Indy Radio: David Letterman Got His Start In Radio

David Letterman

David Letterman's decision to retires comes less than two months after NBC's long-dominant talk show host Jay Leno, 63, handed the reins of "The Tonight Show" to Jimmy Fallon, who is 24 years his junior. That shift followed ABC's decision last year to move another young host, Jimmy Kimmel, into the 11:35 p.m. late night slot.

Letterman had long been a strong No. 2 in the late night rankings to Mr. Leno, according to wsj.com. But Mr. Fallon has trounced the competition since his debut, especially among younger viewers. Mr. Letterman, whose average viewer is 58.6 years old, has this year ranked third behind both Mr. Fallon and Mr. Kimmel in the 18-49 age group that advertisers covet.

Mr. Letterman began his career in radio as a talk show host before moving into comedy. After appearing as a regular guest on "The Tonight Show," then hosted by his mentor Johnny Carson, he moved into late night in 1982 as the host of NBC's "Late Night." When Mr. Carson retired in 1992, Mr. Letterman was seen as an obvious successor, but NBC opted instead for Mr. Leno. Mr. Letterman left to head up CBS's "Late Show," where he quickly established himself as a cultural force.

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the Ball State University's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana Public Radio. He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence. He then became involved with the founding of another campus station—WAGO-AM.

He credits Paul Dixon, host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while he was growing up, for inspiring his choice of career:  "I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all of a sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Letterman also was a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as an anchor, and weatherman. He received some attention for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams."  He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power," in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.

Here is an aircheck  Michael Griffin on then-WNAP Indianapolis, followed by Cris "Moto" Conner. Look for a very early comedy bit by David Letterman around the 7:15 time mark. The last couple minutes are various cuts from various Indy stations around and before that time.



Despite the recent reshuffling by rival broadcast networks and the changing economics of late night that have forced budget cuts, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves had told Mr. Letterman that he wanted him to stay on board. But Mr. Letterman sent a strong signal of his intentions last year when he only renewed his contract by 12 months into 2015.

"When Dave decided on a one-year extension for his most recent contract, we knew this day was getting closer, but that doesn't make the moment any less poignant for us," said Mr. Moonves in a statement.