David Letterman's professional career began at several Indianapolis area radio stations and as anchor and weatherman for WTHR. Letterman's unique and irreverent brand of humor soon became evident in his next project. As host of a late night show called Freeze-Dried Movies, he regularly blew up a miniature replica of the television station to close each broadcast. Moving to Los Angeles to write TV comedy material, Letterman's big break came in 1980 when he was offered the spot of regular guest host on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, which led to his own daytime show. This subsequently resulted in a permanent spot in the "late late-night" lineup following Johnny Carson, which premiered February 1, 1982 and instantly gained a huge following among young viewers with now-famous stock skits including Stupid Pet Tricks, Stupid Human Tricks, Viewer Mail and the The Top Ten List. To Letterman's obvious dismay, NBC chose Jay Leno in 1992 as the replacement for the retiring Johnny Carson. A year later, Letterman moved to CBS with a lucrative deal to host The Late Show with David Letterman, spawning a ratings war with The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Numerous Emmy Awards later, a decade would pass before a career high for the late-night host came when Letterman received the Peabody Award for taking "one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms - the talk show - and infusing it with freshness and imagination." After 33 years and a legendary career, Letterman stepped down from his late show perch. There will never be another David Letterman.