By Verne Gay--Newsday.com
August 13, 2004
The CBS late, late night talk show host abruptly quit last night, leaving CBS scrambling to find a replacement and instantly sparking speculation that Viacom is about to make a play for Conan O'Brien, NBC's late night star.
Kilborn, who announced his resignation in the pages of Variety, told the trade paper that "it was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me, but I simply want to try something new. I can now focus on writing and producing different television projects I haven't had time for."
Nevertheless, it's also clear that Kilborn, whose contract was to conclue shortly, was looking for a big raise while CBS and "Late Late Show" production company, Worldwide Pants, were not necessarily in an accomodating mood. Sources said that Kilborn, whose annual salary is believe to easily exceed $1 million, had sought a salary boost a few months ago, though both he and CBS remained far apart yesterday. Still, CBS expected to come to terms, making the resignation all the more surprising.
The timing is also particularly awkward. Kilborn will leave the air in two weeks, after which CBS is expected to air repeats of the 12:35 a.m. show. Then? The network-and Worldwide Pants, which is believed to have control over the 12:35 time period as far as hosts are concerned-need to find a replacement.
Until a few months ago, a call would have been made instantly to "Daily Show's" Jon Stewart, but he's now firmly tied to Comedy Central. That leaves O'Brien, whose contract concludes in December and whose future has been subject of almost constant speculation for months because he's told NBC he would one day like to host an 11:35 show-in other words, "The Tonight Show." Jay Leno, however, is under contract well into the next decade.
If O'Brien were to join CBS, it would be-presumably-with the understanding that he would one day replace David Letterman.
With his trademark "Five Questions" bit and wry, frat-boy humor, Kilborn's "Late Late Show" has become a late night fixture and a draw among young, male viewers. But as the Variety piece reported, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is far-and-away the time period leader, averaging a 1.2 rating among young adults to a 0.7 rating for "Late Late Show." Kilborn began his CBS run in 1999, following a stint as anchor/host of Comedy Central's "Daily Show" and-earlier-as an ESPN anchor.
