If there was any doubt about it - and there wasn't much - David Letterman became the undisputed king of late-night during the week ending Dec. 12.
And he wasn't even working.But that's the point. During that week, reruns of the "Late Show" handily beat first-run installments of "Tonight."
Talk about a humiliating defeat for Jay Leno.
The five nights of Letterman reruns averaged a 5.0 rating and a 16 share to the 4.2/13 that five new programs with Leno pulled in.
(Each rating points equals 942,000 homes, and the share is the percentage of homes actually watching TV.)
As usual, Leno finished third behind ABC's "Nightline" (4.8/16).
Oh, Leno's numbers aren't disastrous. "The Tonight Show" is still making money for NBC.
But what a kick in the pants to lose to Letterman reruns!
COSTAS STAYS PUT: Although it was apparently a closer call than many people expected, Bob Costas has spurned CBS to remain with NBC.
Costas turned down the Big Eye's offer to do a five-night-a-week, 1-hour talk show after Letterman's "Late Show" for a reported $4 million a year.
(Costas' run as host of NBC's "Later" is about to end, at his own request.)
From all indications, NBC probably won Costas' continuing loyalty when it won back part of the baseball contract - the sportscaster/-host's favorite sport, even though the Peacock's offer was reportedly about a million bucks less per year.
In addition to doing baseball play-by-play - including the '95 World Series - Costas will continue hosting "NBA Showtime," will be the lead anchor for NBC's coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics, will host several prime-time specials and will do at least 10 segments a year for the NBC news magazine "Now."
Oddly enough, Costas said his decision rested on his desire to spend more time with his family.
At a press conference in New York, Costas said he "seriously, seriously considered" CBS' offer. "But I would say that once NBC got baseball and the Olympics, then I thought it was almost a foregone conclusion that I would re-sign."
Which leaves CBS back at square one in its search for a post-Letterman host.
THE GRAMMYS: Speaking of people who have spurned CBS offers to host a late-night talk show, Garry Shandling has signed on as host of the 1994 Grammy Awards, which air March 1.
It will be his fourth hosting stint for the awards in five years.
TOUGH TV TRIVIA: What do KTVX news anchor Kimberly Perkins, newly appointed KSL news director Ray Carter, and your local television editor have in common?
They've all spent time in Binghamton, N.Y.
Your local television editor grew up in Binghamton, more or less.
Perkins' first two jobs after graduating from college were at PBS station WSKG and CBS affiliate WBNG in Binghamton.
Carter, who begins work at KSL in March, is currently the news director at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. Among Carter's stops after graduating from BYU was a stint as news director/anchor at ABC affiliate WMGC in Binghamton.
(Let me assure you, he's paid his dues.)