Fox News/FBN’s Maria Bartiromo marked a significant professional achievement this morning: the 25th anniversary of her first live report from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
How does one celebrate a milestone like this? By ringing the NYSE opening bell. Or in the era of Covid-19, ringing the virtual opening bell. Former Bloomberg TV anchor Betty Lui was on the podium to mark the occasion this morning, as shown in the screenshot at the right.
Before Aug. 4, 1995, there had never been anyone to broadcast live from the trading floor, and Bartiromo broke that barrier as a 27 year-old CNBC newser.
“I really had to be sharp-elbowed to become respected,” she told Page Six yesterday. “A handful of people didn’t want me to be there, and they made it hard for me,” she said. “I remember going home being very upset.”
She recalled, “One guy yelled at me to get out of his way, and another pushed into me. But I made a commitment that I was going to own this job, I wasn’t looking for their approval … I knew my stuff.”
Bartiromo added that the trading floor “was a Wall Street boys club, and I turned up there, a young woman with a camera, and they had to get used to it. At the end of the day, I’m proud to have had the courage to go down there and face this sea of suits.”
Below, an Instagram post from yesterday, followed by images of her early in her career on the trading floor, as well as congratulations from a few TV newsers.
Congrats @MariaBartiromo !! https://t.co/cSMnvoxOCc
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) August 4, 2020
I hope you bring good luck today 🙂 https://t.co/blzmAt7EDS
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) August 4, 2020
Thank you @MariaBartiromo for inspiring so many around the world! 🌺🍾
— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) August 4, 2020