NBC and Its Cranky Short-Timer : Television: Most affiliates agree with the network’s decision to continue showing ‘Late Night’ despite Letterman’s pointed jokes about jumping to CBS in the fall.

David Letterman smiled mischievously the other night as he told his audience, “You know, I was thinking while driving the other day, I only have five more chances to be named NBC Employee of the Month.”

The comment was just one of a series of reminders to viewers of “Late Night With David Letterman” that Letterman will be departing NBC June 25 and moving to CBS this summer to compete head to head with “The Tonight Show.”

The not-so-veiled CBS promos have made some general managers at NBC’s 205 affiliated stations around the country question the network’s wisdom in keeping Letterman on the air for the duration of his contract.

“If I were in the driver’s seat at NBC, I would say, ‘Adios,’ ” said Al Buch, general manager and vice president of KSNW in Wichita, Kan. “CBS has just bought themselves a $14-million problem. He’s a difficult person. It’s not very professional the way he’s continued bashing NBC. But what goes around comes around.”

But most affiliates feel that NBC made the right decision in keeping Letterman where he is.

“The fact that Letterman is leaving is not exactly one of the world’s best-kept secrets,” said Richard Lobo, general manager of WTVJ in Miami. “We should keep him on as long as we have a contract with him. He’s been an asset to us through the years, and there’s no reason to feel he will be detrimental.”

Pat Wallace, general manager of WMAQ-TV in Chicago, said that NBC faced a dilemma in deciding whether to leave the comedian on the air or remove him once his intentions to join a competitor were clear.

“The issues are pretty obvious,” Wallace said. “On the upside, there’s the economics. There’s a contract and the program is already sold in terms of advertising. There’s (February and May) sweeps to think about. On the downside, there’s all these things Dave is saying.

“I’m glad someone else has to make the decision,” Wallace added. “It’s a tough enough day for NBC without them having to deal with this, too.”

NBC officials declined to be interviewed for this story, but they have indicated previously that they opted for keeping Letterman on the air to defuse interest in his CBS show.

Of more than 20 affiliates executives interviewed, most felt that NBC would not be hurt in the long run.

Al Bova, vice president and general manager of WVIT in Hartford, Conn., said that keeping Letterman might even help NBC: “This buys NBC time to get the new show ready. Also, NBC has Letterman through the May sweeps. Having all this time to get the new show ready is more important than to have NBC’s ego satisfied by taking him off the air.”

Doug Adams, general manager of KXAS-TV in Dallas-Ft. Worth, put it in another light: “I can’t imagine any hype Letterman could do now that could come close to the hype that was going on during contract negotiations.”

Many of the affiliates said that their bigger concern now revolves around who is going to replace Letterman. “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels is producing a new show for the 12:30 a.m. slot but has not yet disclosed any details about it. Dana Carvey and Dennis Miller are two of the names being bandied around as possible hosts.

Most of the affiliate executives interviewed said they found Letterman’s knocks at NBC basically harmless.

“He’s always taken his shots at NBC, and he’ll probably do the same thing at CBS,” said Bill Scaffide, vice president and general manager for WKYC-TV in Cleveland. “His audience has grown to expect that kind of humor.”

On a recent show, Letterman jokingly threatened audience members who moaned when he announced the guest lineup for the next evening: “Don’t push your luck. My time is short. I could go nuts. Makes no difference to me. I’ll come up there and teach you some manners. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Many of the affiliates said they are anxious to put Letterman behind them.

Said Adams of KSAX, “I’m disappointed that NBC doesn’t have something close to getting on the air. If we had another show, I would put it on the air Monday. But right now, keeping Letterman makes more sense than running reruns of ‘Leave It to Beaver.’ ”