LENO’S RATINGS CONTINUE TO CLIMB AS HE PREPARES TO CLIMB DOWN

Jay Leno is going out on a high — high ratings, that is. On Friday, with just days to go before his sigh-off from the Tonight show on Feb. 6, Leno drew his best average since the appearance of President Obama on the show 15 months ago. Jimmy Fallon, who is taking over the show, saw his own numbers rise correspondingly as he drew his best ratings on Late Show in four years. He’s due to begin hosting duties on Tonight on Feb. 17, taking advantage of a big promotional push that NBC will generate during its coverage of the Winter Olympics. Both shows saw boosts among both total adults and the key 18-49 age group. Huge ratings are expected for Leno’s final show on Thursday, when his guests are scheduled to be Garth Brooks and Billy Crystal. Crystal was Leno’s guest on his first Tonight show on May 25, 1992.