Stephen Colbert‘s “Late Show” has tapped Chris Licht as its first showrunner, eight months after the program’s new version launched. Licht, a longtime “CBS This Morning” executive producer, will be succeeded in-house by Ryan Kadro — his No. 2 at the early show.
“I’m thrilled Chris is joining us at ‘The Late Show.’ I am so impressed by what he has done at ‘CBS This Morning,’” said Colbert. “And I trust someone has told him he doesn’t have to get up at 4 a.m. anymore.”
“In a very short time, Stephen’s comedic talents and interview skills have formed an exciting new franchise for CBS in late night,” added Glenn Geller, president, CBS Entertainment. “Chris’s vision and track record of leading signature shows in important dayparts is a great next step to build on this terrific foundation.”
“You can’t work in this business without being in awe of Stephen Colbert and his talents,” Licht said. “The chance to work with Stephen and help build a valuable late-night franchise, while continuing to grow at CBS, is truly an honor. I can’t wait to get started.”
“At the same time, it’s a bittersweet moment,” Licht continued. “Our CBS News team has built something very unique in the morning that continues to grow in stature and ratings. I will miss working with them all, but I leave with incredible pride for what we accomplished together, and I can’t wait to see where Ryan takes the show as it moves onward and upward to the next level of success.”
Licht’s showrunner spot is a brand new position at the now-CBS-owned “Late Show.” The former vice president of Programming for CBS News will now go by “Executive Vice President of Special Programming, CBS Corporation.”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” is a production of The Late Show Inc. Colbert, Licht, Tom Purcell, Meredith Bennett and Jon Stewart are executive producers.
As for Kadro, he was formerly co-executive producer at “CBS This Morning” — a show he’s been with since Day 1. Kadro started there as a senior producer in 2011 and was then promoted to senior broadcast producer in 2013 — a position he held until his previous promotion in December.
Before joining CBS News in 2010 as a supervising producer working on features and production for “The Early Show,” Kadro was a supervising producer on NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly.” He started at that network as a page.
“Ryan has been a key part of the success story at ‘CBS This Morning’ since its inception–and an important partner for Gayle King, Norah O’Donnell and Charlie Rose,” said CBS News President David Rhodes. “In and out of the control room, Ryan is a great leader who will help us extend this broadcast’s journalistic and commercial success.”
“Nearly five years ago we set out to re-imagine what a network morning broadcast could be — it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Kadro said. “We brought the news back to morning news and our audience is as passionate about that as we are. I am honored to work with the best anchor team in the business and this tremendous team of producers, technical staff and crew.”