Leno Has the Write Stuff When It Comes to Ratings
Jay Leno with guest, Mike Huckabee, on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno by Paul Drinkwater/NBC Photo
Should the Writers Guild of America take this personally? According to Nielsen's overnight ratings in 55 markets, NBC's writer-less
Tonight Show with Jay Leno was the audience favorite with a 5.3 rating and a 12 share on Wednesday night. That topped CBS'
Late Show with David Letterman, which returned with its writers after Letterman's production company worked out its own deal with the WGA. It scored a 4.3/10. Viewers were clearly happy to see both shows return after a strike-imposed two-month hiatus, as both hit season highs. The same goes for NBC's
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, which averaged a 2.5/8 in its return. That topped the 1.9/6 delivered by
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
ABC's
Jimmy Kimmel Live, which actually saw a ratings
spike in November while the leading shows were in repeats, scored a 1.4/4. -
Stephen Battaglio
Related:
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TVGuide.com Asks... Which Late-night Host Had the Write Stuff?
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Matt Roush grades Letterman, Leno and the rest
In TVGuide.com's Strike Watch blog:
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WGA Says, "We Will Be Picketing the Golden Globes"
