American Public Media is replacing its weekend personal finance show Marketplace Money with Marketplace Weekend, beginning June 28.
The new hourlong show will cost the same for stations to carry as Marketplace Money, but will eschew that show’s focus on personal finance in favor of more general economics coverage. Deborah Clark, e.p. of the Marketplace program portfolio, announced the change on APM’s programming blog April 9.
Lizzie O’Leary, who joined Marketplace in June 2013 as correspondent and fill-in host for all programs, will host Marketplace Weekend. Before joining pubradio, O’Leary was CNN’s aviation and regulation correspondent.
The new show will feature technology coverage, wrap-ups and analyses of the week’s finance news, as well as features on how economics relate to everyday lives.
Personal finance coverage will continue on Marketplace Weekend and across the Marketplace portfolio, “not just on the weekend,” Clark wrote. In addition to the daily flagship program, the Marketplace portfolio also includes Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace Tech Report.
Marketplace has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs and budget cuts in the last two years. Between 2012 and 2013 the show riffed several prominent staff, including series creator J.J. Yore, senior business correspondent Bob Moon and Washington, D.C., bureau chief John Dimsale. Marketplace Money has shuffled its hosting duties, as well: Though former CNBC host Carmen Wong Ulrich was named permanent host in November, she departed earlier this year, with O’Leary filling in as guest host.
Can’t say I applaud the change. In my view this is step backwards. There are lots of general economics themed shows; we need to learn more about personal finance. The real nitty gritty of our lives. Marketplace Money filled a much needed voided and educated us about practical steps to take in our lives. Stories about the Fed, GDP, etc. have their importance and are omnipresent, but learning what to do with your own money is priceless.
I’ll miss Marketplace Money. I really don’t need to brunch on general economic news.
I agree. I’ve listened to most of the Marketplace Weekend shows to date,
and found them in general to be less interesting and less informative,
and less engaging, than Marketplace Money was. I don’t understand the
motivation to make this change.