CNBC's Maria Bartiromo-Erin Burnett Rivalry

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- It's always compelling when an established star has to contend with a charismatic up-and-comer. This happens all the time, in sports, movies, rock 'n' roll, politics -- you name it.

Today, the media biz's juiciest smackdown is taking place inside the hallowed halls of CNBC. Maria Bartiromo is fending off Erin Burnett, who is about nine years her junior. When I checked IMDB.com, it said Bartiromo will turn 40 on Tuesday (which is the sixth anniversary of 9/11, no less). Happy Birthday, Money Honey!

Lately, the blogosphere and the tabloids have been captivated by the melodrama unfolding at CNBC headquarters in suburban New Jersey. For its part, CNBC officials play down the chatter as silly gossip and say the two popular anchors can work and play well together.

Sure, this sort of talk is probably inevitable in a male-dominated business like television news. The emergence of a pair of attractive (and highly capable) newswomen is bound to spark speculation about a feud.

Now, if CNBC showed signs of favoring one over the other in its promotions, there could be trouble. If it appeared that the network was starting to give one or the other more plum assignments, CNBC would have a major problem on its hands.

The tabloids and blogs love nothing more than building you up and then knocking you down.

Plenty at stake, too

There is plenty at stake here, too.

CNBC is counting on Bartiromo and Burnett, among others, to help the General Electric subsidiary fight off a serious challenge from the Fox Business Network. It begins operations on Oct. 15.

Over the years, CNBC has pretty much had things go its way. It has beaten back Time Warner's now-defunct CNNfn and Bloomberg, to name two foes.

Neither CNNfn nor Bloomberg could muster the kind of star power that TV networks must showcase. True, Bloomberg gave Dylan Ratigan and Burnett their starts on the air but they've enjoyed greater popularity on CNBC.

The business media are regarding Fox as a significant threat to CNBC. Fox will undoubtedly assemble fiercely competitive anchors and reporters -- and throw its considerable marketing muscle behind the new venture.

Fox may also count a familiar face among its ranks soon as well. I suspect that Liz Claman, who became a fixture at CNBC, will eventually do the same for Fox. There is no shortage of former CNBC stalwarts currently at Fox, whose ranks number Fox News chief Roger Ailes as well as veteran journalists Neil Cavuto and Alexis Glick.

Claman understands business news, has a strong following (billionaire investing icon Warren Buffett is one of her biggest fans) and features an impish sense of humor.

At a TVNewser.com cocktail party a few weeks ago, I tried to catch Claman off guard. When I pointedly asked her where she expected to be working next, she quipped: "I'm going to cross up everyone and join Al Jazeera!"

(Fox is a unit of News Corp. , which has agreed to acquire Dow Jones . MarketWatch, the publisher of this column, is a division of Dow Jones.)

Tale of the tape

Clearly, CNBC is relying on Bartiromo and Burnett more than ever.

These anchors have helped it build an audience among the institutional Wall Street crowd. CNBC has become virtually synonymous with the epitome of the establishment, the New York Stock Exchange. By contrast, the ever-shrewd Fox is expected to reach out to individual investors, a vast and potentially lucrative group that CNBC has been accused of largely overlooking.

Of course, CNBC's worst dream is that Bartiromo and/or Burnett becomes so disenchanted that one or both jumps to ... the Fox Business Network. It's a fair question as to whether CNBC can manage to keep its two anchors happy.

There are potential pitfalls when a successful organization boasts two stars. Remember, Shaq and Kobe helped the Los Angeles Lakers win three consecutive NBA hampionships not so long ago, but ultimately they weren't content with sharing the limelight and the team fell apart. "Cheers" was once the most popular situation comedy on primetime TV, but Shelley Long bolted to become a movie star, as co-star Ted Danson got more acclaim.

Is CNBC big enough to accommodate audience favorites? Does its public-relations department have enough tricks to make each one feel loved? If one falls behind in the Battle of Q Ratings - measuring popularity with the public -- would she rush to find a new home?

To help you, blessed readers, reach a conclusion, Media Web offers a tale of the tape:

MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: Which anchor do you prefer to watch on CNBC, Maria Bartiromo or Erin Burnett?

FRIDAY STORY OF THE WEEK: "Why can't we all practice Broderism?" (Politico.com, Sept. 4).

(Media Web appears on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Feel free to send an email to JFriedman@MarketWatch.com.)

By Jon Friedman