Missy Francis
Encyclopedia
Melissa Ann Francis is an American television journalist and news anchor
for CNBC
. Melissa is the co-anchor of CNBC's morning show, The Call and MSNBC
’s It’s the Economy. She is a frequent contributor to NBC
’s Today Show and Weekend Today Show. She is also an American former child actress.
in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in economics and served as executive editor of The Harvard College Economist magazine. She was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team.
shampoo commercial at 6 months old. She is best known for her role as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie
. She appeared as one of Michael Landon
's children for two seasons during the early 1980s. Other television appearances include two series regular roles: Morningstar/Eveningstar and Joe’s World, and three films including Man, Woman and Child
, where she played Paula Beckwith; she appeared in the television series St. Elsewhere
in 1986; she also played a role in Family Affair as Cynthia; and also in the 1988 film Bad Dreams
, where she played young Cynthia. Melissa appeared in nearly 100 commercials during her acting career. She is supposedly the inspiration for the fictional character Avery Jessup (conceived of and played by Elizabeth Banks
) in the show 30 Rock
.
on its morning show The Call. She originally provided live hourly reports from the New York Mercantile Exchange
on trading in crude oil futures contract
s, where Francis earned the moniker "The Empress of Energy" from veteran CNBC
anchor Larry Kudlow
for successfully predicting the upcoming ethanol
boom in the United States, weeks before it actually took place. She was the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
She has since appeared regularly on Kudlow's program, The Kudlow Report
. Francis also co-anchors It's the Economy on MSNBC Live
Tuesday and Thursdays at 2pm with Contessa Brewer
. Prior to CNBC, Francis was a correspondent for CNET's
broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products.
Before CNET
, Francis was a News 12 New Jersey
reporter, and anchored for many New England television stations in Hartford
, Manchester
, and Providence
. She also served as producer for WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine
and researcher for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. She was an NBC News
intern twice before graduating from college.
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
for CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. Melissa is the co-anchor of CNBC's morning show, The Call and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
’s It’s the Economy. She is a frequent contributor to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s Today Show and Weekend Today Show. She is also an American former child actress.
Education
Francis graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in economics and served as executive editor of The Harvard College Economist magazine. She was also the captain of the Harvard Polo Team.
Acting
Melissa started her acting career on television before her first birthday, first appearing in a Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
shampoo commercial at 6 months old. She is best known for her role as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
. She appeared as one of Michael Landon
Michael Landon
Michael Landon was an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is widely known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza , Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie , and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven...
's children for two seasons during the early 1980s. Other television appearances include two series regular roles: Morningstar/Eveningstar and Joe’s World, and three films including Man, Woman and Child
Man, Woman and Child
Man, Woman and Child is a novel by Erich Segal. It details the lives of Robert and Sheila Beckwith and their daughters Jessica and Paula.- Synopsis :...
, where she played Paula Beckwith; she appeared in the television series St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
in 1986; she also played a role in Family Affair as Cynthia; and also in the 1988 film Bad Dreams
Bad Dreams (film)
-Plot:It is the mid-1970s. A sinister hippy cult called Unity Fields commits mass suicide in a horrific manner - by fire - at the behest of its psychopathic leader, Franklin Harris . Only one young woman named Cynthia survives to tell the tale...
, where she played young Cynthia. Melissa appeared in nearly 100 commercials during her acting career. She is supposedly the inspiration for the fictional character Avery Jessup (conceived of and played by Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell , known professionally as Elizabeth Banks, is an American actress. Banks had her film debut in the low-budget independent film Surrender Dorothy...
) in the show 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
.
Television journalist
Melissa Francis is a financial news anchor for CNBCCNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
on its morning show The Call. She originally provided live hourly reports from the New York Mercantile Exchange
New York Mercantile Exchange
The New York Mercantile Exchange is the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange. It is located at One North End Avenue in the World Financial Center in the Battery Park City section of Manhattan, New York City...
on trading in crude oil futures contract
Futures contract
In finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract between two parties to exchange a specified asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today with delivery occurring at a specified future date, the delivery date. The contracts are traded on a futures exchange...
s, where Francis earned the moniker "The Empress of Energy" from veteran CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
anchor Larry Kudlow
Lawrence Kudlow
Lawrence "Larry" Kudlow is an American economist, television personality, and newspaper columnist. He is the host of CNBC's The Kudlow Report. As a syndicated columnist, his articles appear in numerous U.S. newspapers and web sites, including his own blog, Kudlow's Money Politic$.-Early...
for successfully predicting the upcoming ethanol
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres...
boom in the United States, weeks before it actually took place. She was the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
She has since appeared regularly on Kudlow's program, The Kudlow Report
Kudlow & Company
The Kudlow Report is a news television program about business and politics hosted by Lawrence Kudlow, that airs on the CNBC television channel at 7pm ET. The show began airing on January 26, 2009. It is a successor to Kudlow & Company, which aired from 2005 until October 2008...
. Francis also co-anchors It's the Economy on MSNBC Live
MSNBC Live
msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel...
Tuesday and Thursdays at 2pm with Contessa Brewer
Contessa Brewer
Contessa Brewer is an American host for the MSNBC weekend program Caught on Camera.-Biography:Brewer was born in in Parsonsfield, Maine, and graduated from Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram, Maine in 1992. She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public...
. Prior to CNBC, Francis was a correspondent for CNET's
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
broadcast unit, where she covered finance, technology and consumer products.
Before CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
, Francis was a News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey
News 12 New Jersey is a 24-hour cable news television channel reaching more than 1.8 million television homes within the New York City metropolitan area. The channel operates as an independent unit of News 12 Networks, the first, largest and most watched regional news network in United States...
reporter, and anchored for many New England television stations in Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, and Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. She also served as producer for WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
and researcher for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. She was an NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
intern twice before graduating from college.