A Year to Remember

One year ago today, we launched the Fox Business Network. It's hard to believe it's been a year already. What a year! In a note sent to us this afternoon by Roger Ailes, the head of the Fox Business Network and Fox News, he describes some of the biggest milestones in the past year.

"No one could have predicted at the time we would see the largest one day point loss and largest one day point gain of the Dow, the bursting of the housing bubble throwing tens of thousands of American homeowners into foreclosure, the demise of iconic names like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, deep trouble at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Merrill Lynch being swallowed whole by Bank of America or the complete seizing up of the worldwide credit system."

It's hard to sum up a year -- and yet, what Roger said in that note will no doubt wind up in the history books that my children will read someday.

To think, when we first launched a year ago, that we were on the heels of one of the greatest bull markets in U.S. history with the Dow Industrials Average approaching 14,200 and one year later closing just above 8,500. No one could have predicted this.

While the second half of our first full year on television has been mired with earnings disappointments, record writedowns, record high energy prices,  an unimaginary amount of firsts and history making events, there have been plenty of euphoric moments. We have been a part of and witnessed one of the greatest races in American history. We watched a Republican senator with 26 years in the Senate come back from nowhere to claim the Republican Party's nomination, despite the pundits who said he was dead in the water a year ago. We saw a Republican female governor selected as vice presidential candidate -- the first female VP candidate since former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro ran with Walter Mondale on the Democratic ticket in 1984. We witnessed the finest Democratic primary and caucus on record with the narrowest of margin victory for Senator Barack Obama, the first African-American to become nominee for the Democratic Party. Record voter turnout. Use of the web in a way that no one knew was possible, creating perhaps the greatest seat change in history for political fundraising dollars. Unprecedented grassroots participation among the youngest demographic of voters.

We saw one of the most respected and admired American companies in history, Anheuser-Busch, get purchased by Belgium brewer InBev in one the biggest cross-border transactions in history. We witnessed record attendance, ratings and dollars made for this year's Superbowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Arguably one of the best sporting events in history! Michael Phelps took home the most gold medals in Olympic history for the United States.

On a personal note I have traveled to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum; to Phoenix, Ariz. for the Super Bowl; to McDonald's headquarters in Chicago, Ill. where I got to go behind the scenes with my favorite fast food chain; to Washington, D.C. to meet with politicians and business leaders; to St. Louis, Mo. where I got another behind-the-scenes tour at Anheuser-Busch on the anniversary of prohibition and the Clydesdale horses before InBev initiated a merger; to New Orleans, La. for Hurricane Gustav as well as the National Cable Television Association's annual meeting, where I met and interviewed the top executives at News Corp, Showtime, HBO and AMC and also spent time with Tom Benson and his New Orleans Saints; to Pittsburgh, Penn. where I interviewed the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. It takes my breath away.

I have interviewed people that I have watched from afar, read about or dreamt of meeting. From Senator Barack Obama, to Tiger Woods, to Bob Kraft (CEO of New England Patriots), to football great Michael Strahan, to Steve Tisch (co-owner of the New York Giants and Hollywood movie producer), to Jerry Bruckheimer, to Wes Edens (Fortress CEO), to Archie Manning, to Andrea Jung (Avon), to Cathie Black, to Jim Kelly, to LaDanian Tomlinson, to Alonzo Mourning, to Kobe Bryant, to Don King, to Oscar De La Hoya, to A.G. Lafley (Procter & Gamble), to Gary Garrabrant (Equity International), to Alan Hassenfeld (Hasbro), to Bobby Kotick (Activision Blizzard), to Tony Snow (former White House press secretary), to Henry Cisneros (former HUD secretary), to Senator Hillary Clinton, to Senator John McCain, to Mike Krzyzewski (Duke Blue Devils and U.S. Olympic Gold-Winning Men's Basketball coach), to T. Boone Pickens, to Wilbur Ross, to Muhtar Kent (Coca-Cola), to Indra Nooyi (Pepsi), to Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan), to Queen Rania of Jordan, to Ken Chenault (American Express), to Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks), to Jim Skinner (McDonald's), to Tommy Lasorda, to Larry Page, and Sergey Brin (Google), to Bono, to Rupert and Wendi Murdoch, to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to New York Governor David Patterson, to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, to Craig Barrett (Intel).........my heart skips a beat just looking at this list.

There are too many names to mention and one just as memorable as the other. I have learned so much, achieved two MBAs in one year and have had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best people in the world.

I will not forget the man who wrote a book about how Starbucks saved his life, the Naked Cowboy, the head of the Port of New Orleans who told me personal stories about what it was like growing up in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season, to the head of the Army Corp of Engineers who looked after me and my crew while we reported during Hurricane Gustav, to the chefs at McDonald's headquarters who let me experiment on my egg-white wrap sandwich, to the lovely man in Davos who gave Jill, Lorie and I a home when we thought we were going to be homeless at the World Economic Forum. So many wonderful memories to cherish!

One of the things that I don't talk enough about is the people who make all of this possible. I work with some of the most extraordinary and dedicated people who work tirelessly to book the guests, get the show on the air every day and make sure that the cameras turn on and the satellites don't fail. Yvette, with whom I couldn't live without; Brian, my other half; Pippa, Lindsay and Karen, my Charlie's Angels; Andy ,who reads my mind; Lisa, who rocks my world; Frangie, Hirst and Gold who make me look good every day by feeding me every wire as news breaks throughout the morning; Michael, who never says no when I ask for the impossible; Saralyn, who never forgets that Diet Coke, tea and mini muffins are the key to my heart; Lauren, Kathryn and Ray whom I drive nuts with this blog; and Melissa, who sits next to me day in and day out when I think I'm about to lose my marbles and without whom my life would have no order.

The list goes on and on......from Nat, the floor director in studio with me every day; to Frank, Jack and Bookman who make me smile while looking in the camera; to Chris and Bizmark who take me from 4 a.m. bedhead sessions to glamazon; to Jenna, Charles, Peter, Robert, Connell, Lieberman, Ashley and the members of the FBN team who make going to work each and every day a joy and a privilege. Nothing is possible without the entire FBN team. Nor is it possible to remain as connected and in the know without the countless resources, friends, colleagues and repeat guests who help make each and every one of us smarter every day by sharing their thoughts, research and analysis.

I know we only have one year under our belts, that the competition is stiff and that we have a lot of room for improvement; but if the next year or next decade is just as fun and groundbreaking as the first one, it will be the journey of a lifetime.

Thank YOU for watching us and thank YOU for reading this blog. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from YOU. Please continue to email us, comment on this blog and give us the advice and guidance that will help us address the issues that concern you each day. Together we will get smarter, ask tougher questions, demand answers and test the boundaries.