The Squawk Box-ification of CNBC

“The Hoffman purge continues. Another MAJOR name is due to leave CNBC anchor desk shortly,” a tipster said over the weekend.

Now we know the major name is Ron Insana, but some CNBC employees are thankful that the respected business reporter and anchor isn’t leaving Englewood Cliffs completely. He’s sticking around a “senior analyst.”

Insana’s departure from Street Signs “is the beginning of the ‘Squawk Box-ification‘ of CNBC,” an insider tells TVNewser.

“You’ll see more ensemble shows dayside and more CNBC in-house experts like David Faber and Insana and Dylan Ratigan and Joe Kernen and Jim Cramer and newcomer Erin Burnett all over the air at all times,” the insider adds.

So we’ll see more “pretty faces” reading the stock prices, while experts explain what the stock prices mean? (Don’t get me wrong — Faber and Kernen and Cramer have pretty faces, too…)

> Update: 12:31pm: An e-mailer says: “If Insana’s departure is a sign of more Faber, Kernen, et. al, then maybe CNBC is doing the right thing. They are putting the people who really know something up front. There isn’t much wrong with that.”