Letterman's apology shoots up the channel ratings

Famous talk show host David Letterman's public apology to his wife and staff has resulted in CBS's rating skyrocketing for the second time since his confession that he was sexually involved with his colleagues.

According to Neilson Co.'s estimates, the “Late Show with David Letterman” got a 4.2 rating, higher than any show their rival channel NBC had aired during prime time. Letterman's old competitor Jay Leno was also among the viewers.

Letterman's apology
His apology was mixed with wise cracks, most of them self derogatory, and after the laughter died down, he seriously apologized to his wife, Regina Lasko. He said that she was “horribly hurt by my behavior”, and clarified that the affairs “are in the past”.

He added that he is working on repairing his relationship with his wife, with whom he has a son.

He also apologized to his staff for "putting up with something stupid I've gotten myself involved in". Many staff members had been inconvenienced by the relentless reporters.

His apology was also directed towards Alaska governor Sarah Palin for the crude remarks he had made about her and her teenage daughters.

He said, "I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I’m sorry about it and I’ll try to do better in the future."

Palin has accepted his apology, and said "Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve."

Perfect timing for CBS
The timing for the revelation and the subsequent apology is perfect for CBS, as it led to them getting more than double the audience (5.7 million) NBC's “Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien” did. Brien has recently replaced people's favorite Jay Leno, leading to a drop in viewership. The Letterman fiasco has made their rating plummet more.

The “Late Show” had a million more audience than usual after Letterman's representatives revealed the scandal on the Internet just three hours before the show was aired.

Apart from that, guests like Barrack Obama got the viewership to reach 7.2 million in one night on Sept. 21.

None of the advertisers has backed out from Letterman's show, and analysts say that they do not expect any to do so in the future.

Response to apology
Letterman's apology, and the performance over all, got mixed reviews.

According to Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker, it was "such a superb hour of television ... that it reminded us all over again how invaluable he is."

On the other hand, editorial page columnist Yael T. Abouhalkah of the Kansas City Star said that Letterman's attempt to induce levity into the situation "made the apologies he issued look rather lame."

Jay Leno, in his brief statement, said that a producer once tried to blackmail him, but it did not work since no one watches NBC.