The Colbert Report

Stephen Colbert, correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is being given his own late-night show by Comedy Central. The show, titled the Colbert Report, will mimick other single-personality news vehicles such as The O'Reilly Factor and Hardball with Chris Matthews. The NY Times has a good article detailing the new project.

That "The Daily Show" has reached the point that it is considered ripe for a spinoff is something of a milestone for the program and for Comedy Central, which is owned by Viacom. But in moving Mr. Colbert off "The Daily Show" - he is expected to make only intermittent return visits - the network is also risking diluting a recipe that has made it so popular.

To that end, Comedy Central is considering ripping an actual page from the cable news networks it so often mocks, and having Mr. Stewart, at the end of his half-hour show, share a split-screen with Mr. Colbert, in what is known in the news business as a "throw" or "toss."

"It could be kind of seamless," said Doug Herzog, president of Comedy Central and Spike TV, who presided over the debut of "The Daily Show" in 1996. "It would have the effect of extending 'The Daily Show' to a full hour."

I'll be looking forward to "The Colbert Report". The Daily Show is actually one of the most honest critiques of politics and the media on television. Stewart shows the utmost respect for guests on his show, much more than most other television journalists. I was watching his interview Monday with Zell Miller and the two actaully had a civil and meaningful conversation, despite the fact that Stewart noted they disagree on pretty much everything. It seems as though Colbert will attempt to retain that sense of civility.

"We're going to deal with truth on my program," Mr. Colbert said. "We're going to catch the world in the headlights of my justice."

Full NY Times Article

The NY Times also features the author of the article, Jacques Steinberg, giving a short video report on the story.