David Letterman, "Tonight Show" Ratings Race Closest Since 2005

NEW YORK — David Letterman's squabble with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave his "Late Show" a ratings boost last week, but new NBC rival Conan O'Brien retains the upper hand after two weeks as "Tonight Show" host.

Overall for the week of June 8, "Tonight" won in total viewers as well as among such demographic groups as adults 18-49 and 18-34, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Thursday.

Even so, CBS' "Late Show" scored total-viewer victories on three nights last week, as controversy (and viewer interest) heated up following Letterman's racy joke about a Palin daughter. The joke was delivered as part of Letterman's June 8 monologue.

Last week's Tuesday, Thursday and Friday editions of "Late Show" edged out "Tonight" in viewers.

"Late Show" also edged out "Tonight" in household ratings, 2.7 vs. 2.6 for the week. (A ratings point represents 1,145,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.5 million TV homes.)

For the week, "Late Show" had 3.67 million viewers, separated from front-runner "Tonight" with its 3.77 million viewers by just 100,000 viewers. For "Late Show," it was the closest competitive position to "Tonight" since December 2005, Nielsen said.

Until longtime host Jay Leno departed "Tonight" on May 29, the NBC late show had been the traditional ratings leader at 11:35 p.m.

___

CBS is a division of CBS Corp. NBC is a unit of General Electric.

___

On the Net:

http://www.cbs.com

http://www.nbc.com

Comments

[georgiegirl]

06:57 PM on 06/21/2009

Dave, I think you're great and always have. I'm sure Palin didn't expect it all to backfire on her, but very glad it did.
Keep up the good work.....a­nd keep smiling.

[fuzzyhearts]

03:05 PM on 06/21/2009

Is it the Palin Bump? Or just the Conan Thump?

[dengal]

08:11 PM on 06/21/2009

maybe a little of both
but once people watch dave a 'get ' him they'll be back

He had become a parody of himself - but after his son and heart issues he's softer and very funny.

[Peaceisnecessary]

08:23 AM on 06/21/2009

Where is the apology from Bill Maher? He compared President Obama to Lindsay Lohan? He is constantly putting down the President. I think he is a neo-con. I hope his show flops.

[roshni]

12:21 AM on 06/21/2009

Good luck David - rooting for you.

[houseboat67]

02:40 PM on 06/20/2009

Letterman has lost my respect.

[discourse jockey]

04:30 PM on 06/20/2009

Which means you used to respect him. For what did you respect him when, as you claim, you still respected him, mind telling us that?

[RJII]

02:11 PM on 06/20/2009

maybe the bump is because Jay Leno just left the Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon can't pull the numbers like Leno yet.

[solopico]

11:07 PM on 06/20/2009

exactly.

Letterman was funny 15-20 years ago. Now he's just bitter and partisan.

[imsosure]

12:26 AM on 06/20/2009

Maybe it's time to have McCain back for another visit?

[MisterHands]

03:09 PM on 06/19/2009

If you have eaten at the Olive Garden, you know they consider human hair an ingredient­s.

Avoid all Darden Restaurant­s-- the food is a bad as the political affiliatio­n.

Darden Restaurant­s, Inc., (NYSE: DRI) Through subsidiari­es, the Company owns and operates more than 1,700 restaurant­s including Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse­, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

http://www­.darden.co­m/

[solopico]

11:08 PM on 06/20/2009

Thank you - now I know more restaurant­s where I will eat

[GiannaX]

12:22 AM on 06/21/2009

Hope you don't choke on the cranky salad.

[dengal]

12:43 PM on 06/21/2009

I went to one not long ago - nasty food,
B/c of letterman, I wont go back
I wrote and told them so

[Moshe]

01:48 PM on 06/19/2009

And there you have it.

Dave is a genious.

[fuzzyhearts]

03:08 PM on 06/21/2009

"genius" is a really funny word to misspell.

[jsgaetano]

01:45 PM on 06/19/2009

Palin and the entire GOP seems to have a fecal Midas Touch.

Poor lil fundies, they just can't do anything right.

[ctman47]

12:50 PM on 06/19/2009

Ah, the miraculous Palin touch !
Everything she does has the exact opposite result from what she sets out to do!
Another of her W traits.

[kissMYfish]

12:43 PM on 06/19/2009

Keep going DL. SP doesn't deserve the air that she breaths.

[petera63]

12:59 PM on 06/19/2009

There's something fishy in this opinion...

[raven119]

11:57 AM on 06/19/2009

Letterman has lost his edge and those of us who watched him have gone of to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Dave needs to put more politics into his humor. With Palin, Ensign, Bachmann, Hannity, O'Reilly and Beck as a source for his comedy, he could beat O'Brien in a walk. I'm just saying...

[discourse jockey]

12:27 PM on 06/19/2009

So true.

[solopico]

11:09 PM on 06/20/2009

Letterman will never gain credibilit­y if he can't tell an Obama joke.

[VegasWolf]

11:13 AM on 06/19/2009

Palin is an expert on TV. She can see TV from her back porch.

[discourse jockey]

12:28 PM on 06/19/2009

!! LOOOL

Oh my god, that one seems so effortless­ly obvious, but I'd never have thought of it. Kudos!

[BumpyKnight]

10:53 AM on 06/19/2009

Palin - Bachmann '12
___dream ticket____

[kissMYfish]

12:39 PM on 06/19/2009

You need to wake up. It was just a DREAM!!