Leno Returns to Top of Ratings

Despite several months of bad press and a terrible prime time show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno has regained the lead in the Late Night ratings scrum. Through it all, Leno has somehow managed to win back 82% of the audience he had before moving to a 10pm prime time show. The Late Show with David Letterman has slipped back into second place, but the gap between the two shows is significantly smaller than it was before Conan O’Brien took over the once proud NBC franchise. The problem both shows are facing though is an aging audience, with Leno averaging viewers aged 56 and Letterman 54. Viewers in the coveted 18-34 bracket are instead tuning into cable programing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and Comedy Central. This could be an important note for Conan, who could jump to cable for a new show. And thus concludes our ratings lesson for the day. Read more at Variety.