Letterman poised to strike a blow
HOLLYWOOD — It’s the second day of the new year but, more to the point, it’s the first day since the start of the writers strike that Jay Leno and David Letterman will have something new to talk about.
Tonight, both Leno and Letterman will be returning with fresh shows. But that’s where the similarity ends.
While The Tonight Show host will be flying by the seat of his own pants since his writers will still be hoisting picket signs, the Late Show host will be back with his writing team intact.
During the final working hours of 2007, Dave’s production company, WorldWide Pants, Auld-Lang-signed a separate contract with the Writers Guild of America, agreeing to the Guild’s pay increase demands that have thus far been rejected by the producers alliance. Unfortunately for Jay, his show is owned by NBC, which means he didn’t have the options of negotiating a similar deal with the WGA.
That means Letterman will be back with his Top 10 Lists, Viewer Mail and other popular segments, while Leno will have to rely solely on his wit.
But the ramifications go beyond how much Jaywalking Leno’s viewers are able to tolerate in a given week. Because large numbers of big-name stars are refusing to cross those WGA picket lines in the name of solidarity (their Screen Actors Guild contract expires in June), that means Jay’s guest list could be looking flimsy, while it will be business as usual for Dave.
Although he has traditionally outdrawn Letterman, Leno reruns since the strike started have seen an average 40% drop in viewers in the key 18-49 age demographic, compared to Letterman’s 21% erosion.
So with a possible scenario that could see Dave partying with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts over on the East Coast as Jay chats up the oldest living cribbage player on the West Coast, the late-night landscape could undergo a significant shift.
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