Dave Exits the Stage and a Late Night Era Ends

When David Letterman hosts his final show tonight, it will be the end of a television era. Letterman has been in late night TV for 33 years, and he's the last of the old guard.
I discovered Letterman when he made his first appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, and I watched his short-lived morning program in the late '70s. When Dave got a show following Johnny's on NBC, I was watching. At the time I was in college. As he leaves the airwaves tonight, my youngest daughter is in college.
Dave was once a likeable, goofy, funny late night friend. He's become a little too left-leaning in his politics over the past few years for me, and way too mean about it. It's time for Dave to go, but what's left is a handful of young guys meant to play to a younger audience. That may work for some, but for me it's hard to sift through the Jimmys and the James and conclude who's the best.
For a long time I've watched late night TV for the guests, not for the host. When Johnny Carson was still alive and still in the game, I watched for the host. When Dave first came along I watched for the host. When Arsenio was on the air I watched for the host. Nowadays the host is the background and the guests are center stage, so I won't watch anyone of them every night, and I'll watch when the guest is so good I don't wanna miss it. Late night TV has forever changed, and not for the better in my opinion.