CNBC hires Forbes managing editor

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cable television business news channel CNBC said on Thursday that it hired Forbes magazine managing editor Dennis Kneale as media and technology editor.

The announcement comes as the station, controlled by General Electric Co unit NBC Universal, prepares for the debut next Monday of rival News Corp's Fox Business Network.

Kneale joined Forbes in 1998 and, as managing editor, oversaw stories such as the Internet boom and bust, the rise of Google, corporate scandals and the backlash against the drug industry, CNBC said in a statement.

Before Forbes, Kneale worked at The Wall Street Journal for 16 years, CNBC said.