So who is most like the late Johnny Carson among today's crop of late-night talent?

According to four insiders from Carson's talk show, it's Jon Stewart, host of the Emmy Award-winning "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central.

They said Stewart - not David Letterman or Jay Leno (before he moved to prime time) or Conan O'Brien - connects with audiences the way Carson did.

"I think (Jon's) a good listener," said Jeff Sotzing, Carson's nephew and president of Carson Entertainment Group. "I think he's well-informed. I think he has great timing."

Like Carson, Stewart relates well to the camera, former Carson and Letterman writer Anthony DeSena added.

"They (Carson and Stewart) are broadcasters," he explained. "It's a big difference between them and, perhaps, other folks. They are aware they are making a TV show. They know that there is a studio audience, but they want whomever is sitting at home, either in bed or on the couch, to enjoy this show."

Sotzing, DeSena and former "Tonight Show" head writers Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers were in Lincoln on Friday to host the first lecture in the Carson Lectureship Series.

The university created the biennial series to celebrate the contributions of entertainment icon and alumnus Carson, who donated more than $10 million to the school.

The four shared stories and film clips of Carson during the public lecture at the Ross Media Arts Center. They also participated in classes.

Prior to the lecture, they met with the press and talked on several topics,including Leno's move to prime time, Letterman's recent on-air admission and how rookie late-nighter Jimmy Fallon is faring.

"I think the writers here are concerned that (Leno's move) will be a success because it would change the face of prime time television," Sotzing said.

DeSena said it already has, noting NBC recently canceled "Southland" because "the network said it was too gritty for it to be a lead-in for Jay's show because they are not compatible.

"So does that mean that there will never be a hard, gritty drama on NBC ever again?" DeSena asked. "They can't put it on at 8. Nine is the only time left."

As for Letterman, DeSena said the late-night host was smart to diffuse the story before it went public. Letterman admitted on air that he had slept with female members of his staff.

"Two nights later he did a funny joke by saying 'In South Carolina today, John Edward,' and then he stopped," DeSena noted.

The foursome said Carson had his share of dirty laundry, notably his divorces and a drunk-driving incident.

Like Letterman, Carson "faced it right on," Sotzing said. "He came out and talked about it, and it was done. He talked about his son passing away, which was tough for him."

Fallon is the newest member to the talk-show ranks, taking over for O'Brien, who slid into Leno's spot. The foursome cut Fallon, a "Saturday Night Live" alum, some slack for a rough start.

"These shows take some time to shake out," DeSena said. "Conan's (first shows) were awful by his own admission. It's on-the-job training."

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.