The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carter, who covers the television industry for The New York Times, writes of the corporate battles surrounding late-night talk shows in the wake of Johnny Carson's retirement.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Carter, a media reporter for the New York Times , provides an inside account of one of the hottest behind-the-scenes power struggles in the history of television: the battle for Johnny Carson's vacant seat on the Tonight Show.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 491 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786889071
• ISBN-13: 978-0786889075
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #630,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable achievement, May 16, 2000

By	RickyT (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night (Paperback)

Bill Carter has written an extraordinary book.Structurally-given the mass of information,biographical detail and anecdotes involved-this could have ended up as a mess,but in fact it is clear,coherent and quite exceptionally well-balanced.Carter has to tell a fairly complicated (certainly very convoluted)story,and he does so brilliantly.He also has to find space to acknowledge and evaluate a broad range of opinions,and,again,he does so with remarkable discipline and even-handedness.Even if one knows little about the magnificent Letterman and the super-professional Leno,this book is still too interesting,too insightful and too fair-minded to miss.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets right in the heads of the boobs who run the boob tube., June 18, 1999

By A Customer

Bill Carter has done an excellent job of telling the tale of how Leno got the coveted Tonight Show gig over Letterman. Of course its much more than that because the selection of Johnny Carson's replacement is arguably one most important decisions made in TV history. Not only do get to meet Letterman and Leno up close and personal, we also get to be a fly on wall inside the offices and boardrooms of some of the most powerful people in America --the entertainment czars. We learn about the differences of philosophy between the East Coast and the Left Coast (California)and learn that there are actually some pretty decent suits among the snakes. Carter does a really good job at keeping himself out the story, but it still often reads like satire --funny and cutting. The people are fascinating especially Jay and Dave. I'm thrilled that NBC was forced to make the right --and most profitable-- decision by sticking with Jay (a truly nice guy -- I speak from experience having met him and he comes off that way in the book) even though at the time the book was finished it looked bad for the Peacock Network. The updated paperback edition is the one to buy because an added chapter tells about the Hugh Grant incident on Jay's show which of course was the turning point for The Tonight Show. This is a great book about the industry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

A thoroughly entertaining and insightful look at these two personalities and the even more entertaining and often comical workings of corporate broadcasting. A must for anyone who mixes business and talent relations for a living.