Bill Carter and "The War for Late Night"

The New York Times introduces Bill Carter's new book this way:

[In] his new book, “The War for Late Night,” Bill Carter, a television reporter for The New York Times, demonstrates that the flanking maneuvers made by crucial warriors on the late-night battlefield were far more complicated and far less malevolent than onlookers assumed. Through exhaustive research and interviews with the major players in this battle Mr. Carter demonstrates that, while the usual oversize Hollywood egos were forming secret alliances and stockpiling armaments, it was NBC that fired the shots that sank the Lusitania. Even as Mr. Leno felt attacked and Mr. O’Brien felt betrayed, and an unruly army of handlers spit invective into their cellphones, the real problem was simple: Unable to decide between Mr. Leno or Mr. O’Brien and fearful of losing either to the competition, NBC executives made a series of short-term moves to try to keep them both.

Read that NYT review here. The New York Times talked with the author as well, in their book review segment. Listen to that podcast here. See also: The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night.