The blackmail scandal is already having a beneficial effect on David Letterman's ratings.
On Thursday, numbers for "Late Show with David Letterman" surged 22% based on preliminary estimates, according to the Nielsen Company. Letterman spent part of the program discussing a recent $2-million blackmail attempt and admitted that he had had affairs with female staffers on his show.
The program scored a 4.4 rating/12 share in household "overnight" numbers, handily beating "Late Show's" 3.6 rating/9 share so far this season. (Complete numbers, including total-viewer figures, will not be available until later.)
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