David Letterman is staying put at CBS.
Despite long-gestating rumblings that the late night veteran was readying for retirement, the network announced Friday that it has extended the host's Late Show contract through 2015. The news comes as rivals NBC preps for a shakeup with ratings leader Jay Leno being replaced by Jimmy Fallon following the winter Olympics.
“Les [Moonves] and I had a lengthy discussion, and we both agreed that I needed a little more time to fully run the show into the ground,” Letterman quipped in a statement, with CBS CEO Leslie Moonves adding: “There is only one Dave, and we are extremely proud that he continues to call CBS ‘home.’”
At 31 years, Letterman recently surpassed Johnny Carson to become the longest-running late night talk show host in TV history. His Late Night with David Letterman bowed on NBC in February 1982, earning him a Peabody and five Emmys. Since his show's debut on CBS in 1993, the Late Show garnered another nine Emmys and a top slot in the bookings hierarchy.
Though Letterman's series has seen its ratings slide over the years care of increased competition from broadcast and cable, the Late Show was up 5 percent, year over year, during the first week of the fall season. It averages 3.14 million viewers weekly.
More to come...
