Barry Diller, entertainment industry legend, recently appeared on Michael Eisner's "scratchy" CNBC talk show. The Cable Gamer didn't catch it there, of course, but happily, a little bird called "bizfan123" did catch it and was nice enough to put it on YouTube.
Diller must have known what he was doing--going on CNBC's air, and praising FBN. One wonders, of course, what Eisner was thinking, or expecting from his guest--and whether or not Diller will ever be invited back. And one wonders further how CNBC management will react.
Here's the good stuff: When Eisner asked Diller to assess FBN, Diller recalled that more than a decade ago, when Rupert Murdoch had told him about his plans to start a "Fox News Channel," Diller had dismissed the idea. And of course, Diller said with a smile, Murdoch had been proven right and he, Diller, had been proven wrong.
So now, when asked about Fox Business News, Diller saw things differently. He told Eisner that he gave FBN high marks "Because Roger Ailes is such a genuine talent...you can't discount what he'll be able to create."
For purposes of comparison, Eisner asked Diller what he would think about a business channel started up, by say, Time-Warner. And a look of horror came over Diller's face. "Oh no," he gasped.
