Written by on Apr 4, 2014. Posted in On Location

Los Angeles Mayor appeals for Late Show filming to relocate from New York

The Mayor of Los Angeles has appealed for the Late Show to relocate from New York to the West Coast following veteran host David Letterman’s retirement announcement. Mayor Eric Garcetti has appealed directly to CBS boss Les Moonves to consider a filming location change from 2015.

“As a longtime fan, I was saddened to hear of David Letterman's retirement,” Garcetti wrote in an open letter to Moonves: “But as Mayor of Los Angeles, I am excited for the opportunity to encourage you to bring CBS' next late-night show to our city - the entertainment capital of the world.

“I have made the entertainment industry a key priority for my administration. It's a critical component to our city's economy and identity. I created the Mayor's Office of Motion Picture and Television Production, and under the leadership of Ken Ziffren, we are aggressively seeking to encourage more production here in Los Angeles by cutting red tape, lending proactive assistance, and by furthering public policy to compete with the financial incentives offered by other states.”

As Mayor of Los Angeles, I am excited for the opportunity to encourage you to bring CBS' next late-night show to our city - the entertainment capital of the world.

Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

Iconic late-night entertainment programme The Tonight Show switched filming locations from Los Angeles to New York when Jay Leno retired from the show and East Coast-based comedian Jimmy Fallon took over hosting duties. The programme was drawn to New York by a filming incentive apparently specifically tailored to shows of its nature.

Los Angeles is suffering a long-term runaway production problem with a filming incentive programme that does not support big-budget features or TV dramas and lacks the funding available in other parts of the US. In the coming months Ken Ziffren will be leading the Mayor’s efforts to lobby Sacramento for much-needed improvements.