Mysteries of the Markets

Publications Home | Table of Contents | A Brighter Vision for Science
Finding that "Something Special" | Doing Science | A Report from the CFO
The Nutcracker Adds an Act 1 | Mysteries of the Markets | News Briefs | Alumni News
PA Home

Mysteries of the Markets

CNN anchor has a live exam every day

by Tana Sherman

Photo by Robert Milazzo, CNN

Being a reporter is like being a student, according to CNN anchor Willow (Kristine) Bay '81. "You have a live exam every day," says the woman who reports on the ups and downs of the financial markets on CNN's Moneyline News Hour every weeknight.

As a student at PA, Bay learned the lessons that have taken her to the pinnacle of success in two careers-broadcast journalism and modeling. "In a lot of ways, attending Andover was a turning point in my life," she says. "I learned to encourage the impulse to try something new. That thinking is the thread that has run through all my major decisions in terms of school and career."

As co-anchor of a live program on the financial news of the day, Bay continues her lifelong love of learning. "I'm enjoying learning the nuances of the markets and their reactions," she says, "and I'm learning to appreciate the mysteries of this."

She's also learning to live with the pace of a daily live newscast. Although Moneyline is an evening program, Bay's workday begins with a morning conference call that links CNN's national news operation in Atlanta with the financial news office in New York.

"Everything about television is collaborative," she says. "Being an anchor is like being a quarterback. You are part of a team, and your success depends on the skill and work of the rest of the team. But you're the one who's front and center."

After the framework of the show is decided, Bay begins her research by talking to financial analysts and gathering background on the guests and their companies. She also works on long-range projects; for example, she recently traveled to Washington to interview students at George Washington University's business school for a special millennium series on the current financial boom.

Sometimes she pre-tapes an interview during the afternoon, but most of her interviews are conducted live during the broadcast. Usually she will do a live promotional spot during CNN's 4 p.m. show. "But all the time, I'm monitoring the news of the day to see what's changing," she says. When the financial markets close at 4 p.m., things get busy. Frequently, the whole program changes.

Once Moneyline goes on the air at 6:30 p.m., Bay and co-host Stuart Varney spend the next hour interviewing guests and reporting the business news. When the show ends, Bay has other CNN responsibilities. She anchors CNNewsstand at 10 p.m. on Thursday night and also does a stock-of-the-week report.

Balancing many responsibilities is not new to Bay. When she arrived at PA in fall 1979, she was not your usual face in the crowd. In fact, she was a part-time model with the Ford Agency in New York City, and her face graced the cover of Seventeen magazine during her first term on campus. She continued modeling over breaks and during the summer, but at the insistence of her parents, Eugene A. Bay Jr. '52 and Deidre Lesage Bay, it was never more than a part-time job. Her favorite class was Latin, and in her senior year she received special mention for distinguished scholarship in that subject.

After graduation, Bay went on to the University of Pennsylvania. Continuing her part-time modeling, she was selected by the cosmetics firm Estee Lauder as its exclusive "face" and spokeswoman, appearing in ads throughout the world. Meanwhile, she earned a degree in English in 1985, then enrolled at New York University's Stern School of Business. "While I was in business school, modeling paid the bills," she says. After earning an M.B.A. degree in 1991, she decided she didn't want to be a product manager for a large company, but rather a reporter.

An agent suggested she would be quite marketable as a fashion reporter. "He was right, but I didn't like fashion," she says. Never- theless, later assignments included a stint as fashion correspondent on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.

"I got a lot of experience quickly," she says. Next she applied for a job as co-host on a television show for the National Basketball Association (NBA). To prepare for the interview, she spent a day in the New York City Public Library reading a year's worth of back issues of Sports Illustrated. "I didn't know much about basketball," she says. "I was hired because of my academic credentials. NBA Commissioner David Stern looked at my background and said he wanted to put his money on a woman with the perseverance to finish these academic degrees." She spent eight years with the NBA and served as co-host of the weekly magazine show NBA Inside Stuff.

She also spent three years as Sunday co-host on Good Morning America, then was contacted in 1997 by CNN to co-host several programs for a new series, CNNewsstand. Her decision to accept this opportunity was "a gut reaction," says Bay. "This was an opportunity and new experience." She added Moneyline to her responsibilities last August.

Another new experience is motherhood. She and husband Robert A. Iger, chairman of ABC, Inc., and president of Walt Disney International, are the parents of one-year-old Max. "It's quite a challenge to find enough time for everybody," Bay says, "but being a mother is much more fun than I thought it would be."

Tana Sherman is director of public information at Phillips Academy.

by Tana Sherman Photo by Robert Milazzo, CNN Being a reporter is like being a student, according to CNN anchor Willow (Kristine) Bay '81. "You have a live exam every day," says the woman who reports on the ups and downs of the financial markets on CNN's Moneyline News Hour every weeknight. As a student at PA, Bay learned the lessons that have taken her to the pinnacle of success in two careers-broadcast journalism and modeling. "In a lot of ways, attending Andover was a turning point in my life," she says. "I learned to encourage the impulse to try something new. That thinking is the thread that has run through all my major decisions in terms of school and career." As co-anchor of a live program on the financial news of the day, Bay continues her lifelong love of learning. "I'm enjoying learning the nuances of the markets and their reactions," she says, "and I'm learning to appreciate the mysteries of this." She's also learning to live with the pace of a daily live newscast. Although Moneyline is an evening program, Bay's workday begins with a morning conference call that links CNN's national news operation in Atlanta with the financial news office in New York. "Everything about television is collaborative," she says. "Being an anchor is like being a quarterback. You are part of a team, and your success depends on the skill and work of the rest of the team. But you're the one who's front and center." After the framework of the show is decided, Bay begins her research by talking to financial analysts and gathering background on the guests and their companies. She also works on long-range projects; for example, she recently traveled to Washington to interview	students at George Washington University's business school for a special millennium series on the current financial boom. Sometimes she pre-tapes an interview during the afternoon, but most of her interviews are conducted live during the broadcast. Usually she will do a live promotional spot during CNN's 4 p.m. show. "But all the time, I'm monitoring the news of the day to see what's changing," she says. When the financial markets close at 4 p.m., things get busy. Frequently, the whole program changes. Once Moneyline goes on the air at 6:30 p.m., Bay and co-host Stuart Varney spend the next hour interviewing guests and reporting the business news. When the show ends, Bay has other CNN responsibilities. She anchors CNNewsstand at 10 p.m. on Thursday night and also does a stock-of-the-week report. Balancing many responsibilities is not new to Bay. When she arrived at PA in fall 1979, she was not your usual face in the crowd. In fact, she was a part-time model with the Ford Agency in New York City, and her face graced the cover of Seventeen magazine during her first term on campus. She continued modeling over breaks and during the summer, but at the insistence of her parents, Eugene A. Bay Jr. '52 and Deidre Lesage Bay, it was never more than a part-time job. Her favorite class was Latin, and in her senior year she received special mention for distinguished scholarship in that subject. After graduation, Bay went on to the University of Pennsylvania. Continuing her part-time modeling, she was selected by the cosmetics firm Estee Lauder as its exclusive "face" and spokeswoman, appearing in ads throughout the world. Meanwhile, she earned a degree in English in 1985, then enrolled at New York University's Stern School of Business. "While I was in business school, modeling	paid the bills," she says. After earning an M.B.A. degree in 1991, she decided she didn't want to be a product manager for a large company, but rather a reporter. An agent suggested she would be quite marketable as a fashion reporter. "He was right, but I didn't like fashion," she says. Never- theless, later assignments included a stint as fashion correspondent on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee. "I got a lot of experience quickly," she says. Next she applied for a job as co-host on a television show for the National Basketball Association (NBA). To prepare for the interview, she spent a day in the New York City Public Library reading a year's worth of back issues of Sports Illustrated. "I didn't know much about basketball," she says. "I was hired because of my academic credentials. NBA Commissioner David Stern looked at my background and said he wanted to put his money on a woman with the perseverance to finish these academic degrees." She spent eight years with the NBA and served as co-host of the weekly magazine show NBA Inside Stuff. She also spent three years as Sunday co-host on Good Morning America, then was contacted in 1997 by CNN to co-host several programs for a new series, CNNewsstand. Her decision to accept this opportunity was "a gut reaction," says Bay. "This was an opportunity and new experience." She added Moneyline to her responsibilities last August. Another new experience is motherhood. She and husband Robert A. Iger, chairman of ABC, Inc., and president of Walt Disney International, are the parents of one-year-old Max. "It's quite a challenge to find enough time for everybody," Bay says, "but being a mother is much more fun than I thought it would be." Tana Sherman is director of public information at Phillips Academy.