Your preference for Letterman's successor on "Late Night"

[davidpdx]

9. That one is tough

I like Craig Ferguson and use to watch his show when I lived in the US (and I occasionally watch clips on Youtube). However I don't think he'd be the right pick.

I think they need to think outside the box with someone younger.

Had Conan not already switched over to where he is now, I think it may have been his to lose. I strongly doubt he's going to leave so soon after moving.

Choosing a woman would be a good idea. It would shake up the idea that late night is not just a men's thing.

On Edit:

I just came across this. Apparently Ferguson's contract for the Late Late Show is up next year. If he opts out they could have to replace both of them.

CBS Approached John Oliver for Late Night Show as Major Shuffle Looms (Exclusive)

In the weeks after John Oliver successfully filled in for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's The Daily Show last summer, CBS executives initiated talks with Oliver's representatives about launching a show on their network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The pitch was for Oliver potentially to occupy the 12:30 time slot currently filled by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in the event Ferguson does not re-up his contract at the end of 2014, or possibly for Oliver to launch a different show that would be syndicated by CBS, according to sources.

snip

Still, replacing Letterman and potentially Ferguson will be a much more difficult task than it might have been two decades ago, when Letterman defected from NBC's Late Night to launch his CBS show. As evidenced by Oliver's decision to host a Sunday HBO show, cable networks have emerged as a plum perch for late-night comics. That's a far cry from the broadcast-dominated world Letterman joined with Late Show.

snip

Names ranging from Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris to Chris Rock and Conan O'Brien (still doing a broadcast-style show despite a cable platform on TBS) have already surfaced as potential Letterman replacements, with multiple sources agreeing Ferguson is not seriously in the running. Female-skewing Chelsea Handler surely will put her hat in the ring too, after THR reported earlier this week that she plans to leave E! at the conclusion of her contract this year.

snip

Given the challenge (and high cost) of recruiting a top talent to replace Letterman, CBS could go the route of placing an unknown or emerging talent in Letterman's chair. "Do they want a 20th Century show or do they want a 21st Century show?" asks one source familiar with the late-night TV wars, referring to the viral videos and stunts that have helped Fallon and Kimmel lure younger viewers and increase relevance in the digital era. "ABC and NBC have both shifted to 21st Century shows."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-approached-john-oliver-late-693587

There you have it, Ferguson is probably not going to be replacing Letterman.