Viewers Flock Back to Late-Night Shows

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NEW YORK After eight weeks away due to the writers’ strike, the late-night talk shows returned to the air with big ratings and some controversy.

NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, without its writing staff, averaged 7.2 million viewers and a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49 on Wednesday, well ahead of CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman (5.5 million viewers, 1.7), which came back with writers thanks to the deal that Letterman’s Worldwide Pants struck with the Writers Guild of America.

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