Maria Bartiromo to Leave CNBC for Fox Business

Maria Bartiromo, one of the first women to become a star on television reporting on business news, is leaving her longtime home at CNBC for its rival, the Fox Business Network.

CNBC confirmed the news Monday, thanking Ms. Bartiromo for her 20-year career at CNBC.

The network issued a statement: “After 20 years of groundbreaking work at CNBC, Maria Bartiromo will be leaving the company as her contract expires on November 24th. Her contributions to CNBC are too numerous to list but we thank her for all of her hard work over the years and wish her the best.”

Word of the deal with Fox Business was first posted on the Drudge Report.

Ms. Bartiromo is expected to start on the Fox Business Network next Monday, with a program dealing with the day’s developments on Wall Street. Her new deal is also expected to include exposure on the far more watched Fox News Channel. (Neither Fox outlet commented publicly about the hiring on Monday).

The signing is a coup of sorts for Fox Business, which has struggled to establish a profile. Ratings for the network continue to be challenged. Last week, Fox Business averaged fewer than 10,000 viewers in the group that attracts advertisers, those between the ages of 25 and 54. CNBC had more than three times as many with 31,000.

Ms. Bartiromo, who was the first correspondent to report directly every day from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, was among the best-known faces on CNBC. She was once known as the “Money Honey” for her popular appeal. She also has a long history with Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman, who also leads Fox Business. He was in charge of CNBC in 1993 when Ms. Bartiromo joined that network.