Mark Haines, an anchor at CNBC for over 20 years, died suddenly at home last night, the network reports.

Haines, 65, joined CNBC in 1989 and became the network’s first Squawk Box host in 1995. Ten years later, Haines began hosting spin-off Squawk on the Street with Erin Burnett. The anchor was know for his slightly “ruffled” appearance and demeanor, coupled with a strong knowledge of financial markets. In describing his work, many recalled his straightforward, calm reporting during the events of September 11th, and indicated it was one of the most memorable points of his career.

CNBC released the following statement to their employees:

“With his searing wit, profound insight and piercing interview style, he was a constant and trusted presence in business news for more than 20 years,” Hoffman said in a statement to CNBC employees. “From the dotcom bubble to the tragic events of 9/11 to the depths of the financial crisis, Mark was always the unflappable pro.

“Mark loved CNBC and we loved him back. He will be deeply missed.”

Burnett, who recently left CNBC to start up a show on CNN, spoke of her former co-worker on news of his death:

“Mark’s legacy is that he didn’t tolerate any B.S. from anyone… He wanted to tell the story — and that’s why so many viewers trusted him. He would always ask the question that nobody else would ask. He was fearless.”

She recalled a man who was dedicated to his career, but put family first:

“He loved to do things for his kids,” she noted. “He was always on the Web looking for things his kids might like.”

Haines’s daughter liked to be on stage, Burnett recalled, “and Mark went to all of her shows. He worked with her a lot on her DVD.”

After trading opened this morning, Haines’ death was reported on CNBC. During the report, there was “silence on the trading floor” and a retrospective of the anchor’s life and career aired. A program on Haines’ life and career is set to run tonight on the financial network at 7PM.

No cause of death has been disclosed. Haines is survived by his wife, Cindy, and a son and daughter.

Longtime CNBC anchor Mark Haines dies suddenly is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mobile apps are everywhere these days, from the iPhone to Google Android, to WebOS, to business users on Blackberries there are literally hundreds of thousands of applications that users can download for business and personal use. Now CNBC is attempting to capture the entire app movement with a documentary titled “Plant of the Apps: : A Hand-Held Revolution!” which is set to air on January 7th 2010 at 10PM ET/PT.

The documentary goes behind the scenes of the app movement, interviewing top application designers, while explaining how the business of mobile apps really works.

The one hour special also delves into the history of the Apple iPhone and talks how Apple’s app store has changed the entire user experience, while creating an entirely new breed of entrepreneurs from web developers to everyday people looking to cash in on the entire app scene.

Among those interviews according to CNBC:

“Two new app entrepreneurs from Chicago, Darren Marshall and Phil Tadros, who want to get in on the phenomenon with a budget management tool called Texthog. The app would allow users to immediately record their expenses by texting them to their Text Hog account. The documentary follows Marshall and Tadros as they develop, design and program the app and ultimately submit it to Apple for approval, a process, which can be both stressful and time consuming.”

The program also examines how hard it can be to compete in an industry where over 100,000 apps are available and more continue to flood the market each and every day. CNBC examines how apps need to be marketed to be successful, while also explaining how top news agencies including the New York Times and CNBC themselves are attempting to implement their own print and broadcast media with the help of mobile applications.

They also interview other mobile app companies and examine the strength of the industry as it continues to grow.

“Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!” will re-air on Sunday, January 10th at 11PM ET in case you miss the first showing.

CNBC To Air “Planet Of The Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution!” One Hour Special is a post from: The Inquisitr

CNBC’s Rick Santelli isn’t a happy man.

In a cross to the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Santelli, backed by a cheersquad of traders rallied against President Obama’s plan to not immediately foreclose on homeowners behind on their mortgages because it rewards bad behavior.

“You know,” Santelli said “Cuba used to have mansions and a relatively decent economy. They moved from the individual to the collective. Now they’re driving ’54 Chevys.”

Strangely I don’t disagree with a thing he said, but only on the grounds that the banks shouldn’t have been rewarded for behavior far worse than any average homeowner to begin with. If the money is going to be spent, it’s only fair that it gets shared around.

Here’s Rick Santelli flipping out on CNBC:

Rick Santelli flips out over foreclosure relief (video) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Media giant Viacom has announced a 7% reduction in its workforce, or 850 employees.

Viacom said in a statement that cuts would be implemented across all divisions of the company, which includes MTV Networks, BET, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks movie studios. The restructuring and write-down will result in a pre-tax charge of $400 million to $450 million in the fourth quarter of 2008, but will deliver a result in pre-tax savings of $200 million to $250 million in 2009.

The New York Post reports that cable channel CNBC is expected to deliver 80 pink slips today. The report notes that CNBC has been spared cost-cutting efforts conducted by NBC to date.

Parent company NBCU announced a 3% across the board cut in October.

Another day, another round of cuts: Viacom 850, CNBC 80 is a post from: The Inquisitr

NYSE Realtime Stock Prices launches today with instant info being made available at Google and CNBC. Both sites pay NYSE a flat monthly fee for the service.

The move follows a similar online option introduced by NASDAQ last month.

More Market Quotes Made Available is a post from: The Inquisitr