David Letterman Extends Invitation To Jay Leno: Did They Kiss And Make Up? - Page 2
But NBC reaffirmed the plans in May with the hiring of Jimmy Fallon as the future host of Mr. O’Brien’s “Late Night.”
“It’s only until recently that I felt this thing had traction,” Mr. Letterman said. [...]
For a while there, Dave insisted that CBS was not giving him a strong enough lead-in with their local broadcasts, and that is why he lagged behind in the ratings. However, he has a bit of a different approach to it now:
Mr. Letterman has ranked No. 2 behind Mr. Leno, who is 58, for more than a decade. Mr. Letterman acknowledges in the article, “I wish that we — and when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘me’ — I wish I could have prevailed.” But he concludes by saying that the reason for the ratings lies not in the local-news lead-ins of the two networks or the promotions of their shows, but in the difference between the two men. “I think he has greater appeal for more people than I do,” he said simply.So far this season Mr. Leno’s “Tonight” show has averaged an audience of 4.8 million, while Mr. Letterman’s “Late Show” has averaged 3.5 million.
“It seems unlikely that now, after years and years of trying under a wide variety of circumstances and advantages and disadvantages, that suddenly I’m going to prevail,” Mr. Letterman said. “You can’t go through life fooling yourself. You have to be honest with the situation. That’s fine.”
That said, next year’s transition on NBC may present a new opportunity for Mr. Letterman. He told Rolling Stone that he had not given much thought to the forthcoming competition with Mr. O’Brien because “I still find it hard to believe that Jay won’t be there.”
And I think that is the crux of it right there. Jay is more acceptable to everyone...he doesn't offend, he doesn't push the envelope, he pretty much plays it safe. He's very much the cheeseburger of late night television. Dave, however, is more like rattlesnake...very much an acquired taste, but those who like it really like it. I believe Conan's humor is similar to Dave's, because it sure isn't anything like Jay Leno's. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Both Dave and Jay have great bands, however, so that should be interesting to follow. Continued on the next page
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