Fox is hoping to beef up its roster of talent for its up and coming (although currently widely mocked) Fox Business Network.

And who are they hoping to add? None other than CNN's Lou Dobbs. According to The New York Times, citing "two people with direct knowledge of the meeting", Mr. Dobbs met for dinner with Fox News president Roger Ailes.

Wow, the Fox Business Network hasn't even been on the air for a month, and its critics are already writing its obituary because the channel has made some boneheaded moves.

First, as Fox-hater Keith Olbermann noted, the News Corp (NYSE: NWS) channel did some "creative" editing of negative newspaper reviews and turned them into positive ones? Yesterday, Olbermann, the host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, "awarded" network honcho Roger Ailes the title of "Worst Person in the World" because presumably mortal enemy Bill O'Reilly's evilness just wasn't up to snuff. This bit is part of Olbermann's shtick on his program which regularly outrages conservatives.

Of course, Ailes is far from the worst person in the world. At best, he and his boss Rupert Murdoch are in the top 10% of evil-doers, well behind the likes of Osama bin Laden, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and people who dress up their pets in Halloween costumes. But unlike many arch-villains, Ailes is a very creative and resourceful guy.

For instance, he's lined up Minyanville.com characters "Hoofy the Bull" and "Boo the Bear" to host a segment on the network's critically derided Happy Hour program. Is this idea going to win a Peabody? Of course not, but it's not the end of the world, either. Still, this feature wasn't a smart PR move, because it plays into the hands of Fox's many critics, including Joe Nocera of The New York Times, who have blasted the network for being too upbeat.

On October 15, the latest challenge to General Electric (NYSE: GE)'s CNBC network dominance of business programming via cable television, the Fox Business Network, will sign on for the first time. And while CNBC President Mark Hoffman is taking the public stance that it is business as usual, he's not fooling anyone. As demonstrated by News Corp (NYSE: NWS)'s Fox News Network whomping of CNN, the newcomer can be a market changer. News Corp's recent acquisition of Dow Jones, including The Wall Street Journal, gives it yet more ammunition for its assault.

At stake is a juicy demographic, viewers well above average in income and in their prime consumption years (25-54), according to Nielsen Media Research. TVWeek estimates CNBC's current take from advertising at $250 million per year.

Heading the assault on CNBC is Roger Ailes, the guiding force behind Fox News. In an interview with the Journal (subscription) today, Ailes dodged one of the most interesting questions: Can Fox find a way around the WSJ's current agreement to share content with CNBC, which won't expire until 2012? Integrating the WSJ content and brand into the new network could allow Fox to quickly leapfrog CNBC.

One message that seems clear from the Ailes interview: he doesn't intend FBN to bottom feed, but compete for the same demographic as CNBC. At the same time, when I look at some of CNBC's schlocky prime-time offerings, I have the impression that network has already undergone some Foxification.

FBN will launch with only one-third of CNBC's viewership, but its leverage should allow it to quickly bully its way into more cable packages. As the internet continues to steal away investors interested in timely business news, the race between the two may be decided on entertainment value, a coin both sides know how to employ. Check out the pretty people already on-board for Fox. Not a Paul Kangas (one of my favorites) among them.

News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Fox News channel received praise from an unlikely source: former CNN anchor Aaron Brown.

In an interview with TV Newser, Brown described Fox as "very disciplined, ratings-directed news organization, or whatever they are" and CNN as "an organization that is trying to figure out if it can be all things to all people."

Though Brown is bitter about his departure from the Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) network, he does have a point. Fox didn't only win the cable ratings war because of politics. It hired better broadcasters and put out more memorable shows. Roger Ailes figured out early that people tune into cable expecting opinions and that's what Fox gave them.

CNN has fought back though, adding blowhards such as Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace, CNN Headline News does decently in the ratings. Lou Dobbs' crusade against illegal immigration also has resonated with the public, which is kind of scary. It's also scored its share of scoops including Larry King's Paris Hilton interview. (Yeah she's horrible, but people are interested).