To follow up on yesterday's great/positive New York Times story (thanks to Doug Loudenback for finding), today OKC was featured in three segments on CNBC.

Sandridge CEO Tom Ward, Devon CEO Larry Nichols and Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon were all interviewed. Ward and Nichols discussed their new downtown devlopment projects.

Click here (http://www.okcreview.com/news.php?news_id=85&page=1) for the videos.

Those are nice. How bad were the questions directed at Aubrey McClendon, though? Wow. No research. The reporter actually in OKC did a much better job.

I was impressed with Tom Ward.

Those are nice. How bad were the questions directed at Aubrey McClendon, though? Wow. No research. The reporter actually in OKC did a much better job.

I was impressed with Tom Ward.

I agree. She seemed confused as to what they were going to talk about because of where Aubrey was (the memorial).

I did get a laugh when asked if there's the same populist backlash in Oklahoma as elsewhere, he said we "didn't have the excesses". What? Aubrey was the poster boy for excess among corporate compensation in the middle of the downturn. He was America's most highly paid CEO in 2007/08 and outraged CHK stockholders with the excess due to plummeting value. If I remember correctly, the CHK board even agreed to purchase his personal art collection as CHK stock tanked. I had to laugh when he said that. Anybody remembering 2007/2008 and watching him say that with a straight face had to gulp.

Tom Ward was very impressive. Nichols was okay, but he wasn't quite as articulate.

Great coverage for Oklahoma City!

Aside from opinions/comments stated by talking heads, these items are just amazing. Oklahoma City ... does it (we) exist, if so where and how important? All such videos/articles enhance information about us, and all are good.

I liked how Aubrey twisted the facts saying they are hiring 50 to 60 new people a month, but how many people do they let go? Probably the same amount of people from what I am hearing from their office.

Deleted ... see duplicate, below.

I liked how Aubrey twisted the facts saying they are hiring 50 to 60 new people a month, but how many people do they let go? Probably the same amount of people from what I am hearing from their office.
Without disputing what you said, lasomeday, what are the statistics (and links to them) that support what you said, above. Again, I'm not disputing or arguing what you said, but when I see fact assertions, I'm one who would like corroboration. Nothing personal and I have no involvement with Chesapeake.

I was watching NBC nightly news up here in Seattle, and a reporter in OKC came on to highlight you all's ICE storm today.

The reporter was located somewhere on I-235 near downtown, the shot was with the skyscrapers behind her. It was quite urban looking (of course) but you could tell that you all were having a major major winter storm.

Anyways, Im not sure if anybody else saw - but I just want everyone to know it did make national news (and anybody with half a brain watching should now know if nothing else that OKC has skyscrapers and is a big city.... and gets the worst of weather [lol]).

Be safe everyone.

You forgot to mention all three interviews were held inside the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Nichols and Aubrey highlighted the OKC Bombing and the resurgence the city had moving things forward.

He's referring to something different I'm afraid ssandedoc. My aunt saw it as well in Seattle, and the woman was outside with the skyline behind her.

I agree. She seemed confused as to what they were going to talk about because of where Aubrey was (the memorial).

I did get a laugh when asked if there's the same populist backlash in Oklahoma as elsewhere, he said we "didn't have the excesses". What? Aubrey was the poster boy for excess among corporate compensation in the middle of the downturn. He was America's most highly paid CEO in 2007/08 and outraged CHK stockholders with the excess due to plummeting value. If I remember correctly, the CHK board even agreed to purchase his personal art collection as CHK stock tanked. I had to laugh when he said that. Anybody remembering 2007/2008 and watching him say that with a straight face had to gulp.

Tom Ward was very impressive. Nichols was okay, but he wasn't quite as articulate.

Great coverage for Oklahoma City!

Wow! You can't buy that kind of publicity. Wish we hadn't been in the middle of the storm so they could have gotten better pictures. As far as excesses, Mike, you are correct but his were excesses of his own doing that reflect his heritage of a wildcatter. In this case, he lost but it didn't have anything to do with you, me or the economy. The excesses they referred to were totally different. Remember though, Chesapeake was founded by his dad and he has brought it to being the 2nd leading producer of gas in the US. He and his company should be applauded - I agree though, he needs to pull in his horns a bit and I hope he learned a valuable lesson.

I did get a laugh when asked if there's the same populist backlash in Oklahoma as elsewhere, he said we "didn't have the excesses".


I understand your point but in listening to the interview it sounded like he was referring more to real estate pricing excesses.

Remember though, Chesapeake was founded by his dad and he has brought it to being the 2nd leading producer of gas in the US. He and his company should be applauded - I agree though, he needs to pull in his horns a bit and I hope he learned a valuable lesson.

CHK was founded by Aubrey & Tom in 1989.

DVN was founded by Larry Nichols' father, John, in 1971.

Wow! You can't buy that kind of publicity. Wish we hadn't been in the middle of the storm so they could have gotten better pictures. As far as excesses, Mike, you are correct but his were excesses of his own doing that reflect his heritage of a wildcatter. In this case, he lost but it didn't have anything to do with you, me or the economy. The excesses they referred to were totally different. Remember though, Chesapeake was founded by his dad and he has brought it to being the 2nd leading producer of gas in the US. He and his company should be applauded - I agree though, he needs to pull in his horns a bit and I hope he learned a valuable lesson.

Actually you CAN buy that kind of publicity, and I'm not so sure it wasn't purchased by SandRidge or the Big 3. I'm willing to bet they paid top dollar for a top PR firm to land them that story.

Wow! You can't buy that kind of publicity. Wish we hadn't been in the middle of the storm so they could have gotten better pictures. As far as excesses, Mike, you are correct but his were excesses of his own doing that reflect his heritage of a wildcatter. In this case, he lost but it didn't have anything to do with you, me or the economy. The excesses they referred to were totally different. Remember though, Chesapeake was founded by his dad and he has brought it to being the 2nd leading producer of gas in the US. He and his company should be applauded - I agree though, he needs to pull in his horns a bit and I hope he learned a valuable lesson.

You make it sound like Aubrey led a hardscrabble life prior to his and Ward's founding of CHK. When your maternal genealogy has the last name of "Kerr," in Oklahoma City, you have several legs up (under-statement). It's also important to remember that CHK is no longer a private company. It is a public company, owned by stockholders (which include pension funds, mutual funds, etc.). You can't have your friends on the board compensate you for your own mistakes and then end up with compensation that topped the CEO charts in 2008 (he made 2 mil. a week. That's excess.) Fortune Magazine wrote about this just a couple of weeks ago (http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/04/news/companies/director_compensation.fortune/index.htm) in a story about executive compensation and BOD compensation being out of control.:

Of the 10 companies, Chesapeake Energy (a competitor of XTO's) exhibits the most bizarre set of circumstances. In the first place, the high earner among Chesapeake's eight nonemployee directors in 2008 -- all of them classified as "independent" -- was Breene Kerr, a cousin of CEO Aubrey Kerr McClendon. Kerr (who, having turned 80, left the board this year) received $784,687. Second, all eight of the company's outside directors were paid richly in 2008, averaging $670,000. Third, they drew notorious attention because of their benevolent treatment of a reeling McClendon.

Bad judgment had done him in. An indefatigable bull on Chesapeake's (CHK, Fortune 500) stock through mid-2008, McClendon, now 50, bought heavily on margin, amassing a stake that at Chesapeake's July high of $72 a share exceeded $2 billion. In December the stock plunged to $10 as the credit crisis flared and petroleum prices plummeted. Two months earlier, margin calls had forced McClendon to sell almost all of his position, at prices between $13.60 and $24 a share. The sales clobbered his net worth.

Racing to the rescue like corporate first-responders, the Chesapeake board awarded McClendon a $75 million special bonus for 2008. Other compensation raised his total to $100 million, one of the highest figures in the land. Chesapeake's compensation committee issued a "rationale" for the bonus that stressed the board's wish to keep McClendon as CEO.

Asked by Fortune why Chesapeake pays its directors so much, McClendon said, "We have a very large and complex company, and we value our directors' time."

I don't totally disagree with you, however, as much as any publicly traded company, its HIS company. His dad started it and he built it into the major player it is. As I said above, I hope he learned from his previous mistakes that playing the stock market isn't necessarily like wildcatting. You live on margin, you can die on margin, too.

I liked how Aubrey twisted the facts saying they are hiring 50 to 60 new people a month, but how many people do they let go? Probably the same amount of people from what I am hearing from their office.

Thats correct, but they did hire unqualified bafoons by the hundreds for awhile, so they could be picking up real talent while its available.

I don't totally disagree with you, however, as much as any publicly traded company, its HIS company. His dad started it and he built it into the major player it is. As I said above, I hope he learned from his previous mistakes that playing the stock market isn't necessarily like wildcatting. You live on margin, you can die on margin, too.

It's not his company, it hasn't been his or his family's company since they took it public.

I don't totally disagree with you, however, as much as any publicly traded company, its HIS company. His dad started it and he built it into the major player it is. As I said above, I hope he learned from his previous mistakes that playing the stock market isn't necessarily like wildcatting. You live on margin, you can die on margin, too.

It's no longer "his" company. It's now the shareholders' company. If he wanted to keep it as his company, he could have chosen not to go public.

Actions do have consequences.

It's no longer "his" company. It's now the shareholders' company. If he wanted to keep it as his company, he could have chosen not to go public.

Actions do have consequences.

Its HIS company as much as Microsoft is Bill Gates' company, Apple is Steven Jobs' company and Berkshire Hath is Warren Buffet's company. Sure, other people own more than half the stock but they invested their lives in their respective companies. McClendon made a wildcatter's gamble and hit a dry hole, but again, I hope he learned a lesson and does a better job the second time around.

Its HIS company as much as Microsoft is Bill Gates' company, Apple is Steven Jobs' company and Berkshire Hath is Warren Buffet's company. Sure, other people own more than half the stock but they invested their lives in their respective companies. McClendon made a wildcatter's gamble and hit a dry hole, but again, I hope he learned a lesson and does a better job the second time around.

Neither of Apple nor Microsoft granted ridiculous bonuses and schemes to bailout their respective CEO's for their misgivings. That was the point, sure it sounds good to say its "his"company and he does indeed have strong ties with the organization. But the reality is the company belongs to the shareholders.

I don't totally disagree with you, however, as much as any publicly traded company, its HIS company. His dad started it and he built it into the major player it is. As I said above, I hope he learned from his previous mistakes that playing the stock market isn't necessarily like wildcatting. You live on margin, you can die on margin, too.

Actually Aubrey and Tom Ward started it.