Late Show with David Letterman

The “Late Show with David Letterman” is a late-night talk show in 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 production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, and CBS Television Studios. Paul Shaffer serves as the music director and leads the house band, the CBS Orchestra. The head writer is Matt Roberts, and Alan Kalter is the announcer. Among the major U.S. late-night shows, it ranks second in total average viewership and third in the number of episodes produced. In terms of advertising revenue, it outperformed other late-night shows, 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—at 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday, and at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The second episode recorded on Thursday is usually shown on Friday.

In 2002, the show 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.