Fox Business: Hold the 'Network,' Please

Why is News Corp.'s about-to-launch business-news channel all of a sudden reluctant to be called a "network"?

Two sources who've been working with the start-up in recent days say they were specifically instructed to refer to it as "Fox Business," not "Fox Business Network" or "FBN," both on-air and off. In a recent run-through, David Asman, anchor of the 7 p.m. show, even brought proceedings to a halt so that the word "Network" could be removed from the teleprompter.

(By the way, Asman's show is called America's Scoreboard. News stories of the day are discussed in business terms, with each being awarded a "buy," "sell" or "hold" rating. He follows Neil Cavuto, who in turn follows the 5 p.m. show, Happy Hour, which will air live from the Bull & Bear bar in Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.)

What gives? If there's been a change in strategy, no one's notified the PR department. A Fox Business spokeswoman declined to comment, but as of yesterday press releases were still including "Network" in the name, and the "FBN" abbreviation still appears on FoxBusiness.com.

But my sources were adamant that you're not going to be hear "Fox Business Network" much once the programming goes live at 5 a.m. on Monday, unless the teleprompter guys screw up again. (One was even upset that the "Network" made it into today's MarketWatch piece on the launch.)

Neither source knew whether it's just an aesthetic preference, or if there are other considerations involved. But it's worth noting, perhaps, that News Corp. originally trademarked the name "Fox Business Channel" for the venture in February, before re-registering it as "Fox Business Network" four months later.