![Mad Money sound effect buttons](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Mad_Money_sound_effect_buttons.jpg)
''Mad Money'' is an American
finance
Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...
hosted by
Jim Cramer
James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality and author. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. A former hedge fund manager, founder, and senior partner of Cramer ...
that began airing on
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
on March 14, 2005. Its main focus is
investment
Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort.
In finance, the purpose of investing i ...
and
speculation
In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, good (economics), goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline i ...
, particularly in
public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (l ...
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
s.
Cramer defines "mad money" as the money one "can use to invest in stocks ... not retirement money, which you want in 401K or an
Individual retirement account
An individual retirement account (IRA) in the United States is a form of pension provided by many financial institutions that provides tax advantages for retirement savings. It is a trust that holds investment assets purchased with a taxpayer's ear ...
, a savings account, bonds, or the most conservative of dividend-paying stocks."
''Mad Money'' replaced
Dylan Ratigan
Dylan Jason Ratigan (born April 19, 1972) is an American businessman, author, film producer, former host of MSNBC's ''The Dylan Ratigan Show'' and political commentator for ''The Young Turks''. He was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representa ...
's ''
Bullseye
Bullseye or Bull's Eye may refer to:
Symbols
* ◎ (Unicode U+25CE BULLSEYE), in the Geometric Shapes Unicode block
* (Unicode U+0298 LATIN LETTER BILABIAL CLICK), the phonetic symbol for bilabial click
Animals and plants
* Bull's Eye, ''Euryo ...
'' for the 6 p.m.
Eastern Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...
slot. On January 8, 2007, CNBC began airing reruns of the show at 11 p.m. Eastern Time, on Monday through Friday, and at 4 a.m. Eastern Time, on Saturdays.
In March 2012, the program became a part of what was formerly branded as ''
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
All Night'' in the nominal 3:07 a.m. ET/2:07 a.m. timeslot on weeknights, replacing week-delayed repeats of NBC's late night talk shows. In that form, only the video for the program was presented on a
16:9 screen with gray branded
windowboxing and
pillarbox
The pillarbox effect occurs in widescreen video displays when black bars (mattes or masking) are placed on the sides of the image. It becomes necessary when film or video that was not originally designed for widescreen is shown on a widescreen ...
ing, with all enhanced business information, including the
CNBC Ticker
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
, removed. The continuing movement of
morning local newscasts, and with it ''
Early Today
''Early Today'' is an American early morning news broadcasting, television news program that is broadcast on NBC on weekday mornings. The program features general national and international news stories, financial and entertainment news, off-bea ...
'' further into what is known as the
graveyard slot
A graveyard slot (or death slot) is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually in the early mor ...
eventually began to interfere with the airing of ''Mad Money'' in this late slot, especially if they aired at 4 a.m., and in the Eastern and Pacific time zones (meaning seven minutes would have to be cut-off ''Mad Money'' to fit in ''Early Today'' and a local newscast starting at 4:30 a.m.). On July 31, 2017, ''Early Today'' began to first record at 3:00 a.m. ET, and without any room on the schedule, the NBC version of ''Mad Money'' was discontinued on this date.
On August 4, 2014, ''Mad Money'' was first broadcast in full-screen 1080i HD, resulting in the removal of the sidebar that was seen on all of CNBC's other trading-day programming, until the sidebar itself was permanently removed altogether on October 13, 2014. The NBC presentation displayed the native widescreen HD picture, albeit with the CNBC Ticker space still filled in with gray windowboxing.
Program features
Opening
Cramer usually starts his shows saying this, or an alternative version of this phrase after opening credits: "Hey, I'm Cramer, welcome to ''Mad Money'', welcome to Cramerica, some people want to make friends
t this point, Cramer adds an extra, original statement I just want to make you money, because my job is not just to entertain you, but to educate and teach you, so call me at 1-800-743-CNBC or tweet me @jimcramer."
Show medium
Cramer is usually standing up with the
fisheye lens
A fisheye lens is an ultra wide-angle lens that produces strong visual distortion intended to create a wide panoramic or hemispherical image. Fisheye lenses achieve extremely wide angles of view, well beyond any rectilinear lens. Instead of pr ...
Steadicam
Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for Movie camera, motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement ...
close to his face, while providing stock picks and investing advice. His voice inflection often changes from calm to shouting then back to a calm tone. Cramer also throws various objects around the set. Whenever one of his books is mentioned by a caller, he grabs the book, flashes it, and tosses it to the floor as a plug gag. In addition, he has a panel of oversized red buttons, which activate various sound effects. The online version of the show's sound board is available at cnbc.com.
He also has small, plastic bulls and bears which he has incorporated into his shows. After a large gain in the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow (), is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
The DJIA is one of the oldest and most commonly followed equity inde ...
, Cramer, dressed as a chef, chopped off the heads of the bears with a knife and placed them into a pan with onions and tomatoes. He called it a "bear stir-fry" or a "bear souffle". On February 28, 2006, he put his toy bulls through various kitchen appliances. And on May 17, 2006, after a steep plunge of the Dow, Cramer cooked toy bulls through a rotisserie oven. The studio has also featured Cramer
bobblehead
A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected to ...
dolls which utter phrases such as "Are You Ready Skee-Daddy?", callers can receive a free bobblehead upon request.
Also, Cramer has
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
yellow penalty and red coach's challenge flags that he throws whenever he believes a company has behaved unethically (penalty) or when he questions a stock decision (coach's challenge), respectively. He will also throw the flag when a caller unethically uses the national television audience to promote a stock for self-interest. If a caller rambles on about a stock, Cramer will lie down on the floor of the set with a pillow and blanket and act as if he is going to sleep.
Other props used include a box of
Uncle Ben's Rice
Ben's Original, formerly called Uncle Ben's, is an American brand of parboiled rice and other related food products that was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which is now owned by Mars, Inc. Its headquarters are in Denver Harbor, Houston, Texa ...
with
Chair of the Federal Reserve
The chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the Federal Reserve, and is the active executive officer of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The chair shall preside at the meetings of the Boa ...
Ben Bernanke
Ben Shalom Bernanke ( ; born December 13, 1953) is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Fed, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. Durin ...
's picture, an audio version of ''Jim Cramer's Real Money'', a
Louisville Slugger
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although histor ...
, and pink ''Mad Money'' pigs.
On the May 19, 2006, episode, Cramer had a monkey named Ka-ching make an appearance on the show. Ka-ching wore a CNBC T-shirt, sat in Cramer's chair, pressed the buttons that made sound effects, and threw the foam bulls around the set.
In October 2006, a customized
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...
BB-2122
scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...
was installed, featuring drawings of bulls on the left and bears on the right. The scoreboard usually displays a score from the previous night's sporting events, usually a high-profile game (e.g. Monday Night Football, or a score from a general NFL, MLB, game). The scoreboard also shows the date, but in the discontinued Sudden Death segment, the date would turn into a
countdown clock
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
to the end of the segment. The scoreboard was not used during "Back to School" road shows.
In June 2011, the ''Mad Money'' set's original glass panels (with the word "MAD" painted on them) were replaced with video walls.
On April 23, 2013, the show introduced the second-generation ''Mad Money'' set, which replaced a variation of the original set that had been used since the show's 2005 debut.
On July 18, 2022, ''Mad Money'' relocated to the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
, where an entirely new set debuted.
Segments
The general format of the show starts with two segments, where Cramer recommends one or more stocks in a group with his rationale for choosing them. At the end of each segment, Cramer will take one or two calls from viewers with questions about either the stock he recommended, or another stock in the same industry or which the viewer thinks may benefit from the topic discussed.
The third segment is the "Lightning Round". Segments four and five will feature either one of the segments listed below or another recommendation. Cramer does not take calls on these later segments except for the "Am I Diversified?" segment.
''Mad Money'' regularly includes the following segments:
; Lightning Round : See below.
; Game Plan : A Friday segment in which Cramer draws up his game plan to prepare you for the week ahead. He lays out all the plays you will need to make Mad Money when the bell rings on Monday morning.
; Sell Block : A Thursday segment in which Cramer puts the stocks he recommended in past shows in the "Sell Block". From stocks that are lost causes or moneymakers, Cramer tells the viewers when it's time to pocket the proceeds and put those stocks in the "Sell Block".
; Am I Diversified? : A Wednesday segment in which Cramer reviews five stocks in each caller's portfolio and suggests how they might consider enhancing their diversification. This is the only segment, as a rule, where Cramer is sitting in the chair.
; Mad Mail : Cramer answers viewer emails.
The other segments featured on ''Mad Money'' (some of which are no longer current) include the following:
; Sudden Death : Seen at the end of most shows, this Booyah-free zone gives viewers one last chance to name their stock and get Cramer's feedback. But this rapid-fire Q&A ends when the clock reaches zero and the show's over. Launched by the phrase, "There goes swifty!", this segment is very similar to the "Lightning Round". Cramer will hang up on callers who attempt Booyahs, pleasantries, and the like. This segment was discontinued in 2009.
; Pick of the Week : A segment in which Cramer picks a stock which he feels should be bought or at least studied carefully, usually before it is widely known or praised by others.
; Beating the Racket : An occasional feature where Cramer argues "nose to nose" with fellow financial columnist
Herb Greenberg
Herb Greenberg (born June 8, 1952 in Miami, Florida) is an American journalist.
Early life
Greenberg graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Career
Greenberg was a New York-based financial corresponden ...
(in person or via satellite) in which Greenberg focuses mainly on stocks that could ''lose'' money, usually a stock Cramer recommended. This segment has been discontinued.
; Cramer vs Cramer : A segment in which Cramer checks the accuracy of his stock predictions from previous weeks. Seen on Fridays.
; Danger Zone : An occasional feature in which Cramer profiles a stock that he feels does not have sound investment fundamentals but may appear attractive to investors.
; The Week That Was : A video montage featuring various moments from the current week, aired at the end of the program in place of the "Sudden Death" segment on Fridays.
; Pimpin' All Over The World : A segment (not actually using this title, but Cramer will reference the song by
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
of the same name) where Cramer profiles a potential play in an international market. Usually the play is not a direct investment – Cramer considers many of those to be too dangerous due to lack of accurate financial insight, especially in emerging stock markets – but a derivative, often another foreign company with ADR's traded on the American markets with significant investments in the emerging market, though in some cases Cramer will advise against the ADR's (if they trade on the
pink sheets, which Cramer believes do not have significant volume to generate profits) and recommend actually buying the stock in the foreign exchange.
; Stump the Cramer : A segment in which callers name a stock they believe Cramer does not know anything about; if successful, the caller receives an autographed copy of one of his most recent books. This segment has been discontinued.
; Mad Cow Disease : Cramer pretends he is suffering from mad cow disease. While mimicking a mad cow he presses the show's sound buttons with his head.
; Am I Nuts? : A feature which premiered on the first "Main Event" special in which Cramer "evaluates a patient" (from the live audience) to figure out, just as the segment's namesake, if the person is nuts in owning a certain stock, and then gives them a "prescription". This segment is considered to be a "Main Event" exclusive.
; Know Your IPO : An occasional segment in which Cramer spotlights a stock's upcoming
IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
.
; Executive Decision : In this segment, Cramer talks to the CEO, CFO, or an officer of a company, who joins the show either by telephone, on set or via satellite. In a variation of the segment, Cramer donned a cow bell and counted down to the market close. At close he would ring his cow bell by shaking left and right and then select a random stock to be "executed."
; Pin Action : This segment may stand alone or is integrated within the show amongst his recommended picks. In this segment, Cramer explains how he has come up with a "play" to take advantage of news from other stocks as a sort of "pin action" play. Often when explaining his theory, he uses the sound effect of a bowling ball knocking down pins.
; Under the Radar : Cramer crawls under the middle desk on set and pretends he is not present. The cameraman has to dramatically search the room but does not get to find Cramer. It's because he is under the radar.
; Student Stock Pitch : A feature in which college students (from the live audience) pitch a stock to Cramer. This segment is considered to be a "Back to School" exclusive.
Subtitles
Subtitles are frequently used to underscore some of the "bullet points" in Cramer's presentations. They are also used to explain some of the off-topic, obscure historical, literary, or pop-cultural references he may make. Subtitles are also used for disclosure stocks owned by Cramer's
charitable trust, ActionAlertsPlus.com, for disclaimers related to any claims made by callers (such as how listening to ''Mad Money'' has made the caller mad money), and to show callers' names.
Lightning Round
The only segment which appears on every ''Mad Money'' show is the "Lightning Round" segment, where viewers call in (on live shows, they stand before a microphone in the audience) and ask Cramer about a specific stock.
Cramer's object is to showcase his encyclopedic knowledge of stocks and give callers a second opinion on their stock ideas. He takes as many calls as possible before a buzzer goes off to indicate the end of the round. When this happens, Cramer gets upset and usually takes a few more calls. After this, the
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...
buzzer goes off at his signal, and the segment is over.
In the past, prior to beginning of the segment, Cramer would abuse the office chair provided for him by throwing it on top of other "victims" (damaged office chairs), also damaging the studio's wall and glass displays as well. The damage was made apparent by a caller in the "Lightning Round" on March 1, 2006, which prompted Cramer to throw his chair again at the glass display, causing it to crack even more. Cramer has said that the reason why he throws chairs is because he hates sitting down on the job. He often had to be at his old
hedge fund
A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...
by 4:30 a.m., and if his employees sat down they would often try to go to sleep, so chairs became "the enemy".
The segment usually airs between 25 and 30 minutes past the hour for approximately 8 minutes. Additionally, a new "Overtime" session debuted at the end of "The Lightning Round" on the March 2, 2006, episode. In conjunction with the buzzer going off, a siren was heard, the "On Air" light flashed repeatedly, and the monitors around the set had Cramer rotating infinitely with lightning and siren images merged into the background, that latter also displayed on the viewer's TV screen at random intervals. Cramer took 5 more calls after this. However, the "Overtime" session was discontinued, starting with the "''Mad Money'' 1st Anniversary" show on March 14, 2006. The newer "Sudden Death" segment at the end of the show used any time remaining at the end of the show for an even more rapid "Overtime"-like session. That too, was discontinued in February 2008.
On February 25, 2008, Cramer introduced a Web-only version of the "Lightning Round", dubbed "Lightning Round Overtime". This feature had additional stock picks that were not seen on the television broadcast. "Lightning Round Overtime" was viewed only on the program's Website (high-speed Internet connection required). "Lightning Round Overtime" was eliminated July 2011.
Catchphrases
On May 24, 2005, a viewer asked Cramer by e-mail on ''Mad Money's'' "Mad Mail" segment what his ''boo-yah!''
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
means, and he said did not have a clue. On the next day, viewers e-mailed him claiming that Cramer's ''boo-yah!'' catch phrase is similar to the Booyah registered trademark of the Booyah Bait Company or to the phrase of ''
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
''
's
Stuart Scott
Stuart Orlando Scott (July 19, 1965 – January 4, 2015) was an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and anchor on ESPN, most notably on ''SportsCenter''. Well known for his hip-hop style and use of catchphrases, Scott was also a regular ...
, but Cramer answered that his phrase is not copied from that company nor from Stuart Scott, and means "Are you ready to make some money?"
On the August 19, 2005, episode of ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'', Cramer explained the origin of boo-yah: "Here's what happened: A guy calls me on my
radio show
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
, and he says 'You made me a 100 smackers on
K-Mart
Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States.
The company was inco ...
– a hundred
points...' – he's from
– '...and we have one word for that down here and it's ''boo-yah''. Then the next guy calls and he says 'you know you made me a lot of money on
stockso: boo-yah!' And now they all say it. It's not my rap".
Another featured catchphrase is "Are you ready, skee-daddy?" Another commonality is for a caller to ask "Hows momma doin'?" to which Cramer replies "Momma doin' fine."
In June 2005, a viewer explained to Cramer by e-mail the difference between a pig and a hog, which is a domesticated pig, so Cramer changed one of his catch phrases to "Bulls make money. Bears make money. Hogs get slaughtered."
Graphics
On May 2, 2007, the program unveiled its second-generation on-air graphics package, replacing what was used – including its opening graphic sequence – since its March 14, 2005, debut. In the previous graphics package, the program's
lower third
In the television industry, a lower third is a graphic overlay placed in the title-safe lower area of the screen, though not necessarily the entire lower third of it, as the name suggests.
In its simplest form, a lower third can just be text ...
changed its background color from red to yellow on November 26, 2007.
On April 23, 2013 - the same day the program's second-generation set was introduced - ''Mad Money'' unveiled a new, cleaner-looking, on-air graphics presentation, replacing a variation of what had been used since May 2, 2007. The program's lower third background color is now white, just like all of the other CNBC business-day programs at the time. Also, 2 new sound-button animations were introduced, and they featured photos of bulls and bears with the words "BULL" and "BEAR" at the bottom of their respective photos. They replaced the old cartoon-like bulls and bears that had been used since the "1st Anniversary Show" on March 14, 2006.
As part of CNBC's network-wide switch to a 16:9 widescreen format on October 13, 2014, the on-air graphics were reformatted for the 16:9 presentation.
To coincide with the program's move to the NYSE on July 18, 2022, new on-air graphics debuted for the first time in 9 years. The program's lower third is now a variant of CNBC's graphics package used since October 2014, with Gotham now used as the dominant font just like all of CNBC's other business-day programming. The program's logo changed as well.
Disclaimer
Jim Cramer has been quoted as saying that ''Mad Money'' "is a show that is about education, entertainment and making money". The show features a disclaimer at the start of the program to that effect.
Special broadcasts
''Mad Money'' has featured special broadcasts, the first four in 2005 and 2006, respectively, were referred to as "''Mad Money'' Main Event", while the 2006–present shows (other than the July 12, 2006, edition, which was also referred to as "''Mad Money'' Main Event") was referred to as "''Mad Money'' Back to School".
Main events
The first "''Mad Money'' Main Event" was broadcast on July 20, 2005. Cramer had his show taped in front of a live studio audience of about 150 guests. The show was promoted on
CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
using commercials that showed Cramer locked up in a padded room in a
straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer slides their arms into the ...
and tape over his mouth, as if in a
mental institution
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
(a reference to Cramer's book, the subtitle of which is "Sane Investing in an Insane World"). The "Main Event" was introduced by boxing announcer
Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer (born November 2, 1944) is an American ring announcer (or " MC") for boxing, professional wrestling, and National Football League matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase: "Let's get ready to rumble!"
Early life
Bu ...
with his catch phrase "
Let's get ready to rumble!". The featured guest on the show was then-
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008.
Spitzer was b ...
(a classmate of Cramer at
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
). Cramer went into the crowd and gave high fives to audience members who claimed to have had made money by following his stock tips. True to the commercials, it featured a segment titled "Am I Nuts?", which had audience members asking Cramer about their stocks. ''Mad Money'' was expanded to a special 90 minute edition for this occasion.
"''Mad Money'' Main Event II" premiered on October 26, 2005. In the commercials, Cramer is now a
surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
instead of a patient, who performs surgery on the crippling economy (in this case, from the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
, yet there were other factors). While "operating", Cramer proclaims "The bull's alive!" signifying that he was successful. It featured special guest
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. It ran for only 60 minutes and brought back "Am I Nuts?" from the first "Main Event"; this has been the trend for future shows.
"''Mad Money'' Main Event III" was broadcast on November 30, 2005, and featured
Mel Karmazin
Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin (born August 24, 1943) is an American executive. He was the president of Infinity Broadcasting (formally known as CBS Radio now Entercom) and eventually became the president and CEO of CBS television . From 2004–2012, ...
, CEO of
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings.
Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
(now Sirius XM Satellite Radio). Cramer entered the studio as a surgeon.
"''Mad Money'' Main Event IV" premiered on January 11, 2006, with guest
Les Moonves
Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...
, CEO of
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
. This episode featured Cramer coming out in the straitjacket.
The fifth "''Mad Money'' Main Event" show was broadcast on July 12, 2006. Like the second and third "Main Event" shows, Cramer entered the studio as a surgeon. His featured guest in the fifth edition was
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey Adam Zucker (born April 9, 1965) is an American former media executive. Between January 2013 and February 2022, Zucker was the president of CNN Worldwide. Zucker oversaw CNN, CNN International, HLN, and CNN Digital. He was previously C ...
, CEO of
NBC Universal
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
.
"''Mad Money'' Ladies' Night" was broadcast on January 22, 2008, and featured an all-female studio audience. This show also brought back the rarely seen "Am I Nuts?" segment. Unlike all of the prior "Main Event" and "Back to School" shows that aired, there was no featured guest.
On each of the Main Events thus far, significant stock market activity has coincidentally occurred (e.g. Google reaching a price of 350, which Cramer had predicted, and the
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow (), is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.
The DJIA is one of the oldest and most commonly followed equity inde ...
attaining a 4-year high.)
Back to School (2006)
The first "''Mad Money'' Back to School" event was broadcast on February 1, 2006, from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, Cramer's alma mater. Cramer's special guest was then-New York Attorney General and future New York State Governor
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008.
Spitzer was b ...
, who was a classmate of Cramer's at
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
.
The second "Back to School" broadcast originated from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
on April 25, 2006.
Originally, the
Wharton School
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in P ...
of the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
was Cramer's second stop on the tour with an air date of March 29, 2006, but this visit was canceled due to "logistics." Cramer's special guest on the second "Back to School" broadcast was
Dave Brandon
David Allen Brandon (born May 15, 1952) is an American businessman. He is the former chief executive officer of Toys "R" Us.
From 1999 to 2009, he served as the president and chief executive officer of Domino's, and from 2010 to 2014, he was th ...
, CEO of
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...
.
The third "Back to School" broadcast originated from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on May 16, 2006, again promoted by the aforementioned "Britney" commercials. In that episode, a female audience member assisted Jim in throwing a beach chair at the start of the Lightning Round. Cramer's special guests were
George David
George Alfred Lawrence David (born April 7, 1942) is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies Corporation. David was elected UTC’s President in 1992 and Chief Executive Officer in 1994. He joined UTC’s Otis Elevat ...
, CEO of
United Technologies
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
, and Raymond Milchovich, CEO of
Foster Wheeler
Foster Wheeler AG (formerly Foster Wheeler Inc.) was a Swiss global engineering conglomerate with its principal executive offices in Reading, UK and its registered office in Baar, Canton of Zug, Switzerland. Foster Wheeler was added to the NASDA ...
.
The fourth "Back to School" edition was broadcast from
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
on September 20, 2006. Cramer's special guest on the fourth "Back to School" show was
Tim Russert
Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Wa ...
, and his son, Luke Russert, who was a student at Boston College.
The fifth "Back to School" edition was broadcast from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
on September 29, 2006, the final stop for the 2006 leg of the "''Mad Money'' Back to School" college tour. Cramer's special guest was NBC News chief
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
correspondent
David Gregory.
Back to School (2007)
The "''Mad Money'' Back to School" college tour resumed on February 7, 2007. The first stop in the 2007 leg of the tour was at the
Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
The Darden School of Business is the graduate business school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Darden School offers MBA, PhD, and Executive Education programs. The school was founded ...
at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
. Cramer's special guest was
Celgene
Celgene Corporation is a pharmaceutical company that makes cancer and immunology drugs. Its major product is Revlimid ( lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and also in certain anemias. The company is incorporated in ...
President and
Chief Operating Officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
(COO),
Robert J. Hugin.
The second stop in this leg was on March 20, 2007, at the
McCombs School of Business
The McCombs School of Business (McCombs School or McCombs) is a business school at The University of Texas at Austin, a public research university in Austin, Texas. In addition to the main campus in Downtown Austin, McCombs offers classes outside ...
at the
University of Texas, Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. Cramer's special guest was
William R. Johnson
William R. Johnson is an American businessman and is the former president, CEO and chairman of H. J. Heinz.
He worked at Drackett as an assistant product manager for Behold furniture polish, starting at $13,000 a year. He worked at Ralston Purina ...
, President, Chairman, and CEO of
Heinz
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...
.
The third stop in this leg was on April 4, 2007, at the
Kelley School of Business
The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. , approximately 7,500 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are ...
at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
. The show was actually broadcast from the school's basketball arena,
Assembly Hall
An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the st ...
. Cramer's special guest on the eighth edition was
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...
, owner of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
's
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
and a 1981 Indiana University graduate.
The fourth stop in this year's tour was on September 7, 2007, at the
Marshall School of Business
The USC Marshall School of Business is the business school of the University of Southern California. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
In 1997 the school was renamed following a $35 million donation fr ...
at
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
. Cramer's special guest on the ninth "Back to School" edition was
Bob Iger
Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...
, president and CEO of
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
.
The fifth stop in this year's tour took place on October 18, 2007, at the
Georgia Institute of Technology College of Management
The Scheller College of Business is the business school at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was established in 1912, and is consistently ranked in the top 30 business programs in the nation ...
located in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. It was originally scheduled to take place on April 24, 2007, but was postponed and rescheduled, due to the on-campus shooting deaths at
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
in
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 44,826 at the 2020 census. Blacksburg, as well as the surrounding county, is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of V ...
on April 16, 2007. Cramer's special guest on the tenth edition was
E. Neville Isdell, CEO of
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...
. Incidentally, Cramer's interview with Isdell was filmed on location at that company's headquarters in Atlanta. This is the first ''Mad Money'' to be filmed outdoors and was filmed in the center atrium of the Management Building in the new Tech Square section of the campus. Georgia Tech was the final stop for the 2007 leg of the "Back to School" college tour.
Back to School (2008)
The "Back to School" college tour resumed on March 26, 2008, at the
Smeal College of Business
The Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs to more than 6,000 students.Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), S ...
at
Penn State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...
. This was the first stop on the 2008 leg of the college tour and the 11th "Back to School" broadcast overall.
The 12th "Back to School" show aired on November 12, 2008, at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
. This was also the second and final stop of the college tour for the year.
Back to School (2009)
On Earth Day, April 22, Jim resumed the "Back to School" college tour at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
Fisher College of Business in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
. Jim's special guest was
Toll Brothers
Toll Brothers is a company which designs, builds, markets, sells, and arranges financing for residential and commercial properties in the United States. In 2020, the company was the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on home ...
Chairman and CEO
Robert I. Toll
Robert Irwin Toll (December 30, 1940 – October 7, 2022) was an American businessman who co-founded the luxury homebuilder company Toll Brothers.
Biography
Robert Irwin Toll[University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...]
on October 30, 2009. Jim's special guests were the late
Chesapeake Energy Chesapeake often refers to:
*Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian
* The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay
*Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula
Chesapeake may also refer to:
Populated plac ...
CEO
Aubrey McClendon (on set) and
Devon Energy
Devon Energy Corporation is an energy company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States. It is organized in Delaware and its corporate operative headquarters are in the 50-story Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its ...
Chairman and CEO
J. Larry Nichols
John Larry Nichols (born July 6, 1942) is the co-founder and former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Devon Energy.
Nichols is a member of the board of directors of Baker Hughes and Sonic Drive-In.
Early life and education
...
. This program also covered that day's 250-point plunge on the Dow.
Back to School (2013)
On April 25, 2013, the 15th "Back to School" edition – and the 1st since October 30, 2009 – originated from
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
in Philadelphia.
Others
* "1st Anniversary Special": On March 14, 2006, the 1st ''Mad Money'' Anniversary show occurred. The episode was a mix of answering stock questions with many clips from previous episodes. The anniversary special also introduced two new sound button animations, replacing the original bull and bear animations with more animated, cartoon-like bulls and bears, but retaining the green and red backgrounds. (Green means up, and red means down on a ticker.) Also, during the "Lightning Round", when callers made mention of the book (Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World), they were greeted by 4 dancing girls holding large cardboard cutouts of the front cover.
* "2nd Anniversary Special": On March 14, 2007, the 2nd ''Mad Money'' Anniversary show occurred. The episode looked at highlights from the show's sophomore year, including clips of guests Cramer has interviewed on the show.
* "500th episode": The 500th episode of ''Mad Money'' aired on June 11, 2007. The episode featured memorable clips from some of the first 499 episodes, as well as a mix of call-ins and stock questions.
* "''Mad Money'': It's a Family Affair": The first of the special
Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the United ...
episodes of ''Mad Money'' aired on June 14, 2007. "''Mad Money'': It's a Family Affair", features children (10 years and older) and parents in the studio audience. Ken Cramer (Jim's father) made a special guest appearance on that first "''Mad Money'': It's a Family Affair" show in 2007. This special show is aired annually on the Friday before Father's Day.
* "3rd Anniversary Special": The 3rd ''Mad Money'' Anniversary show aired on March 14, 2008. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience (just like the previous "Main Event" and "Back to School" shows) and featured memorable clips from the first 3 years of the show. The rarely seen "Am I Nuts?" segment also returned.
* "''Mad Money'' at the Half": These special half-hour editions of ''Mad Money'' were aired live at 1:30 p.m. ET during the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
over two weeks, from August 11, 2008, to August 22, 2008. Due to CNBC's Olympics coverage, ''Fast Money Now'' (1pm ET) and ''Mad Money at the Half'' (1:30pm ET) were both seen in place of the second hour of ''
Power Lunch
''Power Lunch'' is a television business news program on CNBC, airing between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern Time. It is presented by Tyler Mathisen, Melissa Lee, and Kelly Evans.
History
Bill Griffeth anchored the program alone from 1996 to 2002 ...
'', while original episodes of ''Fast Money'' and ''Mad Money'' were shown in the 9pm ET and 11pm ET timeslots, respectively.
* "1,000th episode": The 1,000th episode of ''Mad Money'' aired on April 8, 2009. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience (just like in the "Main Event" & "Back to School" shows).
Andy Reid
Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 200 ...
, head coach of the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, made a surprise appearance as he joined the show by phone during the "Lightning Round".
* "5th Anniversary Special": On March 15, 2010, the 5th Anniversary show was broadcast from Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (NBC Studios) in New York and featured a live studio audience, similar to the "Back to School" shows. Cramer's guest was
Brian Williams
Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
, anchor of the ''
NBC Nightly News
''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...
''.
* "2,000th episode": The 2,000th episode of ''Mad Money'' aired on October 1, 2013. This episode was taped outside the
New York Stock Exchange Building
The New York Stock Exchange Building (also the NYSE Building), in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, serves as the headquarters of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It is composed of two connected structures occupying ...
in front of a live audience. Cramer was presented with a replica of the
Ford Fairmont
The Ford Fairmont is a model line of compact cars that was manufactured by Ford from the 1978 to 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont marked the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America and ...
.
* "MMX": A special episode to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary was taped in front of a live audience and aired on March 12, 2015. This was also the first special episode of ''Mad Money'' to be broadcast in full-screen 1080i high-definition.
Production
''Mad Money'' was recorded in CNBC's headquarters in
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, whose population at the 2010 United States census was 5,281.[New York Stock Exchange Building
The New York Stock Exchange Building (also the NYSE Building), in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, serves as the headquarters of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It is composed of two connected structures occupying ...]
. CNBC is a national
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
owned by
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States.
NBCUniversal is primari ...
and parent company
Comcast
Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...
.
The show is recorded occasionally with a live studio audience around 4 p.m. most weekdays for air that night, to be repeated occasionally when a live show is not viable. As the show is being ingested digitally in the
Thomson SA Thomson may refer to:
Names
* Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin
* Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson
Businesses and organizations
* SGS-Thomson Mic ...
Grass Valley
A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...
MAN, the show is assembled by the
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
and
television producer
A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...
to be made into the air product viewers watch Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET). When difficulties arise, the show is occasionally "hot-rolled".
Among the many ''Mad Money'' contributors are executive producer Regina Gilgan; producer Kat Ricker; line producer, George Manessis; head writer Cliff Mason; tape producer Chris Schwarz, responsible for creating and delivering the final show to air. Stage Manager Kareem Bynes, camera operators Shaun Frullo, William Moore. Segment producers include Kate Welsh and Heather Butler, as well as assistant producers, Candy Cheng and Jackie Fabozzi, who compile elements needed for air, and help determine the show's editorial direction.
Avid Adrenaline
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...
edited elements are created by CNBC Staff Avid Editors such as Darren Kotler,
Conrad deVroeg
Conrad may refer to:
People
* Conrad (name)
Places
United States
* Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Conrad, Iowa, a city
* Conrad, Montana, a city
* Conrad Glacier, Washington ...
, Nick Stantzos, and Steven Banton, and the show is constructed with CNBC Staff
Grass Valley
A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...
NewsEdit Editors Keri Conjura, Vanessa DiPietro, Julie Lajterman, Marc Telesca, Jared Kindestin, and Cosimo Camporeale.
Original music for ''Mad Money,'' including the "Lightning Round," was composed and performed by Willie Wilcox.
''Mad Money'' was licensed for a brief fictional segment in the 2008 film version of
''Iron Man'' by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
and
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
. In the segment, shortly after
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
(played by
Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...
) declares
Stark Industries
Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark Enterprises and Stark Resilient, is a fictional company appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The company is depicted as being owned an ...
will no longer manufacture weapons, Jim Cramer is shown on ''Mad Money'' advising people in his trademark flair to sell off stock in Stark Industries.
''Mad Money'' was also licensed for a brief fictional segment in the 2010 film ''
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'' by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. In the segment, Jacob Moore (played by
Shia LaBeouf
Shia Saide LaBeouf (; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and ...
) spreads rumors about the nationalisation of an African oil field Hydra Offshore owned by Churchill Schwartz. Jim Cramer is shown on ''Mad Money'' advising people in his trademark flair to sell off stock in Hydra Offshore.
Reception
According to
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, on July 7, 2008, the show had 228,000 viewers for its 6 PM airing and 133,000 viewers for its 11 PM rebroadcast. On March 9, 2009, the show had 328,000 viewers for 6 PM and 176,000 viewers for 11 PM.
In January 2006,
Joseph Nocera
Joseph Nocera (born May 6, 1952) is an American business journalist, and author. He has written for The New York Times since April 2005, writing for the Op-Ed page from 2011 to 2015. He was also an opinion columnist for Bloomberg L.P.#Bloomberg O ...
, a business columnist at ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', opined that the "people who are watching ''Mad Money'' and following Cramer's advice are fools." In late January 2007,
Henry Blodget
Henry McKelvey Blodget (born 1966) is an American businessman, investor and journalist. He is notable for his former career as an equity research analyst who was senior Internet analyst for CIBC Oppenheimer and the head of the global Internet ...
– himself indicted for civil securities fraud in 2002 and banned for life from the securities industry – criticized Cramer for overstating his abilities as a market forecaster, noting that in 2006 Cramer's suggested portfolio lost money "despite nearly every major equity market on earth being up between about 15% and 30%". In August 2007, Cramer called for the
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
to support
hedge fund
A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...
s that were losing money in the
subprime mortgage crisis
The United States subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, 2007–2008 global financial crisis. It was triggered by a large decline ...
, prompting
Martin Wolf
Martin Harry Wolf (born 16 August 1946 in London) is a British journalist of Austrian-Dutch descent who focuses on economics. He is the associate editor and chief economics commentator at the ''Financial Times''.
Early life
Wolf was born in ...
, the chief economics commentator for the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', to accuse Cramer of advocating an offensive and catastrophic "socialism for capitalists".
In March 2009, during the
Jon Stewart–Jim Cramer conflict
On March 12, 2009, television personality Jim Cramer appeared as a guest on ''The Daily Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. The host of CNBC's ''Mad Money'', Cramer appeared in response to host Jon Stewart's highly publicized week-long critici ...
,
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...
of
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
's ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'' questioned CNBC's reporting practices and what should have been done to possibly aid in preventing the economic crisis occurring at the time.
See also
* ''
Fast Money'' (a CNBC financial investing program, hosted by
Melissa Lee
Melissa Ji-Yun Lee ( ko, 이지연; born 1966) is a New Zealand politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives as a list MP for the National Party in the 2008 election. , she is the National Party's spokesperson for broadcasting, ...
, which follows a similar format)
* ''Kudlow & Cramer''
* ''
Money Monster
''Money Monster'' is a 2016 American crime thriller film directed by Jodie Foster, with a screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf from a story by Di Fiore and Kauf. The film stars George Clooney (who also co-produced), Julia Ro ...
'', a 2016 American thriller film
* ''
Squawk on the Street
''Squawk on the Street'', which debuted on December 19, 2005, is a business show on CNBC that follows the first 90 minutes of trading on Wall Street in the United States.
Originally airing as a one-hour program, the show doubled its airtime t ...
'' (a CNBC business news program that features Cramer's "Stop Trading!" segment)
*
TheStreet.com
''TheStreet'' is a financial news and financial literacy website. It is a subsidiary of The Arena Group. The company provides both free content and subscription services such as Action Alerts Plus a stock recommendation portfolio co-managed by B ...
References
External links
*
*
About ''Mad Money'' – CNBC.com"Mad Money Manifesto" by Jim Cramer
{{CNBC Business Day
2005 American television series debuts
2000s American television talk shows
2010s American television talk shows
2020s American television talk shows
2000s American television news shows
2010s American television news shows
2020s American television news shows
Business-related television series
CNBC original programming