David Brancaccio

Host and Senior Editor, Marketplace Morning Report

SHORT BIO

I’ve anchored and reported for Marketplace since 1989 from bases in London, Los Angeles and New York. Multimedia journalism’s my thing — been doing radio since I was a little boy. I write, love cameras and audio/video editing and have anchored television. I grew up in a small town in Maine but have attended schools in Italy, Madagascar and Ghana.

What was your first job?

DJ and newsman on WTVL AM/FM, Waterville, Maine.

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

Making each and every one fit. “Marketplace Morning Report” has to end at 58 minutes and 58 seconds past each hour; no more, no less.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Find your own voice in your on-air style and in your writing.

In your next life, what would your career be?

Astronaut. They say a key qualification for the Mars mission are folks who can fix things on the fly. I'm good at MacGyvering.

Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.

A McIntosh audiophile-grade stereo amplifier. No, not spelled the same as the computer. They always were too expensive for me, and now they're even more expensive.

What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?

For those who shave, a shaving brush.  And kitchen scissors. Really. It'll change your life.

What’s something that you thought you knew but later found out you were wrong about?

I thought people work in their own best interests. They don't. They use up resources until they hurt themselves. "Tragedy of the commons," economists call it.

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

Live on the air, I slipped and swapped an "f" for a "p" in some copy and looked up to see an empty control room. They were all on the floor laughing at my expense.

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

Besides the photo of my family, there is a 4" diameter, 4-foot-tall model rocket in the Marketplace Morning Report colors I built. It's flown to 4,000 feet.

Latest Stories (2,710)

What's next for financial regulators after the banking jitters?

The recent bank rescues should serve as a wake-up call for regulators to do more, says senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"Moral hazard" at banks isn't just a theoretical concern

According to Boston College's Patricia McCoy, data underscore concerns about the government's role in risk-taking at banks.
Data support the claim that too much government backing can incentivize banks to take more risks, says Boston College law professor Patricia McCoy.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

How to get more than $250,000 covered by federal deposit insurance

From creating joint accounts to patronizing multiple banks, there are ways to maximize FDIC coverage, says economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Having too much money to be insured in one account is a good problem to have. Marketplace economics contributor Chris Farrell explains how to solve it.
John Moore/Getty Images

Some Republicans are blaming SVB’s collapse on ESG initiatives

We explore what’s really going on here with Washington Post reporter Julian Mark.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is one of several prominent Republican lawmakers blaming the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on so-called ESG investing.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Could the Fed's new emergency bank lending program encourage risky behavior?

The Fed's new program may incentivize banks to take more risks, says analyst Joseph Wang.
The Fed's freshly created Bank Term Funding Program could reduce the incentives for banks to follow good practices, says analyst Joseph Wang.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Did regulation fail in the recent bank failures?

Regulators likely failed to catch and act upon red flags at both failed banks, argues Wharton professor Peter Conti-Brown.
Regulators likely failed to curtail poor practices at Signature Bank (pictured) and Silicon Valley Bank, said Wharton professor Peter Conti-Brown.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Energy security and access headline Houston conference

Access to energy when it's most needed seemed to be on everyone's mind at CERAWeek in Houston, research fellow Andy Uhler says.
Haitham Al Ghais, right, secretary general of OPEC, speaks with Carlos Pascual of  S&P Global Commodity Insights during the CERAWeek conference.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

Could companies be persuaded to bring back pensions?

Why defined pension plans could make a comeback in a tight labor market.
Pension funds, which had long since fallen out of the mainstream, could offer some employers an edge in hiring, argues Chris Farrell.
Ridofranz via Getty Images