Late Show with David Letterman

The “Late Show with David Letterman” is a late-night talk show from the United States, hosted by David Letterman and broadcast on CBS. It first aired on August 30, 1993, and is a collaboration between Letterman’s own production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, and CBS Television Studios. The program features Paul Shaffer as the music director and leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra. Matt Roberts serves as the head writer, while Alan Kalter is the announcer. Among the major U.S. late-night shows, the “Late Show” holds the second spot in terms of cumulative average viewership and ranks third in the total number of episodes. It also leads in advertising revenue, generating $271 million in 2009.

Typically, the show is broadcast at 11:35 p.m. Eastern/Pacific time in most U.S. markets, although it is taped earlier in the day—Monday through Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., and on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The second episode recorded on Thursday is usually shown on Friday of the same week.

In 2002, the “Late Show with David Letterman” was placed at number 7 on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. CBS has an agreement with Worldwide Pants to continue the show until 2014, at which point Letterman will have surpassed Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host.