33 Years Ago Today: A Late-Night Legend Jumped Networks—and 23 Million People Watched
This legendary late-night host switched from Late Night on NBC to Late Show on CBS in 1993, and his audience followed. Here's why he made the change.
On August 30, 1993, the Late Show with David Letterman began its run on CBS. Prior to this, Letterman had hosted Late Night with David Letterman on NBC from February 1982 until June 1993. CBS offered Letterman a lucrative deal in December 1992, which included a $14 million annual salary and $25 million for his production company.
This was a significant increase from Letterman's $3 million annual salary at NBC. Despite NBC's efforts to retain him, Letterman ultimately chose CBS due to the coveted 11:30 p.m. time slot, which NBC was unable to offer.
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