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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from dtheatre.com, located at http://www.dtheatre.com/read.php?sid=1685. --------------------------------------------------------------
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More On Letterman's Future By Cmaster2, (DT) March 12, 2002 11:25 AM PT |
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Letterman: "Aye" To Eye
Ending nearly two weeks of rumors and speculation, David Letterman used his nightly monologue Monday night to announce that he will remain at CBS. News reports indicated that he made his decision to stay put only a few hours before the telecast. "Can you believe there are two networks fighting over this crap -- crazy, ain't it?" Letterman quipped at one point in the monologue. Terms of his deal were not officially disclosed Monday, but news reports said that he would take home an annual salary of $31 million and that he received assurances that his late-night show will receive more promotion than it has in the past. At one point in the monologue he spoke directly to the ABC executives who had courted him. ""Whatever you decide to do at 11:30, I wish you the very best," he said. "And my personal hope is that it will continue to be occupied by Ted Koppel and Nightline for as long as that guy would like to have that job -- that is just the way it ought to be." He said that Koppel "represents the very highest echelon of broadcast achievement ... [and] at the very least deserves the right to determine his own professional future." What About Koppel? Although David Letterman will remain in his timeslot at CBS, it was by no means certain that Ted Koppel will remain in his at ABC. The network released a statement by its president, Alex Wallau, saying, "At ABC our ongoing objective is to provide a top-quality schedule with strong audience appeal. In today's competitive environment, it is incumbent upon us to explore all programming options, and The Late Show with David Letterman was an opportunity that ABC felt compelled to pursue. From the outset, we've always said that Ted Koppel and Nightline would have a significant presence at ABC News. Nightline will remain in its time period." The statement appeared to off-put Koppel and the producers of Nightline, who released their own statement asking the Disney company for "a clear and unmistakable signal" that the show would continue. "We need something more than bland assurances or a short-term guarantee," their statement said, noting also that "there must be a great many talented comedians who would welcome the opportunity to take over the Nightline time slot." Today's (Tuesday) Washington Post quoted unnamed ABC News staffers as expressing surprise over the tone of the statement. "The worst thing they could do is overplay their hand," one said. "I don't believe the guarantees they're seeking exist anywhere in this business." |
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