Entertainment

LETTERMAN RERUNS BOOST HIM IN LATE-NIGHT WAR

THE writers’ strike may be the best thing that ever happened to David Letterman.

To be sure, the strike, now entering week six, has cost him about $5 million so far in lost wages from CBS and out-of-pocket staff salaries for two staffs – his own and the “Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson, which Letterman also owns.

But ratings for repeats of the Letterman show indicate that people who usually watch Leno are switching over to Letterman. Without writers, both shows have been in reruns since the strike began.

But Letterman’s ratings are down only about 21 percent since then, while Leno – who is still No. 1 in late night – is down by 40 percent. In raw numbers, Letterman hasn’t been this close to Leno in years.

The pattern indicates that a portion of Leno fans are watching Letterman because – to them – the shows may be dated, but at least they’re fresh.