"Late Night America" was a PBS talk show hosted by Dennis Wholey. It originated from WTVS, the PBS station in Detroit. Guests included normal talk show fare such as politicians, authors, actors, musicians, etc. In addition to Wholey's interviewing, LNA accepted telephone calls from viewers. In contrast to the "Larry King Live" quick-as-possible processing of its callers, LNA had a slightly more laid-back tone, with Wholey gently steering the conversation in the desired direction, and cutting off only the most verbose or convoluted callers.
A good show which I suspect might have helped pave the way for Charlie Rose.