Letterman Pays As Rumors of Return Circulate
November 16, 2007

David Letterman has decided that even with the writer's strike, the team behind both his show and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson will be paid through the end of the year. It looks like they might actually earn their checks though, as the Late Show With David Letterman and other late night shows are being rumored to return right after Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Nightline has seen a ratings spike while The Tonight Show and The Late Show have been in strike-ordered reruns.

First things first. Letterman's Worldwide Pants announced this week that their New York and Los Angeles employees will be paid through the end of the year, if the two shows return or not. Reuters reports that the announcement makes Worldwide Pants the first company to announced that its staff will receive a paycheck during the strike. Other companies have gone the other way with The Tonight Show with Jay Leno warning employees to expect to be idle. Rumors circulated at first that Jon Stewart had guaranteed his Daily Show writers a paycheck, but that has since been denied.

Reuters reports that decisions are being made week-to-week as to bring back The Late Show even during the strike or not. On that note, Time reports today that many of the hosts from Jay Leno to Stephen Colbert are considering coming back even during the strike. The question is if they'll be seen negatively for not supporting their striking writers or if their fans will stick with them. If they come back on the air, they won't have to lay off dozens of staff members and could do their own writing and interviewing, but they've been trying to support their team with people like Jay Leno even walking the picket line with his staff.

Time reports that intense discussions are under way currently at NBC because the network wants to lay off the staffs of both The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, as soon as today. NBC won't confirm that but did admit that the staff has been warned that layoffs are possible. MediaWeek reports that they're hearing that all of the late night shows could return as early as the week after Thanksgiving.

Time quotes a late-night producer, who sums up the situation that faces the hosts - "My sense is that all the hosts would like to come back, but nobody wants to be first." Of course, none of them would be first. Ellen DeGeneres stayed on through the strike and has drawn a lot of criticism for doing so. She even canceled a taping in New York after threats of being picketed. But Letterman has already shown support with his paycheck guarantee. Why not come back and give it a shot without the writers? We think Dave could do it. A writer from Late Show told Time that they would support Dave back on the air, "We are thrilled that he is standing with us. David Letterman on the air without writers, pissed off and talking about the strike, would be the greatest ally the writers could have."