Rukeyser Taking Show to CNBC

Financial broadcaster Louis Rukeyser, after the much-publicized brouhaha over his firing from the PBS fixture series “Wall Street Week,” will join cable channel CNBC, where his new Friday night show will go head to head with the old program in many markets.

“Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street” will be seen at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Pacific time starting April 19, featuring the same opening commentary, all 22 of the previous rotating panelists and a guest. “Anyone who liked the previous show will be very comfortable with this one,” Rukeyser said.

Rukeyser, 69, was a financial TV pioneer with “Wall Street Week” 32 years ago. He was fired in March after using the show to protest announced plans by PBS and producer Maryland Public Television to modernize the format, bringing in Fortune magazine as a partner and significantly diminishing Rukeyser’s role.

In an unusual move, CNBC will make reruns of the new show available to public television stations beginning at 9 p.m. Fridays, which means some of the 20% of the U.S. households without cable or a satellite dish might still be able to see the program if it is picked up by their local stations.

CNBC will also initially run the program using public broadcasting’s underwriting format, with no ads in the body of the show. The network hopes to line up underwriting messages that would be seen in the CNBC and public TV telecasts.

In a statement, Robert J. Shuman, chief executive of Maryland Public Television, wished Rukeyser well, saying that MPT is “excited about our refreshed and reinvigorated” show, which launches in June.

Many public stations have been inundated with complaints about the change. Asked how he thought the new show would fare, Rukeyser said, “I’m willing to leave that to the viewing public,” adding, “There’s been an extraordinary reaction coast to coast. I could die happy with all the nice things happening.”

Terms of Rukeyser’s arrangement with CNBC weren’t disclosed, although one person familiar with the deal said the NBC-owned channel made an initial one-year commitment to Rukeyser, who will also appear occasionally on other CNBC programs.