Entertainment : Sajak Rates No. 1 in First Week

Pat Sajak rang up winning numbers in his first week as a late-night talk show host, outscoring Johnny Carson, David Letterman and Ted Koppel, it was reported today.

“The Pat Sajak Show,” which made its debut Jan. 9, competes with Carson’s “Tonight” show and the first half-hour of “David Letterman” on NBC, and for its first half hour with Koppel’s “Nightline” on ABC. The real competition for viewers is between Sajak and longtime late night champ Carson. For the full 90 minutes, Sajak and CBS had a 5.3 rating and a 21 share, compared to a 4.7 rating and 17 share for NBC. In the time period from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Sajak earned a 6.1 rating and a 21 share, compared to “Tonight’s” 5.3 rating and 17 share.