Squawk Box Europe

Squawk Box Europe (since May 2011, billed on-screen as just Squawk Box) is a television business news programme on CNBC Europe, aired from 7-10am CET (6-9am WET) each weekday. It also airs on CNBC Asia between 2.30 p.m.-5.00 p.m. Hong Kong / Singapore time (1.30 p.m.-4.00 p.m. with DST), and in the United States on CNBC World at the respective time, 1:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m., ET. The programme is currently co-anchored by Geoff Cutmore, Steve Sedgwick and Karen Tso. Prior to June 2003, the programme ran for only two hours, between 7.00 to 9.00 UK time but later gained an hour from Today's Business.

History

Squawk Box Europe was in existence prior to CNBC Europe's merger with European Business News. Like the current version, the original version took viewers to the opening of the European markets. This version was hosted by Nigel Roberts. After the merger, it was replaced by Europe Today for more than a year before being revived. Between this point, and a relaunch in September 2004, it was known by the fuller title of CNBC Europe Squawk Box. In September 2004, CNBC Europe relaunched all of its programming, using titles and graphics inspired by (but unlike the previously set, not directly derived from) CNBC US' look at the time. From this point, until December 2008, the show's theme music was an edited version of its US' counterpart's theme music between 2003-2005.

On 1 December 2008, Squawk Box Europe was relaunched with a new look, logo, and music. The new look was not based on CNBC US' Squawk Box look, but has been designed specially for Squawk Box Europe. Louisa Bojesen and Steve Sedgwick, previously reporters, were promoted to full co-presenters of the programme at this point, and the "News Update" segments, which had been axed by CNBC Europe some years previously, returned.

On 1 March 2010, Squawk Box Europe, along with the rest of CNBC Europe's programmes, realigned its graphics (and title) with those of CNBC U.S. Bojesen left the programme in April 2010 to join European Closing Bell, and was replaced by Anna Edwards, but she left the network at the end of 2011 and was subsequently replaced with Karen Tso (formerly of CNBC Asia).

Other previous contributors to the show have included Ross Westgate (who moved to Worldwide Exchange before leaving the network), Simon Hobbs (now reporting and presenting for CNBC U.S.) and Guy Johnson (who moved to European Closing Bell before leaving the network).

On 9 May 2011, the programme's format received a major re-working, with the second hour of the programme being dubbed "Squawk Pre-Trade" and the third hour as "Squawk Real-Time". The programme's on air title was changed to simply "Squawk Box", in line with the US and Asian equivalents.

On 9 March 2015, Squawk Box Europe launched new titles and new theme music based on the US version. On 27 April 2015, the Asia version began using the US theme music.

Format

As of April 2015, the programme is co-presented by Geoff Cutmore, Karen Tso and Stephen Sedgwick. Cutmore was briefly a reporter for CNBC Asia's Asia Squawk Box in 1998 before moving to CNBC Europe, and has been the show's main anchor since its revival. Tso was an anchor of Squawk Australia from 2008 to 2010 broadcast from Sydney and became a co-anchor of Asia Squawk Box during the latter's cancellation of that year (see History section). In addition to the in-studio team, live reports are regularly provided by Stéphane Pedrazzi (Paris). It covers the opening of the European markets at 8:00 a.m. WET where Sedgwick stands in front of the video wall and brings in correspondents from different cities for approximately the next half hour. Since the May 2011 reformatting the focus at the open is more on the pan-European picture and the Stoxx Europe 600 rather than the national indices.

A guest host also appears on the programme each day (during the second and third hour, like its US and Asian counterparts). Another important element of the show is its interviews with other analysts and CEOs of major companies. Viewers are usually welcomed to email their thoughts and questions to the show's guests.

Maria Bartiromo (who was part of the original US Squawk Box team) served as a guest co-anchor on the show when in London to co-host the annual European Business Leaders Awards until she left CNBC altogether in November 2013.

With the promotion of Bojesen and Sedgwick to co-anchors (see History section), Squawk Box Europe now follows a format similar to the US version.

Supplements to the show

The host of Squawk Box Europe, Geoff Cutmore, also has a blog on CNBC.com, called "Morning Thoughts".

See also

• Asia Squawk Box
• Squawk Box
• Squawk Australia

References

External links

• Squawk Box Europe official website