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Kerry to appear on Letterman on Monday

Democratic candidate, Bush also invited to appear on BET
/ Source: The Associated Press

Sen. John Kerry will probably avoid the "Will it Float?" routine but might opt to deliver the "Top 10 List" when he appears on the "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday.

The Democratic presidential nominee has appeared on such late-night comedy programs as "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and rode a motorcycle onto the set of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," but he has never been on the Letterman program, a frequent destination for candidates. In the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush appeared on the CBS show.

Late-night comedy shows provide campaign news to a growing number of people, according to a poll earlier this year by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. One-fifth of those ages 18-to-29 said they regularly learn about the campaign from such programs.

In making the announcement Wednesday, CBS also said Kerry's appearance marks the start of the fall season for Letterman.

Separately, both Bush and Kerry have been invited to appear in their own half-hour programs on BET, the Black Entertainment Television network.

The network's founder and CEO, Robert Johnson, has invited the two candidates, asking that they appear on separate airings of BET Nightly News to speak on issues important to the channel's viewers. If the candidates accept, the format will be decided with input by each campaign, BET said.

"It's time that both candidates send a true signal of seriousness to African-American voters that our issues, opinions and, ultimately, our votes really matter," Johnson said in a news release.