CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jay Yarow, the executive editor and senior vice president of CNBC Digital, has been named the ‘Talking Biz News’ Business Journalist of the Year. Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor and TBN founder Chris Roush gives this annual award to a business journalist whose work during that year stands out in the business journalism world.

Roush chose Yarow for his work in expanding CNBC’s digital platforms. Since CNBC hired Yarow in March 2016, he has helped CNBC.com reach the No. 3 position in the business and finance news category for the first time in the website’s history. He has also led CNBC Digital to the No. 1 position for digital video in the business and finance news category with a record high of 21 million video viewers.

Roush, who is also a journalism professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: “Jay is the perfect choice for Business Journalist of the Year because his leadership has made CNBC.com a major player in business journalism coverage. At a time when many newsrooms are contracting, CNBC.com is expanding.”

Yarow’s colleagues at CNBC said he has helped lead CNBC Digital to new heights with his passion for business news and his ability to see beyond the obvious.

Nikhil Deogun, the senior vice president and editor-in-chief at CNBC Business News, said: “Jay has helped turbo-charge our digital growth. His keen story sense and constant collaboration with our television producers and programmers has helped maximize our journalism. As a creative thinker, he adds an intellectual spark to story discussions.”

Before working at CNBC, Yarow was the executive editor at Business Insider, responsible for setting the editorial strategy and managing all content and coverage for the company. He also helped the organization focus on its distinctive brand of real-time digital journalism, playing a crucial role in its ascent to the No. 2 business news website. It was thanks to Yarow’s groundbreaking efforts in both business journalism and digital media that Roush decided to name him the Business Journalist of the Year.

Talking Biz News is a business journalism website founded and managed by Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor Chris Roush. The website was formed in 2005 and is known for providing exclusive content about the world of business journalism, while fostering discussions about the field. Learn more about Talking Biz News at talkingbiznews.com, email Roush at croush@email.unc.edu, or follow the organization on Twitter at @talkingbiznews.