Richard Quest has been presenting at CNN for 13 years. Though the Liverpudlian presenter spends his working day focusing on business news, he’s deeply old fashioned in his habits; he confesses a love for the smell of morning newspapers, a cup of English hot chocolate to get him off to sleep, and fiddling with his new fountain pen.
5.15am
On a typical day in New York I wake up to emails, to check there’s no unexploded bombs in my email box that have to be dealt with there and then. A lot of them are major distribution list emails that I can delete at a huge rate of knots. But I still have to read some of them, because they might have the details that tell me the US treasury secretary is giving a speech at 2pm.
5.50am
In the summer, it’s egg whites for breakfast, vegetables and tea, and in the winter, oatmeal with berries and tea. I follow a specific diet.
6.30am
I go to the gym and see my trainer for an hour most mornings, then the rush begins. From 8am to 9am I've got to get home, shower, shave, get changed, and take the subway to the office for about 9.05am. I try not to look at the BlackBerry or my phone on the subway. I'll just try and sit and look and think, or I'll read The New York Times. I love the smell of newsprint on a paper. I think the next generation down from myself are probably used to it but for me, I can read an article in The Economist online, and I don't remember it. I read it in the paper and I do. I've also started writing with a rather nice fountain pen. I like fiddling with it – I end up like an inky schoolboy. Maybe I'm going backwards.
9.30am
Time for the morning meeting, when we bring London and New York together to discuss what to put in Quest Means Business. That's when I expect everyone to be on their mettle. After that the day can go any which way and backwards. I might be doing an interview. I did a story about time management lessons recently and the woman basically said, 'You're a disaster!' She told me to group my tasks together, your mind can't keep jumping about. I'm trying to convince my boss to let me have extra lessons with this woman.
12pm
For lunch I have chicken with steamed vegetables, not too late because I don’t want to be tired when I do the show. 1.15pm is the final meeting to decide what’s going into the programme.
About 2.30pm
Sometimes I am shameless, I’ll go lie on my little sofa in my office and have a snooze. I’ll say ‘I’m just going to have 5 minutes with the FT’.
3pm
I go to make up, which I love – It’s my time. I sit in the chair, gossip, see other presenter colleagues. It only takes 10–15 minutes, because we men are not supposed to look like we’re wearing make up. For me it’s concealer, I get airbrushed, powder, hair. I’m going on television in HD, so I don’t want viewers saying ‘Oh, he’s got a spot’ or ‘He’s a bit off-colour’. Making sure you look good on television is not vanity, it’s ensuring you do the best job because you’re part of the product. It’s like a newspaper having smudged ink – the reader’s not going to enjoy it. The camera has to like you. I’ve got buck teeth and a long face, I certainly would not be described as handsome in any classic sense. But for some reason, the camera likes me.
3.40pm
I go into the studio early. We’ll all talk – I like lots of jokes, noise and atmosphere, so when we go on air, we’re ready. We start at 30 seconds to 4pm.
5pm
I come off air, and do any last-minute reports. Sometimes I have to do CNN Asia, or stuff for the morning shows.
7pm
I try to be out of the office. I’m not rushing off in the evenings to the theatre or big dinners – I might meet a friend for a late coffee. Then I go home and collapse. I’m absolutely knackered. Because I’m a bit of a fitness freak, I might have a tin of tuna and salad, some leftover chicken in the fridge – but I won’t cook a big dinner. At home, I catch up with emails, read, or I might just sit and do nothing. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve got a TV in my apartment but I think it’s only ever been on twice.
10pm
My night-time ritual is a cup of drinking chocolate, and maybe yogurt with berries. I like to be in bed by 10.15pm, and I'll look at tomorrow morning's New York Times online before I go to bed.
