TELEVISION - March 20, 1991

Johnny Tops Jay: “Tonight Show” viewers prefer to watch veteran host Johnny Carson over the younger funny man Jay Leno by an almost 2-to-1 ratio, according to a new Gallup Poll. Sixty-two percent say they prefer Carson, while 34% picked Leno. The gap narrowed some among the 18- to 29-year-old viewers, where Carson’s 56% topped Leno’s 42%. The poll was a random telephone sample of 1,005 adults, conducted March 14-17. Recent news reports have suggested that NBC would like to replace Carson with Leno.