Craig's 'Late' exit
As Kilborn leaves, will Eye go after Conan?
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Kilborn informed Eye execs Thursday afternoon that he has decided to ankle his gig as host of the net's post-David Letterman chatfest. Move comes just a few months after Kilborn marked his fifth anniversary with the skein, which is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Prods.
CBS and Kilborn had been talking throughout the summer about inking a new multiyear deal. Now, however, Kilborn says he's ready to shift into a career behind the camera -- at least for now.
"It was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me," Kilborn said. "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.
"And this is cool: I will continue to wear makeup in my everyday life," Kilborn added.
Kilborn probably will sign off by the end of this month or early next month, insiders said. Worldwide Pants is expected to launch a search for a new host immediately.
CBS execs were still digesting Kilborn's decision late Thursday, making any talk of potential replacement nothing more than speculation.
That said, one immediate scenario comes to mind: CBS could go after NBC's Conan O'Brien, whose Peacock deal expires in December 2005. O'Brien would likely be interested in such a move only if he snagged a guarantee that he'd become the heir apparent to Letterman when Letterman retires -- though Letterman has given no firm indication of any plans to step down and, in fact, has been making solid Nielsen strides in recent weeks.
While NBC has said it'll try hard to keep O'Brien at the Peacock, O'Brien has made no secret of his desire to shift to an earlier timeslot. Most industry insiders believe Letterman will ankle before Leno.
Because O'Brien is under contract for more than a year, CBS would also have to make due with guest hosts for an extended period of time.
Eye happy with ratings
As for Kilborn, Eye brass have always expressed satisfaction with his ratings, noting the improvements the show has made in demos and revenue vs. previous timeslot occupant Tom Snyder. Indeed, since 1999, gabber's overall audience has grown 34% to an average this season of 1.7 million viewers.
What's more, Kilborn regularly beats ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," even though Kimmel's show starts a half-hour before Kilborn's.
O'Brien's NBC show remains the 12:35 a.m. leader. For the broadcast year, Kilborn is averaging a 0.7 rating among adults 18-49 compared with a 1.2 demo for O'Brien.
O'Brien does have a stronger lead-in, of course, and both Kilborn and O'Brien retain roughly the same percentage of viewers from their respective 11:35 p.m. lead-ins.
Before signing up with CBS, Kilborn was the original host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." He also had a memorable turn in the 2003 feature "Old School."
Kilborn's agent did not return a call seeking comment late Thursday. A CBS rep, also reached late Thursday, confirmed Kilborn's departure and would have more to say Friday.
(Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.)
