Seth Meyers to replace Jimmy Fallon late at night

photo This Sept. 18, 2011 file photo shows Jimmy Fallon, left, and Seth Meyers at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Meyers is moving from his "Weekend Update" desk to his own late night show on NBC. The network said Sunday, May 12, 2013 that the longtime "Saturday Night Live" cast member will replace Jimmy Fallon at the 12:35 a.m. "Late Night" show. Fallon will be moving up an hour as Jay Leno's replacement on the "Tonight" show. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

By DAVID BAUDER

Seth Meyers is moving from his "Weekend Update" desk to his own late night show on NBC.

The network said Sunday that the 12-year "Saturday Night Live" cast member will replace Jimmy Fallon at the 12:35 a.m. "Late Night" show next year. Fallon is moving up an hour as Jay Leno's replacement on the "Tonight" show.

Meyers was considered the lead candidate for the "Late Night" job ever since Fallon's promotion was announced. The announcement solidifies Lorne Michaels as the comedy kingmaker at NBC. He'll be the executive in charge of "Late Night," "Tonight" and "Saturday Night Live," which will all originate from New York's Rockefeller Center.

Meyers, 39, has been the head writer at "Saturday Night Live" for eight seasons. He's in his seventh year as "Weekend Update" host, to which he devotes all of his on-air time now.

And like Fallon before him, Meyers is making the move from "Weekend Update" to "Late Night."

Meyers is a Northwestern University graduate and began his comedy career in Chicago. His chief television competition will be Craig Ferguson on CBS and "Nightline" on ABC. Like television in general, the late-night audience has dispersed in several directions, with DVR viewing of shows taped earlier a big alternative at night.

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