Fox Business anchor Charlie Gasparino is in London this week, covering the hugely anticipated vote Thursday on the UK’s EU referendum, or “Brexit.” There’s a huge business story, of course, with implications for American companies and investors. But Gasparino tells TVNewser the political and cultural angle is equally important, with its parallels to the U.S. presidential election.
“You have almost the same forces aligned, both for and against. There are plenty on the right that want a British exit,” Gasparino said. “Most of the celebrities, most of the British media, and the establishment political class is against it.” That story, he says, is getting well covered by Fox Business, but not by the competition. “I’ve been watching CNBC’s coverage, and they’re not doing that. They’re doing their viewers a disservice.”
FBN, in contrast, has been “way above CNBC’s coverage,” he said. “We’re open to the business aspect and the cultural aspect.”
Gasparino, who has at times clashed with CNBC and its talent, has no problem poking his competitors. “Do I like to fight with CNBC? Of course. Do I like to show that we’re better than them? Of course.”
Gasparino says some of his competitive spirit was born as a boxer when he was a kid. “You bash their brains out, and then you’re friends after.” When a combination of girls and repeated broken noses convinced him to quit the sport, he says he learned a valuable lesson watching a former competitor fighting in the Golden Gloves. “I’m sitting there on a barstool watching a guy who I used to kick his ass, win a semi-finals…I’ll never forget that feeling. Worst day of my life.”
These days, Gasparino rarely sits and watches the other guys play and win. “I worked my ass off” he says of his rise from New York Newsday to Fox Business. “I stayed with it. I remained competitive. There were times I wondered what am I doing, but I stayed with it and we’re hitting on all cylinders now. Best career move of my life. It’s a great place to work.”