'Nightline' situation may signal new reality

By Peter Johnson and Gary Levin
USA Today

Disney told David Letterman that "Nightline" was in jeopardy regardless of whether he left CBS. Advertiser library photo

That's what a lot of people have been asking since Friday, when Disney and ABC executives acknowledged that they have been secretly wooing CBS funnyman David Letterman to join their late-night lineup.

Killing a respected, 22-year-old network news program could create a ripple effect at other networks. But that it's even being contemplated reflects a changing landscape, where network news is increasingly viewed as dispensable.

ABC is in search of younger viewers: The average Letterman viewer is 46.7; Koppel's is 50. That may not mean much to you, but each point in so-called young demographics means big bucks in late-night TV.

To show Letterman how serious they were, Disney officials told him privately that "Nightline" was toast whether he left "Late Show" or not. And when the story broke, they didn't back away from that stance. Hardball. That these talks were done secretly, without telling Koppel or ABC News president David Westin has prompted widespread industry tea-leaf reading.

Would this have happened under former ABC News chief Roone Arledge, who created ABC's stable of stars like Koppel?

Answer: No, but Arledge isn't running things, and Koppel may have hurt his cause in recent months by working only two to three days a week. Koppel, 62, gets $6 million a year.