Letterman+Taking+a+Different+Approach

Letterman Takes a Turn Toward the Political... And It's No Joke By STEPHANIE HUDSON Published September 23, 2009

 I  n Bill Carter’s, “Letterman Takes Turn Toward the Political”, an article featured in the //New York Times//, new strategies being  explored by “The Late Show with David Letterman” are discussed. These tactics, mostly based in politics, are centered on  President Obama’s appearance scheduled for Monday night; while Obama has visited “The Late Show” six times, this will be his first as President (Carter, 2009). Right on the heels of Obama will be Bill Clinton, former President, as Tuesday’s slated guest on CBS’ late night show. This influx of left wing political power players starts a season of a show in which the host has been “ ‘virtually apolitical… [who has now] moved to the point where he could be called a political comedian’” says TV and popular culture professor Robert Thompson of Syracuse (Carter, 2009, 1). This move, some believe, was caused by a cancellation from the show by former presidential candidate, John McCain and a battle of words that Letterman engaged in with McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin earlier this year; after these events, it seems that Letterman has been politically energized (Carter, 2009).

It is with lengthier and more politically-centered monologues that Letterman hop es to kill two birds with one stone: become the king of late night a la Johnny Cars on and the go-to political comedian in the style of John Stewart. The appearances of political figures coincides with the start of CBS’ new season for television as well as the second week of NBC’s primetime gem, “The Jay Leno Show”, starring Letterman’s ex-late night counterpart. Whether this was the initial strategy or not, Letterman hopes the President’s guest spot will help him to prevail in the ratings battle with current NBC late night host, Conan O’Brien, who has dominated the younger audience each night since his June debut (Carter, 2009). Although Letterman’s ultimate political statements and goals are not fully clear, as Professor Thompson says “ ‘[he] is the master of the unsuspected sucker punch’” (Carter, 2009, 1).

If I were an executive for CBS or “The Late Show”, I would be ecstatic at the placement of the President and a former president at the same time of Jay Leno’s big return to TV and debut at primetime. The strategy involved is one that is, in my mind, genius. As he did when Conan O’Brien premiered, Letterman took a week to show re-runs before packing his show with heavy-hitting guests. The concept to gain younger viewers over O’Brien is more than attainable with the presence of Obama, who tends to be popular among young Americans. As Bill Clinton’s spot on Arsenio Hall’s show while a presidential candidate proves, a late night arena for a popular political figure can be quite successful.

In regards to Letterman’s shift toward a more biting political commentary, I’m a bit leery and have some questions. In particular, “The Late Show” has never been one to choose a side of the political spectrum until recently. It’s generally been focused around entertainment, celebrities, and everyday events within the opening monologues and guest bookings. Simply put, it’s never been a place the public has sought out for political humor. That’s what “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” are well-known for. This is where I raise my question: why now?

After such a successful tenure following the same format for years, I begin to wonder why Letterman hasn’t taken a political stance or approach earlier. Was it because he felt the need to be socially responsible? After all, the social responsibility theory is based strongly in the fact that media be professional and objective as well as reflective diversity and various viewpoints (Baran, 2009). Perhaps Letterman just wanted to uphold these standards. Or was there an underlying factor of corporation and need for profit that stifled Letterman’s willingness to be open politically? As Stanley Baran (2009, 411) puts it: “media industries are just that, industries.” While Letterman’s duty is to inform, enlighten, and entertain, he still has to make profits and please shareholders. If these shareholders don’t agree with his or his fellow writers’ points of view, I begin to wonder how much control they’ve had in the show’s apolitical stance. Needless to say, it will be a pleasure to watch this decision unfold and see how long it really lasts.  media type="youtube" key="LmE7tuR0364" height="360" width="580" align="center"

A clip of President Obama's interview with David Letterman

 __Article References __

Baran, S. (2009). //Introduction to mass communication media literacy and culture//. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Carter, B. (2009, September 21). “Letterman takes turn toward the political”. //New York Times//. Online: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/business/media/21letterman.html?_r=1&sq=letterman%20takes%20turn%20for%20politcal&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1253739640-aYapirDQOfj0BQqQJXkjCw.

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