I was in high school at the time of the GE-RCA merger. I was thinking David Letterman stood a good chance of getting fired. Who would have thought that the last straw was not getting the Tonight Show gig? But it was hilarious when Letterman tried leaving a fruit basket for Jack Welch and the rest of the board of directors.
Not sure how accurate this is, but there's a story that Jack Welch returned the favor.
At a party celebrating the 6th or 7th anniversary of Late Night With David Letterman, Letterman, who regularly poked fun at both NBC and its parent company, General Electric, was surprised to see GE chief Jack Welch ran up with a fruit basket.
"He shoves it into my arms," Letterman later recalled, "and he says, 'Keep making fun of us. We love it when you call us pinheads!'"
