DICK CAVETT TO RETURN TO ABC

ABC on Thursday confirmed that veteran talk show host Dick Cavett would be returning to the network with a new weeknight show to follow “Nightline.”

Cavett currently hosts a talk show on the USA cable-TV network, where he is expected to remain until his contract expires in September. An ABC spokesmen said that the new show will likely air from midnight to 1 a.m., but not necessarily every weeknight.

Cavett, who began his TV career as a joke-writer for Jack Paar and others, became the host of a 90-minute daytime show on ABC in 1968. He subsequently hosted a late-night show on that network that was canceled in 1974 due to low ratings.

Cavett’s nightly interview series appeared on public television stations from 1977-82.