Late Show ending May 2026

[Mark Roberts]

Remember, after the "freeze" was lifted and many markets that had only one or two TV stations suddenly got at least three. The local station that was either NBC and ABC or CBS and ABC always gave up ABC to the newcomer.

Not always. If the first station didn't have radio-network ties that later stations had, it often lost the more desirable affiliations.

Denver is an extreme case. It had no stations before the freeze ended. Then KFEL-TV got its CP on July 11, 1952. It managed to get on the air at low power a week later...and it would have been on two days earlier, except that the FCC staff couldn't believe someone could get a TV station on the air that fast and took some persuading that KFEL was for real. Having a mountain that overlooked the city helped, so did some preparation. KFEL first carried all networks. Then KBTV was next, and went with ABC. Bringing up the rear were KLZ-TV and KOA-TV, each owned by radio stations that had pre-existing relationships with CBS and NBC, respectively, peeling off those affiliations when they came on the air. KFEL-TV, on highly desirable channel 2, nonetheless ended up as an independent, which it still is as KWGN, not being affected by the September 1995 three-way swap of affiliations.

 

[michael hagerty]

Here is why hyperbole is often misunderstood if used before an audience that does not like the "performers" to begin with.

I'll start with my example of why neither I nor anyone in my family that lives in the "lower 48" understands or likes Seinfeld: the show is so totally dependent on an understanding and, perhaps, integration with one part of American culture that if you "don't belong" you just don't get it.

In the case of politically themed shows, you have to be at least slightly partisan to the underlying philosophy of each program.

And as I said before, I voted Republican for 40 years and never stopped watching late-night and SNL. I could tell the difference between a joke my candidate had coming to him and a cheap shot without anything underpinning it. It never offended or scared me. If I didn't agree with the premise, I didn't agree with the premise.

But sometimes, it made me stop, think and reconsider my position and.....








Oh. Okay. I see the problem now. Can't have that.

 

[michael hagerty]

Also, a side note not pertaining to David, who is sincere in his convictions and willing to discuss.

Putting a "laugh" emoji on a serious post about a serious topic is a great way to tell everyone you have a room-temperature IQ.

Doing it more than once says the room is really chilly.

 

[tall_guy1]

And as I said before, I voted Republican for 40 years and never stopped watching late-night and SNL. I could tell the difference between a joke my candidate had coming to him and a cheap shot without anything underpinning it. It never offended or scared me.

Post Trump, do you think you will return to voting Republican?

 

[michael hagerty]

I don't remember it quite that way...and I lived in some very rural areas, including one year in a town of fewer than 800 people. What I picked up on were all the local characters constantly outmaneuvering and outsmarting the big city lawyer who was used to getting things his own way.

Secondarily, it could be viewed as a satire of city people yearning for the rustic life.

Mike's theory of the show is pretty good, too.

I was a kid (9 years old) when it premiered. I didn't really think about it. But when it came on Nick at Nite in 1989 and I watched it at age 33, it was instantly apparent.

Lisa ("I get allergic smelling hay/I just adore a penthouse view/Darling, I love you but give me Park Avenue") was FINE after they moved. There wasn't a single conflict caused by Lisa.

But Oliver would blow a gasket every single time.

And it was consistent. Every episode.

About the Beverly Hillbillies: once in a while I watch classic Password reruns. One day I saw one from 1966, but I missed the start of the show. The female celebrity guest was a slight, very elegant woman, dressed to the hilt, complete with a pearl necklace. She was well spoken. I couldn't figure out who she was. Then something amusing happened on the show. She cackled. Then it struck me: she was Irene Ryan.

That's how good of an actress she was. Granny was practically her polar opposite. Irene Ryan played her convincingly.

I'm old enough to have watched that episode of Password when it aired. I was ten. I was also stunned.



And then, sometime later, I saw an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Prime Mover" from 1961, the same year The Beverly Hillbillies premiered.

\

Say hi to Buddy Ebsen.

 

[IM42A]

It took me 20 years to get the central joke of Green Acres. They tell the story in the theme song—-Oliver wants the country life. Lisa wants to stay in Manhattan.

They move. There are all these bizarre characters. A pig named Arnold.

Lisa treats it all like it’s perfectly normal. She’s fine there. It’s Oliver who’s on the verge of a stroke in every episode, and who would be a lot better off in New York.

Green Acres had an element of the surreal about it. It was far from being an unsophisticated show.

 

[michael hagerty]

Green Acres had an element of the surreal about it. It was far from being an unsophisticated show.

That's very true. Theater of the absurd. Arnold Ziffel (the pig) is actually a complex character.

 

[IM42A]

That's very true. Theater of the absurd. Arnold Ziffel (the pig) is actually a complex character.

And Ralph Monroe (Mary Grace Canfield's character) was pushing traditional gender roles long before that ever became a thing, but it was a kind of wink-and-a-nod thing, nobody seriously suggested that she was a male or that she was "questioning" in any way. You had to suspend a lot of disbelief to "get" that show.

And I'm not sure if they ever actually broke the fourth wall, but it was kind of porous, such as all the clever things they did with the credits at the beginning of the show, the characters commenting on them and so on.

 

[michael hagerty]

Post Trump, do you think you will return to voting Republican?

Are you begging Lance to shut this thread down (might not be the worst idea, actually)?

Honest answer----how could I possibly know? That would depend entirely on the Republican Party. Right now, the vast majority of the party's electeds have surrendered their independence and abandoned their role in a government of laws with three independent branches of government in order to advance Trump's agenda.

So, I can't vote for any of them. They're not doing their damn jobs, not listening to the people and not even pretending to (see: "Don't attend your own town hall").

The only likely scenario of a massive turnover in GOP candidates would be a catastrophic failure of the current administration---something Watergate-level.

But I can't even picture a mass "Holy shit, we're sorry we did that!" from them precisely because their media is polarized poisoned to the point that you have shows like Gutfeld:

Gutfeld sparks backlash after reclaiming Nazi as his own ‘n-word’: ‘Beneath contempt’

‘You know what? I’ve said this before. We need to learn from the Blacks. The way they were able to remove the power from the n-word by using it,” Greg Gutfeld declared on Tuesday.

www.the-independent.com

...which emboldens the worst of the candidates and desensitizes once otherwise decent Americans to the point that they won't draw a line and insist on having their views represented by something better, which is what I did in 2017.

 

[IM42A]

 

[michael hagerty]

Those were great!

 

[Larry]

Who in the heck will buy the place?

The smallest Broadway theater currently has about 700 seats. If the Ed Sullivan Theater can be slightly reconfigured to seat around 700 it’s a possibility. At 450 seats it could be an off-broadway theater, many of which are operated by non-profits.

 

[michael hagerty]

The smallest Broadway theater currently has about 700 seats. If the Ed Sullivan Theater can be slightly reconfigured to seat around 700 it’s a possibility. At 450 seats it could be an off-broadway theater, many of which are operated by non-profits.

Also, everyone thinks of the auditorium, but there are several floors of office space. So even if the theater remains dark for a period, if the demand for office space is reasonably healthy, it could be a good investment:

Restoration Completed for Iconic 1920's Ed Sullivan Theater

The restoration of the historic theater in New York had an interior revamp to help preserve the iconic landmark. View here.

www.jrmcm.com

Best deal for office direct or sublease at 1697 Broadway

Secure the best price and space that is tailored to your office space needs at 1697 Broadway. As your dedicated Tenant Broker, Optimal Spaces is committed to negotiating the best possible terms to align with your specific needs, whether for a direct lease or a sublease.

www.optimalspaces.com

 

[K.M. Richards]

Denver is an extreme case. It had no stations before the freeze ended. Then KFEL-TV got its CP on July 11, 1952. It managed to get on the air at low power a week later...and it would have been on two days earlier, except that the FCC staff couldn't believe someone could get a TV station on the air that fast and took some persuading that KFEL was for real. Having a mountain that overlooked the city helped, so did some preparation. KFEL first carried all networks. Then KBTV was next, and went with ABC. Bringing up the rear were KLZ-TV and KOA-TV, each owned by radio stations that had pre-existing relationships with CBS and NBC, respectively, peeling off those affiliations when they came on the air. KFEL-TV, on highly desirable channel 2, nonetheless ended up as an independent, which it still is as KWGN, not being affected by the September 1995 three-way swap of affiliations.

How about the Seattle-Tacoma market?
KRSC-TV/5 signed on with all four networks (but was CBS primary) November 25, 1948.

Then KTNT-TV/11 signed on March 1, 1953 taking CBS away from KRSC, then lost it to KIRO-TV/7 when it signed on February 8, 1958 (because KIRO/710 was the CBS Radio affiliate). As the result of an anti-trust lawsuit, both stations shared CBS from 1960 to 1962.

KRSC then became NBC primary until KMO-TV/13 signed on August 2, 1953 ... but NBC moved again after only five months (!) to KOMO-TV/4 when it signed on December 11, because KOMO/1000 was the NBC Radio affiliate.

KTNT became KSTW and got the CBS affiliation back in 1995 as KIRO switched to UPN, then they swapped affiliations two years later.

KMO became KTVW, ran for a couple of years as an independent before going bankrupt and becoming public television station KCPQ from 1976 to 1980 before being sold and resuming commercial independent status.

KING-TV (the former KRSC), was left with ABC but then swapped affiliations with KOMO in 1959.

During the 1950s, every one of these stations carried some programs from other than their primary network. Heaven only knows how the viewers kept track of it all.

 

[davideduardo]

And as I said before, I voted Republican for 40 years and never stopped watching late-night and SNL. I could tell the difference between a joke my candidate had coming to him and a cheap shot without anything underpinning it. It never offended or scared me. If I didn't agree with the premise, I didn't agree with the premise.

But my point is that SNL never hit a "cultural" button with me. When I was able to see it, in the brief time I was with Metroplex in Miami, I had previously spent most of my adolescent and adult years in Latin America. Like Seinfeld, I just did not "get it". Whether it flew over me or just flew by me, it just did not hit any spots that amused me.

I didn't get the Rocky Horror Picture Show, either. These are not politically but culturally based perceptions. My wife, who immigrated with her family as a teen but grew up in a very Hispanic household and worked in Spanish language media has the same reactions... culturally based.

 

[davideduardo]

The smallest Broadway theater currently has about 700 seats. If the Ed Sullivan Theater can be slightly reconfigured to seat around 700 it’s a possibility. At 450 seats it could be an off-broadway theater, many of which are operated by non-profits.

Or, of course, it can be remodeled into office and retail space. That is what the former Univision studios in the City became, although they were not as large or as high as the inside space of the Ed Sullivan facility.

 

[michael hagerty]

There's no doubt in my mind The Ed will be sold. CBS will really have no need for it next year. I guess the real question is.....

Who in the heck will buy the place?

Right now, it's configured for TV with around a 450-seat audience. I couldn't see any Broadway shows moving in there with such a small audience capacity. It's one of those weird pieces of real estate that's set up for a specialized purpose. I don't think any of the other networks will want it. I have a feeling CBS will have a hard time unloading it. I'm looking forward to seeing the LoopNet listing.😄

EDIT: Here's the old LoopNet listing, lol

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1697-Broadway-New-York-NY/11371016/

It is a fair question.

Two years ago, CBS put the Broadcast Center on West 57th up for sale and got no takers.

A year ago, CBS announced they were looking for a "partner, not a buyer" to get the property through complex renovation and re-zoning, and got no takers.

This year, they moved the CBS Morning News back into West 57th.

CBS Mornings Abandons Times Square Studio for Cost-Cutting Move Back to West 57th | Cord Cutters News

CBS Mornings, the last-place morning show struggling to regain its footing, is pulling out of its state-of-the-art Times Square studio at 1515 Broadway after just four years, sources told The Post on March 21, 2025. The program—anchored by Gayle King, Nate Burleson, and Tony Dokoupil—will return...

cordcuttersnews.com

 

[TheBigA]

Or, of course, it can be remodeled into office and retail space.

It has been designated a historic site, so there are limitations what can be done with it.

 

[davideduardo]

Not always. If the first station didn't have radio-network ties that later stations had, it often lost the more desirable affiliations.

That is why I said "many". The later discussion by K.M. and your briefer explanation about Denver illustrates those exceptions that made "all" become "many".

 

[TheBigA]

Two years ago, CBS put the Broadcast Center on West 57th up for sale and got no takers.

A year ago, CBS announced they were looking for a "partner, not a buyer" to get the property through complex renovation and re-zoning, and got no takers.

Have you been inside? It's a dump. It needs to be demolished.