Who's Number One?

What hasn't been said about David Letterman ending his run on late night TV?   I agree with most of it.   Leno was OK, but Letterman was one of a kind.    Once Dave was passed over for Johnny Carson's spot I always felt watching Letterman was like rooting for the underdog.   Dave did start out number one in the late night ratings, but Jay's O.J. Simpson jokes ushered in a long period when NBC's Tonight Show could not be caught.   Still, Dave leaves in a sea of accolades while Jay's departure seemed almost after the fact even though Leno was ratings gold.   As with so many things, the numbers don't tell the whole story.   

Dave was certainly not a perfect person.   His embarassing sex scandal revealed that.   On the other hand, his emotional reaction to his heart surgery and 9/11 plus his ability to handle the most difficult guests and take part in the most ridiculous situations only strengthened our connection with this man who only reluctantly shared his private life.   Jay was generally considered a nice guy, yet the tension over the Tonight Show succession left a bad feeling with a lot of people... twice.

This storied late night competition is yet another example of how "the numbers" don't tell the whole story.   Leno may have been the winner to Madison Avenue ad agencies, but on Broadway it was Letterman.   He'll be considered the iconic showman for years to come.   He leaves have a legacy like Carson.  Just ask Jimmy Kimmel or Conan O'Brien.  Something can be a flash in the pan (Leno was bigger than that), but Letterman set a pop culture gold standard.       

In both print and broadcast aspects of my media background, it's not about how much circulation your direct mail publication has or how your radio station shows in the ratings.   It's about what works.   When I worked across town in radio, we were told to often interject that our station was "number one in the ratings."   How does the listener relate to that?   "We've got the most power!"   Who cares?     If a record hit number one for six weeks in 1977, does that mean we ever want to hear it again?   Ratings/rankings are a snapshot of what was... nothing more, nothing less.   Letterman blazed the trail beyond that.