options and futures trading, host Melissa Lee and the “Fast Money” traders go where the action is…home of the Fastest Money.

Guests include Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago; Tom Ricketts, Incapital Chairman, Chicago Cubs Owner; and James Metcalf, USG CEO.

Fast Money Airs 5pm ET, 4pm CT.

Erin Burnett Remembers Mark Haines

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:48:16 GMT

A year ago, CNBC Squawk Box pioneer Mark Haines sadly and unexpectedly passed away. At the time, CNN's Erin Burnett had just left CNBC and Mark for a new career in mainstream news.

Last night on 'Erin Burnett Out Front', she paid tribute and shared memories of her time with Mark Haines.

She said; "Someone very close to me died a year ago today. I wasn't sure I should acknowledge it on the air, because I'm uncomfortable marking a person's death. I think, instead, we should focus on, and celebrate, a person's life, especially a person who was larger than life -- like Mark Haines.

"We were co-hosts for more than 5 years. And moments like you see there were the moments of our daily life. It was just so much fun. That was our last day together.

"Mark gave me my first shot at hosting TV when I came on that set together. In his curmudgeonly way, he was going on vacation and we had our last read at the end of the show, and he said ‘hey why don’t you give her something to do. Give her something to do there, Sandy.’ And they did. And we became a team, the most unlikely team ever, but wow what a team it was.

"And I still see things every day that make me think - Haines would've loved this story. Serious ones -- like the debt crisis, where mark would come in with 3, 200 page studies, and have read them, and pulled out some zingers to nail say, Grover Norquist, or Barney Frank.

"And then, there were the stories we all actually want to watch like, the one in this week's Smithsonian about how Mark's favorite animal, the chicken, conquered the world.

"Mark showed me that if you're tenacious, keep your humor, and go to the beat of your own drummer, the world is a wonderful place.

"On my last day on our set together, Mark told me that coming to work together was a joy. It was, a joy for me. I looked forward to seeing him and hearing him come to work every single day. It’s something I’ll think of for the rest of my life."

CNBC Cements Position as Top Pan-European Business Channel

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:12:07 GMT

CNBC has extended it's lead at the top of the EMS survey results, with an increase of 14% over the 2011 survey.

A CNBC Spokesperson told News on News; “CNBC is pleased with the recent set of EMS results issued today. Looking at the like-for-like daily figures CNBC has seen an up-lift in its daily audience (+14% vs. 2011 to 612,000) and when combining the new EMS figures from Turkey, its daily audience increases further (+23%) vs. 2011 (to 662,000).

“This makes CNBC the Number One business and financial TV news channel in Europe. And, when you combine our multi-platform offerings (on-line, mobile, i-Pad and apps), CNBC is the Number One provider ahead of all other business media owners.

“Overall this is an extremely positive performance for the network.”

CNBC EMEA Takes Kelly Evans from US

Fri, 11 May 2012 20:16:52 GMT

CNBC announced today that it has assigned Kelly Evans, one of its U.S. journalists to co-anchor its daily global business programme Worldwide Exchange from London.

The show takes the early morning time slot in the US of 4.00am - 6.00am ET, 9.00am - 11.00am in the UK and 4.00pm - 6.00pm in Singapore/Hong Kong.

Evans joined CNBC in the United States in February 2012 as an on-air correspondent and has already presented CNBC’s flagship morning programme Squawk Box, as well as reported across CNBC’s business day programming. Evans will co-anchor Worldwide Exchange with Ross Westgate who has presented the programme since it launched in 2005.

John Casey, Vice President, News & Programming, CNBC International said: “We’re delighted that a journalist of Kelly’s calibre with her strong US credentials is joining Worldwide Exchange and we look forward to her being part of the team.

“The beauty of this programme is that it harnesses the power of the entire CNBC network. Our global infrastructure allows us to be where the relevant news is happening,” continued Casey. “Worldwide Exchange will continue to cover stories wherever they break, in China, Japan, the US or the Middle East. We’ll bring you the news, the data and the detail so that our audience can make informed investment decisions.”

Prior to CNBC, Evans was a reporter and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, penning the influential “Ahead of the Tape” column and writing for “Heard on the Street." She also hosted the daily “News Hub” programme on WSJ.com and was a frequent guest on television and radio networks, including CNBC.

According to CNBC, the aim of Worldwide Exchange is to create a hub for a global conversation based in its European HQ in London, which is the ideal intersection between the regions.

From Monday 14 May, Worldwide Exchange will broadcast in its new format and will feature a number of new segments including Trade Links, which will examine the risks and rewards for businesses operating across borders with policy makers and industry leaders across the regions.

Viewers can get involved in the programme by e-mailing their questions and comments to ">. You can also follow Ross Westgate on Twitter @rosswestgate; Kelly Evans @Kelly_Evans and CNBC @CNBCWorld.

CNBC EMEA to Air Vidal Sassoon Documentary Tonight

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:15:38 GMT

Vidal Sassoon, the world-changing hairdresser, entrepreneur and philanthrophist, died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, aged 84.

In one of his last interviews, Sassoon spoke to CNBC EMEA's 'CNBC Meets' series in which he discussed his early life, career and his battle against Leukaemia, something which he called "a naughty little disease."

As a tribute, CNBC EMEA will be re-airing the interview tonight at 2200 BST / 2300 CET. The show will also re-air over the weekend on both Saturday and Sunday at 2130 BST / 2230 CET.

The UK's terrestrial broadcasters Channel 4 and Five are also using clips from the interview in their television news reports.

Barack Obama to Appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:34:55 GMT

President Barack Obama will make his first appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” which can be seen exclusively in EMEA on CNBC on Wednesday, 25 April (midnight CET).

The special broadcast will be taped from the campus of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the day before.

Dave Matthews is set to perform as the musical guest. Fallon will also bring along his acclaimed house band The Roots.

"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" is produced by Universal Television and Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer. Michael Shoemaker produces. Gavin Purcell is the supervising producer.

In the UK CNBC is available on all major pay-tv platforms: Sky (channel 505), Virgin (613), Talk Talk (510), Freesat (210).

Squawk Box to Air Live from Paris April 16th

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:21:57 GMT

CNBC’s flagship morning programme, Squawk Box will host the entire programme live from Paris on 16 April from the Palais Brongniart, the former home of the French Stock Exchange.

With the French Presidential election less than a week away, the programme will provide local expert analysis on the health of the country’s economy, the impact of the election on business in France and the significance of France’s role in leading the Euro zone out of the credit crisis.

Guests at the special camera position will include:

François Mallet, Managing Director & Head of Equity at Kepler Capital Markets (Guest host)
Pierre-Yves Gauthier, Founding Partner at Alphavalue (Guest host)
Jean-François Robin, Economic Research & Global Head of Strategy at Natixis
Dominique Barbet, Senior Economist at BNP Paribas
Bruno Jeanbart, Director Political Studies & Opinion Polls at Opinionway
Laurent Deydier, Portfolio Manager at Banque Jean-Philippe Hottinguer.

The programme’s presenters Steve Sedgwick and Karen Tso will be joined by Paris reporter Stéphane Pedrazzi for the three hour programme, which is usually produced live from CNBC’s regional headquarters in London.

Around the world, Squawk Box is the ultimate ‘pre-market’ news and talk show, providing must-see commentary and analysis wrapped around the market open. Each day the biggest names in business bring their most important stories to the programme. Squawk Box's unique sense of street smarts and wit, mixed with business news and an unscripted and fast-paced exchange of banter, makes it essential viewing for any investor who wants a jumpstart on the business day.

Viewers can get involved in the programme by e-mailing their questions and comments to . You can also follow CNBC and Squawk Box on Twitter @CNBCWorld

Presenter Karen Tso recently joined the Squawk Box team in Europe and brings a unique perspective having presented Squawk Box on CNBC’s Asia Pacific network in Singapore.

“Each day we dissect the biggest stories influencing global markets, companies and politics so that viewers hear first hand how the big money is being positioned before markets open for trade,” says Tso. “It’s great to be here in Paris to look at the French market at such a critical time. No matter where we are, what I love about presenting the programme are the intelligent discussions that we have with our guests on what is driving market sentiment, combined with lively debate with my co-presenters, who are no strangers to hard talk and street-smart conversation.”

CNBC and Institutional Investor Announce Second Annual Investor Conference

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:08:06 GMT

CNBC and the Institutional Investor, have announced the second annual Delivering Alpha conference, a singular investor event, scheduled for July 18, 2012, at The Pierre in New York City.

Delivering Alpha 2011 was a virtual who’s who of the investor community with hedge fund titans and institutional investors offering candid views. Over $2 trillion of investable assets were represented by over 100 influential institutional investors.

Led by top journalists from CNBC and Institutional Investor, the conference featured one-on-one interviews and panel discussions with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; William Ackman, Founder and CEO, Pershing Square Capital Management LP; Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock; Sam Zell, Chairman, Equity Group Investments; Meredith Whitney, CEO, Meredith Whitney Advisory Group; Jim Chanos, President and Founder, Kynikos Associates; Kyle Bass, Founder and Principal, Hayman Advisors LP; Leon Cooperman, Chairman and CEO, Omega Advisors; and Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO, Starwood Capital Group; among others.

“Last year’s inaugural conference was a huge success and reaffirms the strength of this collaboration with Institutional Investor as well as CNBC’s commitment to providing premium content to our sophisticated investor focused audience,” said Mark Hoffman, President and CEO of CNBC. “This year we are looking forward to building on that momentum with another high-level forum, featuring the most important players in asset management tackling the critical issues facing investors in today’s economy.”

“CNBC and Institutional Investor share a significant synergy because the two organizations bring such unique qualities — incomparable distribution and contacts with the world’s financial rainmakers coupled with deep relationships with the largest institutional and sovereign investors,” said Diane Alfano, Chairman of Institutional Investor. “This relationship has far exceeded our expectations. We now have a global thought-leadership meeting attended by the most powerful and prominent members of the asset management industry.”

The conference agenda is being created in collaboration with a distinguished group of advisory board members including:

William Ackman, Pershing Square Capital Management LP

Clifford S. Asness Ph.D., AQR Capital Management

Afsaneh Mashayekhi Beschloss, The Rock Creek Group

Peter L. Briger Jr., Fortress Investment Group LLC

Leon G. Cooperman, Omega Advisors

Anne Dinning, D.E. Shaw

Mohamed A. El-Erian, Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO)

Mary Callahan Erdoes, J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Laurence D. Fink, BlackRock

Greg Fleming, Morgan Stanley Investment Management

Sonia E. Gardener, Avenue Capital

J. Tomilson Hill, Blackstone Marketable Alternative Asset Management

Andrew Law, Caxton Associates LP

Jim Leech, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Meridee Moore, Watershed Asset Management, LLC

Jim O'Neill, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Richard Perry, Perry Capital

Bruce Richards, Marathon Asset Management

Lawrence Schloss, New York City Employees’ Retirement System

Shachi Shah, Barclays Capital Fund Solutions

Damon Silvers, AFL-CIO

Thomas F. Steyer, Farallon Capital Management, LLC

Ashbel Williams, Florida State Board of Administration (SBA)

A portion of the conference proceeds will benefit The Council for Economic Education (CEE), the nation’s leading non-profit dedicated to increasing the economic and financial literacy of K-12 students.

CNBC to Air Investigation 'Health Care Hustle'

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:06:03 GMT

As the Supreme Court considers President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and politicians and policymakers battle over ways to cut costs, they are confronting one of the most expensive aspects of the U.S. health care system: rampant fraud.

It’s happening across the country. Doctors, pharmacists, home health care providers and sometimes even patients…hustling the system. Conservative estimates put health care fraud in the U.S. at $80 billion each year – some say the real number is closer to $160 billion. That’s U.S. taxpayer money going into the hands of criminals instead of care.

On Monday, April 9th at 9PM ET/PT, CNBC presents “Health Care Hustle,” a one-hour original documentary reported by award-winning Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn and the CNBC Investigations Inc. team. They spent five months on the front lines with a joint strike force taking down alleged health fraudsters and criminal rings accused of bilking Medicare and Medicaid out of millions. The strike force—one of nine across the country—is at the heart of a two-year federal crackdown on fraud, and “Health Care Hustle” examines whether it is working.

CNBC Investigations Inc. follows agents of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) in New York working a case against a husband and wife team accused of running an $11 million scam out of a medical facility in Queens. A federal grand jury says some of what the facility bills to Medicare and Medicaid is not medical at all. The facility offers dance lessons, massages and door to door transportation all paid for by taxpayers. The government gets the bill for “physical therapy,” but authorities say it is more like pampering at a spa.

The American health care system in the 21st century is a dizzying array of numbers. Every diagnosis and every procedure has a billing code, which health care providers use to claim reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid. Cohn examines how medical coding can be a minefield for some, but an opportunity for others. Entire businesses have sprung up to teach doctors how to use the coding system to their advantage, wringing more money from the system. One, run by a Florida doctor, offers a video series called “Medical Coding Cash Secrets.” But authorities want to know where patients fit into the Medicare-Medicaid numbers game.

Puerto Rico only has about 92,000 people eligible for Medicare, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in opportunities to fraud. The scam of choice here: durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, IVs and prosthetic limbs. Cohn and the Investigations Inc. team head to San Juan as federal agents take down a group of individuals allegedly responsible for millions of dollars in false claims, from wheelchairs to hospital beds, according to prosecutors. The operation led to the arrest of 10 people accused in a scheme that led to $3 million in false Medicare claims. This was just one small victory, but operations like this are having an impact. Since the crackdown began in 2008, Medicare payments for durable medical equipment in Puerto Rico are down by more than a third.

With the Medicare Act of 2003, the prescription drug benefit has fulfilled an important health care need, but it’s also fulfilled an opportunity for fraud. When it comes to the new government health care benefit, investigators are still on a learning curve and the crooks are looking for loopholes. The CNBC investigation takes Cohn to the crossroads of America, Brazil, Indiana and nearby Terre Haute where a community pharmacist had billed more than $3.5 million in fake prescriptions to Medicaid – money that was supposed to help needy patients instead went to finance his lavish lifestyle that included multiple homes, cars, motorcycles and a $300,000 wedding for his daughter. Investigators only found him through a random spot check, interviewing a beneficiary. Other fake prescription scams have the taxpayers paying to support the habits of prescription drug addicts, while the pharmacist gets to bill the taxpayers and pocket the money.

Outhustling the health care hustlers is a never ending task and as the New York strike force gears up for the next raid, CNBC travels to Dallas, Texas, headquarters to another of the nine health care strike forces. The Feds call it the largest scam in Medicare history – they allege the largest home health care business in the state of Texas billed Medicare and Medicaid for nearly $375 million in bogus claims. But it is barely a drop in the bucket, leading some to argue it’s time to try something new. CNBC questions key decision makers in Washington about how the fight against fraud is impacting the national battle over health care reform.

CNBC to Air Coverage of UK Budget

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:33:39 GMT

CNBC will break into it's UK feed today as Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP delivers his annual budget to the British Parliament.

Carolin Schober will anchor from the London studio with guests and Steve Sedgwick will be down at Abingdon Green. Osborne's speech is due to start at 12:30 and last around 45 minutes, after which CNBC will broadcast part of Ed Balls' reaction and then get some post-budget analysis from a top table array of guests in the studio.

Guests include:

Allister Heath, Editor, CITYAM
Jeremy Cape, Partner, SNR Denton
David Kuo, Director, The Motley Fool
Geoff Tresman, Chairman, Punter Southall Financial Management
Adam Cole, Head of Currency Strategy, RBC

On European Closing Bell, will also get reaction from Westminster from: "Lord Norman Lamont, Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP Alistair Darling, Former UK Chancellor".

CNBC Launches Pan-European Squawk Box Advertising Campaign

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:27:23 GMT

CNBC has launched a new pan-European advertising campaign to strengthen awareness of the network and its flagship morning programme Squawk Box.

The campaign follows the introduction of a renewed line-up of presenters on Squawk Box with the arrival of anchor Karen Tso from CNBC in Asia. Tso joined the on-air team working alongside Geoff Cutmore and Steve Sedgwick in January.

The print and on-line campaign will run pan-regionally in media including the Financial Times, FT.com, FT Weekend Magazine, Shares magazine and also specialist finance and luxury titles including The Banker, FDI Intelligence, Elevator, Spear’s and Lusso. The campaign starts this week and will run throughout 2012.

The creative, developed and booked in house, builds on the channel’s previous brand campaign, but for the first time focuses on CNBC’s most influential and watched programme Squawk Box and the show’s EMEA presenters, who feature prominently in the creative.

The creative uses the headline ‘Squawk Box. Where Business Turns First’ to reflect the programme’s position as the leading ‘pre-market’ news and talk show across the global CNBC network. Each week day, the programme attracts the biggest names in business who bring their most important stories first to CNBC.

Charlotte Westgate, Vice President Marketing and Communications, EMEA at CNBC commented, “CNBC’s brand is well established in the business and financial marketplace, so our advertising has evolved to promote our most popular programme. CNBC attracts more daily, weekly and monthly viewers than its rivals and this campaign is designed to re-enforce our leading position by promoting the programme to new and existing viewers.”

CNBC to Air Documentary Original 'Healthcare Hustle'

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:21:41 GMT

Conservative estimates put healthcare fraud at $80 billion each year in the U.S. and some say it could be twice that number.

That’s U.S. taxpayer money going into the hands of criminals instead of care.

CNBC Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn and the Investigations Inc. team follow a joint task force from the US Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General on pre-dawn raids as they take down alleged health fraudsters in New York City, Indiana, Miami, Detroit and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The show airs;

Monday, 4/9/2012:

9:00 PM HEALTHCARE HUSTLE
12:00 AM HEALTHCARE HUSTLE

CNBC to Air Documentary Original 'Costco Craze'

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:17:40 GMT

CNBC goes inside Costco, the huge and hugely popular chain famous for turning the experience of shopping in a warehouse into an adventure.

The nation’s third largest retailer has thrived by turning convention on its head: Costco never advertises, charges its 65 million members to shop there, and doesn’t mark up any product more than 15 percent.

It seems like a business model that shouldn’t work, except that it does, generating billions in profits along with intense customer loyalty.

Correspondent Carl Quintanilla shows how Costco has grown to 600 stores and $88 billion in annual sales, attracting some of the most loyal and affluent customers in the business. They return repeatedly for the treasure-hunt thrill of Costco’s constantly changing inventory, including diamond rings, steaks, wedding dresses and caskets.

This CNBC Original documentary also looks at the possibility of a “Costco Effect” and explores whether buying those 28-packs of pretzels and oversized bottles of salad dressing saves money, and whether it leads customers to consume more.

The show airs;

Thursday, 4/26/2012:

9:00 PM THE COSTCO CRAZE: INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE GIANT
10:00 PM THE COSTCO CRAZE: INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE GIANT
12:00 AM THE COSTCO CRAZE: INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE GIANT
1:00 AM THE COSTCO CRAZE: INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE GIANT