Craig Kilborn departs late night CBC News August 13, 2004
	LOS ANGELES--There will soon be a job opening in the world of late-night television.  That's because Craig Kilborn, host of The Late Late Show, is stepping out from behind the desk to seek other opportunities. After five years of hosting the program for CBS, Kilborn has decided not to seek a renewal for his contract. "It was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me," Kilborn, 41, told the Daily Variety trade paper on Thursday.  "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." Kilborn will vacate his post in the next few weeks.  He was known for poking fun at his own unrestrained vanity, and made no secret of his obsession with his hair. Kilborn took over the post-David Letterman time slot when Tom Snyder retired in 1999.  Kilborn's show has consistently come in second place to Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the U.S. ratings.  In the last year, Kilborn has average 1.6 million viewers to O'Brien's 2.5 million. It's believed that CBS does not have a replacement lined up for the lanky broadcaster.  Letterman's contract with CBS stipulates that his production company, Worldwide Pants, has the right to produce the show in the 12:35 a.m. slot. When Johnny Carson retired as host of The Tonight Show in 1992, it triggered a wave of speculation and competition to succeed him, eventually resulting in Letterman's departure from NBC. Variety speculated that CBS might try to hire O'Brien away from his current gig. Kilborn has dabbled in acting, appearing in such movies as Old School.  He was also the original host for The Daily Show when that program launched on Comedy Central in 1996. He was succeeded by Jon Stewart, who moved the show's focus away from pop culture and gave it a much more politics-oriented bend.