CNBC Anchor Mark Haines Dies

A Personal Note from Bill Singer: I just learned with great sadness that CNBC Anchor Mark Haines died last night.  When I first started watching CNBC, it was largely because of Mark Haines -- a fellow lawyer who had a unique ability to press for answers where others would accept the fluff and the rebuff.  He also shared my same sense of wry humor and cynicism, which always resonated with me.

Without question, I was a fan of Mark Haines -- to the point that when he was shifted to a later time slot, I started watching Bloomberg TV, partially in protest.  Unlike many of his on-air colleagues, Haines never seemed to buy into the garbage that was daily dumped on the anchors' desks. He could be prickly and caustic but you always knew that he smelled the fast-talking con and wasn't about to let it pass. I also remember watching him during the 9/11 tragedy and taking some comfort in his stabilizing presence.

Coupled with the recent loss of Joe Battipaglia, who I also had the pleasure of knowing and admiring, this is a tremendous loss to the Wall Street community.  I can only hope that CNBC fully appreciated the tremendous contribution of Mark Haines, who imbued the network with credibility during its formative years and helped it to retain its audience in more recent times.

• Mark Haines
• CNBC