(PBS, 1972 - 2018) [aka: "Wall $treet Week with FORTUNE" (2002 - 2018)] [Financial analyst and commentator Louis Rukeyser was the original host of this series which originated in 1970 as a local show produced at Maryland Public Television, a state agency of Maryland that is based in Owings Mills, MD; By 1972 the show airing on WMPB had been picked up to air over the full PBS network; Rukeyser's wry wit and talent for trenchant insights were the key to its success; At one point, over 300 stations carried the series; In 2002, the producers at Maryland Public Television unfortunately tried to "update" the format bringing in younger hosts and giving Rukeyser a less prominent role; Rukeyser quit the show and began his own series on CNBC which was then carried by some PBS stations; After Rukeyser's departure, the series was renamed "Wall $Street Week with FORTUNE" and co-hosted by the editorial director of Fortune Magazine, Geoffrey Colvin, along with Karen Gibes, a Fox News Channel reporter; This failed to be an improvement; The viewership struggled along with 1/6th of the audience it had during its heydey but never fully recovered; so Maryland Public Television finally pulled the plug, announcing the last episode is scheduled for production in June, 2018.]
[THEME title and composer credit from on-screen closing credits; The Theme music originally underscored an opening video sequence depicting the hectic pace of life during a trading day on Wall Street; Harmonically, it was a 12-bar blues progression; and, perhaps in a nod to modern technology, it had an unusual 5/8 meter; it was played at a brisk tempo by a small jazz-rock combo featuring trombones, flutes, bass guitar, drums and an electronic (Fender-Rhodes) piano; After Rukeyser's departure, the opening (including the THEME) was shortened to just a few brief seconds...] Composer: Donald Swartz (not affiliated) 1978 Publisher: [not found in the 1978 ASCAP Index of Performed Compositions] 2001 Publisher: [not found in ASCAP or BMI databases] Copyright Date: Renewal Date: Recordings: