CBS erases Letterman affair from history

The way David Letterman dealt on air with the awkward matter of being blackmailed over his affairs with female staffers on the Late Show is widely considered to have been a masterclass in how to deal with an intensely embarrassing personal situation. And while his late-night rivals have gone to town on the story, commentators have largely acknowledged that his openness in dealing with the scandal saved his job.

As John Rash of ad firm Campbell Mithun put it: "Given the way he dealt with it... whatever damage there might be with audiences and advertisers is probably contained. If the story goes further than that, it's uncertain what happens." Media buyer Tom Weeks weighed in saying, "There's something to be said for addressing it head-on. He took control of it and is powerful enough... to choose to handle it in the way he wanted."
 
It seems strange, therefore, that CBS, as reported on gossip website Gawker today, has done its damnedest to expunge the memory of Letterman's heartfelt soliloquy, removing video of the show from their website and aggressively enforcing their copyright on the material on YouTube. "It's not like that will make this go away," observes the customarily snarky Gawker.
 
Elsewhere, the New York Daily News has reported that the 62-year-old Letterman had a suite above the studio at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater where the show is filmed where he conducted his romantic assignations. The room was nicknamed the "bunker", and one staffer said: "He doesn't have to come out. He has a suite upstairs."
 
Two women he is believed to have conducted affairs with have been named to date: Stephanie Birkitt, 34, who worked as an assistant to Letterman; and Holly Hester, a former intern on the show. Hester told the TMZ website that she carried on a year-long affair with Letterman in the early 1990s, which was ended by the presenter because of their age difference. ·