Letterman Says He Never Intended to Leave CBS

In his first public comments since ABC’s end-run to land him in the spring, David Letterman indicated that he never had any intention of leaving CBS.

Letterman, the inaugural guest on “Nightline’s” new midnight companion show, “Up Close,” told Ted Koppel, “In practical terms, I don’t think I could ever make that move” from CBS to ABC “because I’m quite comfortable here, very comfortable here, and it would have been an enormous challenge to go anywhere, not just ABC.”

“Speaking for myself completely, the comfort and ease and surroundings are far more important than taking a new challenge.”

The comments are part of a larger interview that also covered his bypass surgery 2 1/2 years ago as well as his much-praised show after the Sept. 11 attacks.