Late Night with David Letterman

Once a television wasteland, late night has become a daypart of increased interest to programmers, performers and viewers. In the past ten years, one show has moved to the position of the leader in late night television in creativity, humor and innovation. That program is Late Night With David Letterman. As one member of the Peabody Board remarked, “David Letterman is a born broadcaster.” He is also a savvy co-executive producer. Along with co-executive producer Jack Rollins, producer Robert Morton, director Hal Gurnee, and musical director Paul Shaffer, Mr. Letterman has surrounded himself with exceptional talent and given them the go-ahead to experiment with the television medium. Particularly noteworthy is the work of head writer Steve O’Donnell and his talented staff. Together, the Late Night team manages to take one of TV’s most conventional and least inventive forms—the talk show—and infuse it with freshness and imagination. For television programming which, at its best, is evocative of the greats, from Your Show of Shows, to The Steve Allen Show, and The Ernie Kovacs Show, a Peabody to Late Night With David Letterman.