A significant slice of broadcast journalism bid adieu as "Wall $treet Week," an innovative financial program forever associated with longtime host Louis Rukeyser, aired its last show this week on June 24, 2005.

Originally created by producer Anne Truax Darlington for Maryland Public Television (MPT), the show, launched in 1970, rapidly captured a national audience drawn to Rukeyser's wry humorous approach to Wall Street news.

Plus -- in what would later become the template for future television business shows -- Rukeyser and his guests largely skipped using tedious technical jargon and convoluted academic theories. Instead, the reassuring host and his "panel of experts" emphasized how to make money because reportedly, "economics puts people to sleep." Rukeyser also invented a popular Wall $treet Week stock market index he titled "the Elves," with "Chief Elf" Robert Nurock, that attempted to (accurately) issue buy or sell signals based on assorted data. Of course, many professional traders felt these pronouncements were contrarian indicators.

Until 2002, the show's format consisted of Rukeyser's opening salvo, followed by a panel discussion on financial news and companies, answers to viewers' queries and an interview with a different weekly guest expert including Federal Bankers Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan.

With declining numbers of under 65'ers tuning in, MPT attempted to rev up the ratings by ending Rukeyser's 32 years reign. They installed new co-hosts and re-branded the franchise with Fortune magazine. But given the instant availability of business news on and offline, "Wall $treet Week With Fortune" failed to attract the desired numbers to its Friday night 8:30 PM time slot and shut down production after 35 years.

This Week in Wall Street History

6/16/08