CBS JOINS FORCES WITH DAVID LETTERMAN'S FANS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HEART DISEASE

CBS and the "Late Show" Host's Internet Fans Contribute More Than $7,000 to the American Heart Association in His Honor

A group of Letterman fans from the Internet newsgroup alt.fan.letterman has amassed, to date, $2,384.40 in contributions to be donated to the American Heart Association in honor of the late-night host. In praise and recognition of the Letterman fans' effort, CBS has announced that it will donate $5,000 to the Heart Association in honor of Letterman.

"We were shocked by the news of Dave's heart bypass surgery and wanted to send him our best wishes," said Helen Read, the coordinator of the Letterman Internet fans' contribution efforts. "We thought about sending flowers or taking out a get- well ad in the paper, but we finally decided that one of the most meaningful things we could do would be to contribute to the American Heart Association, as a way of paying tribute to Dave while simultaneously helping in the fight against heart disease."

"The American Heart Association is grateful for the generous support of Dave's fans and CBS," said Michael Weamer, an executive vice president of the American Heart Association. "What a fitting tribute to Dave and what better way to honor him than to help support our mission to fight heart disease, stroke and save lives. American Heart Association-funded research has led to many advancements, including the development of bypass surgery techniques that were used to save Dave's life."

After banding together the Letterman Internet fans on the newsgroup, Read set up a Web site with information telling other LATE SHOW fans how to contribute: http://homepages.together.net/~hpr/dave. The Web site is still available, for those still interested in participating.

Additionally, Letterman is donating proceeds from sales of the Official Dave Letterman Bypass T-Shirt to the American Heart Association. The Bypass T-Shirts were originally given to audience members on the night of his return, Feb. 21. They are available for purchase on-line at the Worldwide Pants Superstore at www.wpsuperstore.com.