1925-
Late-night Show Host

Television Institution.

Johnny Carson made the late-night NBC program The Tonight Show a television institution, far outpacing all competing shows in the ratings. Carson's comedic talents and ability to attract celebrity guests kept viewers tuned in to NBC.

Pat Weaver.

The Tonight Show was the 1954 brainchild of NBC executive Pat Weaver, who had created The Today Show in 1952. The two programs were meant to complement each other and to lock viewers to NBC from the earliest viewing hours to the latest. On 1 October Carson officially replaced the contentious Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show.

Carson versus Paar.

During his five-year tenure Paar had made the show a moneymaker for NBC, but under Carson The Tonight Show was a blockbuster. By 1965 Carson had raised the audience to an average of 8.7 million nightly viewers, over 300,000 above Paar's peak. Sponsor revenues for the...