Later, as I learned about finances, I started liking the channel, as everything they spoke made sense, mainly because I understood it. A simple reason why market crashed would astonish me and make me appreciate the channel’s brilliance.

I now realize I was quite immature and naïve. I am back to my initial views about CNBC – I loathe it – not because those figures don’t make sense, but due to these 5 reasons:

1. When there is a breaking news, CNBC is just like any other news channel. They keep repeating the story over and over again. They do it to update people about it who have just switched on their TV. But why do I have to suffer due to those latecomers. I have already seen the story thrice.
2. Instead of having a goal to provide best piece of information, their focus have shifted to gain viewership and be on the top. Arguably, you cannot blame the channel for this, they have to do it. But I don’t expect this from my financial channel. I want news, real news.
3. Few shows cover dozens of stocks, review them, explore the fundamentals, and provide you the exact amount to buy or sell. I think it’s absolute rubbish. Those positions they disclose are based purely on numbers. And I don’t really think anyone can predict the market accurately.
4. Like every other financial news channel, the ticker keeps showing 10 stocks over and over again. C’mon CNBC, where’s your creativity. People want to know the stock price but not ten times in a minute. Show some headlines instead.
5. Though it’s striving to be number one financial news channel, it wouldn’t be possible unless it provides timely news updates. Almost every piece of news is broadcasted late, after it’s been showed on other channels.

There are, however, few things I like about this channel. It provides good trading ideas and tips for starters. Additionally, it’s good for people seeking a combination of entertainment and news.

I believe the market is too big to be covered by a news channel that repeats the same story over and over again. To get precise information on stock market, I would suggest CNBC.com.

Till a few years ago, a lot of people, young and old, would religiously watch local news because that was their only mode of accessing information about the world around them. But nowadays with news being available on internet, on mobile phones and modern electronic devices, local news has suffered decreased viewer ship. Even today your local news company will not tell you that they are not at the peak of their business. According to reports by the Project For Excellence in journalism, today only about 52 % Americans watch local news. At present, local news is just trying to survive by struggling with new ways to attract viewers.

If you are thrilled watching some of the latest sizzling news reports  and features on the local news channels, don’t think that  the channel has got a knack for accessing and presenting the ‘most sensational’ news. It is just that television channels assess their market viewership four times a year, i.e. in February, May, July and November. It is during these times that they come up with good news stories to get a top market rating. So if you are watching a series of news items on crimes in your city, take it with a pinch of salt because they may be just broadcasted to get a good rating and not that the rate of crime has really increased in your city.

Many times when I’d go out after listening to the local weather report that it will not rain for day, I’d be unpleasantly surprised to find that indeed it did rain that day. Your local news channel may be boasting of presenting them most reliable weather information but the weather forecasts are not all that reliable. They usually pick up information from NWS or Weather Central for base readings, then they tweak the reports with their much talked about Doppler Radar system which only measures the degree of precipitation and wind velocity.

If you’ve observed, most news channels have the same stories to talk about. Of course, I do agree that major news remains the same and when it is covered by different news companies you get to see the same news. But then, most news channels buy the same news from news consultants and they get repeatedly broadcast on their channels. So your local news channel does not give you unique news though it might claim to give most times.

Even though TV news channels claim that their journalists have collected first hand information, many a time these are gathered from sources.