Spurned PBS veteran Louis Rukeyser notched a record CNBC rating in his cable
debut Friday, but the audience was much smaller than his public television
draw.
Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street attracted 609,000 households, or a 0.7
rating, good enough for CNBC's highest-ever prime time rating.
In contrast, on PBS, Rukeyser regularly counted 3 million viewers.
Rukeyser ended his 32-year PBS run in March after he was ousted by Maryland
Public Television, which produced Wall $treet with Louis Rukeyser.
His new CNBC show airs in the same slot -- Fridays at 8:30 p.m. EST -- as his
former PBS gig.
MPT plans to relaunch the show as Wall Street Week with Fortune.
As part of his CNBC deal, Rukeyser's show is being made available to public
TV outlets for a second window.
So far, 15 PBS affiliates have agreed to reair the show after its two Friday-night CNBC plays.
