CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" did what was intended with its featured guest Oprah Winfrey. Her first appearance with Letterman in 16 years gave the show an overwhelming late-night victory in
every viewer metric. It posted a 2.2 Nielsen Media Research rating in adults 18-49--more than double the ratings of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." It also won in total viewers, 18-34 viewers,
and 25-54 viewers--each more than double the "Leno" ratings for those viewer groups. Overall, it ranked as the fourth most-watched broadcast ever for the show.
--Wayne Friedman