Bill Griffeth is an author and retired TV news anchor.
Early life and education
In 1980, Griffeth received a bachelor's degree in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...
from
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
. While a student there, Griffeth co-hosted a weekly interview show, "Straightalk," with Rick Holicker, on KCSN, the university's then-
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
-affiliated radio station. Along with Holicker, he won the Golden Mike Award from the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California for a documentary on
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
's
Viking program
The ''Viking'' program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes, ''Viking 1'' and ''Viking 2'', which landed on Mars in 1976. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts: an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars f ...
, titled "The Flight to Mars." In 2000, CSUN honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2017, he received an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
.
Career
Griffeth was part of the production team that started the
Financial News Network
The Financial News Network (FNN) was an American financial and business news television network that was launched November 30, 1981. The purpose of the network was to broadcast programming nationwide, five days a week for seven hours a day on t ...
in 1981. He was nominated for a
CableACE
The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Ame ...
award as best news anchor for his work anchoring FNN's coverage of
Black Monday (1987)
Black Monday is the name commonly given to the global, sudden, severe, and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. In Australia and New Zealand, the day is also referred to as ''Black Tuesday'' because of the time z ...
.
Griffeth joined CNBC in 1991, when
NBC
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 ...
purchased FNN and merged it with CNBC. He anchored several programs for CNBC and received 6 CableACE nominations as Best News Anchor.
CNBC announced on December 12, 2019 that he was retiring after almost 30 years with the network.
Personal life
Griffeth is passionate about
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
and after undergoing
genetic testing
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
in 2012, found out that the person he considered his father was not his biological father.
In 1982, he married his wife, Cindy. Since 1992, they have been residents of
Park Ridge, New Jersey
Park Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Park Ridge had a population of 8,645 as of the 2010 United States Census,bible study at The Hillsdale United Methodist Church.
Host shows
*''
Nightly Business Report
''Nightly Business Report'' was an American business news magazine television program that aired on public television stations from January 22, 1979 to December 27, 2019, for most of that time syndicated by American Public Television. Interna ...
'' (2018–2019)
*''
Closing Bell
''Closing Bell'' can refer to two CNBC programs: the original ''Closing Bell'' on CNBC (which debuted on February 4, 2002) and ''European Closing Bell'' on CNBC Europe (which was cancelled on December 18, 2015).
The show is named after the be ...
Market Wrap
''Market Wrap'' is a show on CNBC that aired between 4pm and 6pm ET, and was replaced by ''Closing Bell'' on Feb 4, 2002. The series was premiered in 1989 as Market Wrap-Up was Anchored by Bill Griffeth and others. In 1996 when Cavuto leaving fr ...
'' (1991–2002)
*''Strictly Business''
*''
The Money Club
''The Money Club'' is a business news talk show aired weekdays from 7 to 7:30 PM ET on CNBC until c. 1997. Hosted by Brenda Buttner
Brenda Buttner (May 22, 1961 – February 20, 2017) was a senior business correspondent and host of ''Bulls & B ...