Leno Moving Back to 11:30 [Archive]

Buzzkill

01-07-2010, 05:42 PM

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/07/jay-leno-nbc-conan-obrien-tonight-show/

Jay Leno is going back to his 11:30 PM time slot, and it's looking like Conan (http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/07/jay-leno-nbc-conan-obrien-tonight-show/#) O'Brien is the odd man out ... sources tell TMZ.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2010/01/0107_jay_conan_ex_tmz_01.jpg

We've learned Jay's 10:00 PM show will go on hiatus February 1. After the Olympics, Jay will take back his 11:30 PM time slot. What has not been decided -- whether Jay's show will be a half hour, followed by Conan, or whether Jay's show will be an hour and NBC says sayonara to Mr. O'Brien.

<iframe src="http://webcenter.polls.aol.com/modular.jsp?template=1098&view=182447&pollId=182739&channel=tmz.com" border="0" style="margin: 5px; float: right;" width="175" frameborder="0" height="120" scrolling="no"></iframe>We're told Jay and Conan have both been told of the changes. As for Jay, interestingly, he'll get what he always wanted -- his 11:30 PM time slot.

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Holy shit this better not be true. Leno is maybe the worst on screen personality on TV right now. If they get rid of Conan I will "flip a bitch"

Droford

01-07-2010, 05:47 PM

Conan has to go to FOX or something if he gets the boot.

Kane Knight

01-07-2010, 06:00 PM

LOL. there's seriously team Conan and team Leno?

Blitz

01-07-2010, 06:19 PM

NBC denies that Jay Leno is being yanked; says 'show has performed exactly as we anticipated'
by Lynette Rice
Categories: News, TV Biz, Television

NBC took the unusual step of responding to an internet report about the future of The Jay Leno Show and whether the network is on the verge of cancelling it. In the statement, NBC reiterated its commitment to the primetime talk show by saying “Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today. As we have said all along, Jay’s show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. It has, however, presented some issues for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve performance.” In fact, the network’s annual affiliates meeting is reportedly set for later this month, during which Leno is sure to dominate the discussions. In the meantime, an NBC insider attempted to quash additional press reports about Leno moving back to The Tonight Show chair by insisting his show will not be cancelled at 10 p.m.

Concerns about the future of the fledgling talk show hit a fever pitch in November when Leno, of all people, told Broadcasting & Cable: “Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure.” His sentiment was no doubt colored by the show’s declining ratings. Though his talk show debuted at 18.4 million, it dropped to 4.3 million in just seven weeks (nowadays, Leno is averaging 5.32 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49). Meanwhile, ratings are down for the post-Leno local newscasts in several of the network’s top 10 markets, while Conan O’ Brien is routinely trounced by David Letterman a half hour later.

NBC has continued to maintain that it’s still cheaper to make a talk show than an hour-long drama, and even Leno admitted that his threshold for success is low. “I’m told if we can keep a 1.5 [rating], they make $300 million a year; this is what they say,” he told B&C. “So we’re a little above the 1.5, but we’re doing OK.” NBC affiliates have tried to stay optimistic. “Do we want higher ratings? Sure,” NBC affiliates board chairman Michael Fiorile told EW in November. “However much time has to pass … be it four to six months … if we’re not seeing any improvement, then we’ll start asking questions.”

What Would Kevin Do?

01-07-2010, 07:01 PM

Fuck Leno. He's an unfunny shit, and has always been an unfunny shit.

And if NBC does get rid of Conan, than fuck them too.

thedamndest

01-07-2010, 07:11 PM

I doubt it's performing exactly as they expected. Somebody on NPR said that affiliates are considering not airing Leno and just putting on syndicated shows in that time slot and that would be a better lead for the local news.

Triple A

01-07-2010, 07:19 PM

wtf

Would be real fucked for Conan and Fallon.

Conan has been awful anyway though. Tried watching a few eps for the first month or so but it was kinda terrible.

ClockShot

01-07-2010, 07:55 PM

NBC could have had 5 good shows on that 10 o'clock timeslot everyday. Doing that was stupid in the first place.

But, how good of a job has Fallon done filling O'Brien's shoes?

Inadequacy

01-07-2010, 07:58 PM

I think Fallon's been pretty solid

Kane Knight

01-07-2010, 08:15 PM

Fuck Leno. He's an unfunny shit, and has always been an unfunny shit.

And if NBC does get rid of Conan, than fuck them too.
:rofl::rofl:

What Would Kevin Do?

01-07-2010, 11:10 PM

So apparently the plan now is...

Have Leno on from 11:30 - 12:00
Conan from 12 - 1
Fallon from 1- 2

That is goddamn retarded.

Impact!

01-07-2010, 11:41 PM

Leno is terrible

Buzzkill

01-09-2010, 02:00 PM

Also I feel like a big charm of Conan's was that it was so low budget and so late at night. Putting him on the tonight show kind of took away from that.

But I still luv conan

DrA

01-10-2010, 06:08 PM

They should just go back to the way it was, with Leno at 10:35CST and Conan on right after that.

DrA

01-10-2010, 06:09 PM

Actually they should just get rid of Leno altogether.

Mr. Nerfect

01-11-2010, 05:23 PM

I didn't know The Jay Leno Show was doing as terribly as it was. I don't think timeslot really effects that. The dude is way past it (if he ever had it). Conan isn't performing well with the older viewers, but he apparently dominates the 18-49 demographic, which advertisers love.

Buzzkill is right in saying that a lot of Conan's charm came from the cheaper show, but NBC should really stand behind Conan a bit here. I mean, eventually Letterman will die or something, and then it will be all Conan.

Kane Knight

01-12-2010, 12:45 AM

I didn't know The Jay Leno Show was doing as terribly as it was. I don't think timeslot really effects that.

Yeah, don't let the pre-Leno Show ratings of the Tonight Show stop you from thinking that, either.

Also, Conan wouldn't be an issue at all of the 18-34 demographic was still strong.

Jeritron

01-12-2010, 03:30 PM

Just saw breaking news and a statement from Conan. He said he won't do midnight and he's leaving NBC I believe.
I don't blame him.

His statement was hilarious too. At the end he apologized for his hair

Jura

01-12-2010, 04:06 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100112/ap_en_ot/tv_us_leno_o_brien

What Would Kevin Do?

01-12-2010, 04:08 PM

Here's the supposed statement.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Buzzkill

01-12-2010, 04:56 PM

Great statement, who can blame him?

Shouldn't Leno be the odd man out here? He's the awful one

thedamndest

01-12-2010, 05:06 PM

NBC is still operating under the assumption that Leno is their moneymaker. All they need is to have one interview show at to put it back at 11:30. Apparently they need another six months of being in last place to figure this out.

Juan

01-12-2010, 05:14 PM

I have a feeling Jay Leno is gonna come out of this looking like a huge douche.

Triple A

01-12-2010, 05:48 PM

Crazy.

Really glad Conan stood up to this though.

Blitz

01-12-2010, 05:50 PM

Feel so bad for Conan in this. How long has he wanted the Tonight Show only to basically be told "fuck you" after less than a year. Fuck NBC.

Penner

01-12-2010, 06:06 PM

This is so ridiculous. I couldn't be more happy at the replies in this thread.

You can't just make a conclusion about a show so soon in its development. And I am also glad he does not want to push back Fallon. He respects his show as well as Fallons, which I agree to.

Fuck Leno.

As my sister would say... Le-NO THANKS.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-12-2010, 06:16 PM

Honestly, this is the fucking Late Shift all over again.

Blitz

01-12-2010, 08:56 PM

What Would Kevin Do?

01-12-2010, 09:02 PM

I'm surprised Letterman didn't put himself in that open...

Mr. Nerfect

01-12-2010, 10:52 PM

Honestly, this is the fucking Late Shift all over again.

It's starting to look like it. For example, Leno denying that he has any knowledge of what is going on, despite allegedly being heavily involved in the negotiations. Conan's not the sort of guy who will role over, though. If NBC fucks him over, I think he'll be more than happy to push back, and leave for another network. I could see this ending up as just being Leno and Fallon -- which would absolutely suck, say, opposed to a Letterman/Conan duo.

NBC fucks good things over. They have fumble so many of their sitcoms, their dramas, and they've really earned the fall from grace they have received. I can understand they want to beat Letterman, but if they lose Conan in the process? They're going to lose their best talk show personality to another network, which will just strengthen the forces against NBC.

What network is Letterman on? CBS? With Conan chasing some of Leno's audience back to Letterman (predominantly "old people,") a lot of them might not go back to Leno out of a new habit. Fallon has got no chance against Conan. When it comes to the zany, often senseless college humour, nobody in late night does it better than Coco. If Letterman can beat Leno, and Conan can beat Fallon, what does NBC have?

Besides, Conan is an acquired taste. NBC should know this through their experiences with Late Night. Not only did Conan have to get used to working on a talk show, but talk show audiences and viewers had to get used to the style and overall less-processed honesty Conan brought to the interviewer's chair. This awkwardness eventually grew into charm, but obviously a shift to a much wider audience would cause need for a re-introductory process.

thedamndest

01-12-2010, 11:01 PM

A lot of people have been saying that ratings have fallen off because the wider audience is still adjusting to Conan's humor. I don't buy that. Ratings are falling off because people don't want to watch Leno at 10. In that slot he's a ratings killer. People switch to a different network, watch a different local news, and NBC have probably lost a good amount of people who just stayed over on Letterman and never even gave Conan a shot all because they wanted to see a regular show at ten. If Leno were so popular with his audience, you would think he would have retained them in the 10 spot.

It doesn't really matter if it's Jay or Conan on NBC doing late night. They just need a primetime show at primetime and they will get their audience back.

DrA

01-12-2010, 11:19 PM

What were Conan's ratings like before Jay Leno started his show?

Droford

01-12-2010, 11:30 PM

Penner

01-12-2010, 11:43 PM

LOL @ Conan tonight with Howie Mandel lol

Conan is freaking tall.

McLegend

01-12-2010, 11:46 PM

Conan is laying into NBC pretty hard.

Loose Cannon

01-12-2010, 11:52 PM

crap, I missed it.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-13-2010, 12:22 AM

NBC is going to be surprised when Leno's 11:30 ratings suck just as bad AND Conan moves to fox and beats the snot out of Leno head to head (eventually). CBS wont be interested (I dont think) because they've got a perfectly good 2nd host in Ferguson and I dont see Letterman going anywhere in the near future.

I don't know if he'd beat Leno head to head... The bigger issue though, is that Conan is liked by younger people, and the audience will grow with him. If Conan leaves, WHEN Leno finally does retire, they won't have anyone for the spot... Conan would destroy Fallon

Mr. Nerfect

01-13-2010, 02:40 AM

One solution I heard is that NBC could pay Conan to sit out for a bit, and not go to work for another network. Then, when Leno retires, Conan would take over The Tonight Show then. That doesn't sound right to me, because if that were the case, then all NBC would be doing is making Jay Leno comfortable. It's not that they don't like Conan; it's just that Leno still wants to work, so NBC has to make room for him. From his comments, you've gotten the sense that Leno really didn't want to retire, and he was sort of forced out by Conan. The guy knows how to play the game, that's for sure.

Conan vs. Leno would certainly be interesting. I think Leno would win, simply because he is more of the "establishment" at this point in time, but I think WWKD hit the nail on the head. Conan will only make himself more and more comfortable, and Fallon wouldn't stand a chance. Nor would anyone else NBC put up against Conan, I don't think.

Mr. Nerfect

01-13-2010, 02:48 AM

It'll be interesting to see how Conan's ratings go with all this noise surrounding him, Leno and NBC. There is no doubt that Conan was struggling in the ratings (as was Leno). Maybe this is (partially) a move to generate interest and tension around NBC, to get people to start watching. It wouldn't be the first time Conan has been involved in something like that (the "tension" with Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart that became more and more apparent was a joke), and NBC pretty much commissioned a show that poked fun of NBC's politics (30 Rock).

Regardless, I think it is better Conan makes a stink about this than not, because it gets his name out there more.

muffalufagus

01-13-2010, 03:51 AM

I think I heard on my local news today that Conan is quitting.

FearedSanctity

01-13-2010, 06:51 AM

FearedSanctity

01-13-2010, 06:53 AM

ROFL at Conan going over his options, "Leave television altogether, and work in a classier business with better people, like hard core porn."

Burn?

Mr. Nerfect

01-13-2010, 10:14 AM

You just know Conan's got the equipment for hardcore porn. I've also heard that he is quitting, but that it seems likely FOX will give him a show at 11, which will step on Jay's feet by a good half-hour. Hopefully Conan does his opening monologue, a comedy bit, has a guest, and then does another big comedy bit, or has a huge second guest to keep Jay on his toes.

CoCo doesn't quite have the sticking power that Leno has just yet, but starting earlier would give him a good advantage, won't it? Now NBC really doesn't have anyone they can replace Leno with. I hope we see the walls start to crumble on them. Even if they aren't big winners, Conan and Letterman can have a good laugh about it.

Penner

01-13-2010, 11:58 AM

I don't know if he'd beat Leno head to head... The bigger issue though, is that Conan is liked by younger people, and the audience will grow with him. If Conan leaves, WHEN Leno finally does retire, they won't have anyone for the spot... Conan would destroy Fallon
Yes but the majority of people right now are baby-boomers who enjoy Leno.

McLegend

01-13-2010, 12:11 PM

I like Conan O'Brien, and I don't blame him for being mad. I would to. NBC really screwed up here.

Conan still has to change up his act. Just watching last night there was no way older people like my parents would be able to watch that.

Jura

01-13-2010, 04:49 PM

Well unlike Jay I think Conan can do something other than talk shows if he has to or chooses to. He was involved with SNL and The Simpsons before his talk show career.

FakeLaser

01-13-2010, 05:06 PM

Fucking weakest shit I've ever heard in my life, ever

Glad to see Conan is giving it to NBC and is standing up for himself

Buzzkill

01-13-2010, 07:22 PM

lol "My name is Conan O'Brien, and I may soon be available for children's parties"

Droford

01-13-2010, 07:27 PM

Leno apparently is also considering leaving, which would fuck over NBC completely.

"Its the Tonight Show...with Jimmy Fallon!"

eh..dont think so

LoDownM

01-13-2010, 08:24 PM

http://ewpopwatch.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/im-with-coco_208.jpg?w=208&h=320

Droford

01-13-2010, 08:28 PM

I want someone to do an "Im with the Chin" poster

McLegend

01-13-2010, 11:36 PM

Conan and whoever handles his negoations are really dumb for not getting 11:35 in his contract.

FearedSanctity

01-13-2010, 11:43 PM

Think they're pretty right about the "implied guarantee" though. Seriously, if the show has been in the same spot for the last 30 or so years, wouldn't you figure it'd stay there?

Leno's show was a new one so his timeslot guarantee was a bigger deal.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-13-2010, 11:50 PM

Conan has been laying it in harshly tonight.

"Remember kids, you can do anything you want to do in life, unless Jay Leno wants to do it too."

"NBC spent more time building this studio then they did using it."

"Much like Conan O'Brien, most of his staff and crew also uprooted and moved from New York...:

What Would Kevin Do?

01-13-2010, 11:51 PM

LOL, Classic Tonight Show Moment.

McLegend

01-13-2010, 11:51 PM

You always get it writing.

Jeritron

01-13-2010, 11:53 PM

Conan and whoever handles his negoations are really dumb for not getting 11:35 in his contract.

This is ridiculous. His contract guaruntees him salary. They can do what they want with the programming, they just have to honor their financial obligations. If they were to let him go they'd eat the salary and value their decision as more valuable.
You can't expect a contract to be ironclad as to being on the air. A network is going to have to arrange their schedule as they see fit. They'll just have to pay the price for it.
A contract won't and can't have a clause that guaruntees being on the air when you want. If 0 people were watching and he was eating babies they wouldn't be able to take him off TV because he's got it in writing? Yea, that's not how it works.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-13-2010, 11:56 PM

The reason 11:35 wasn't in writing is because, per the contract, they can start it as late as 12:05. That was in place because sometimes sports games push everything back.

McLegend

01-13-2010, 11:58 PM

This is ridiculous. His contract guaruntees him salary. They can do what they want with the programming, they just have to honor their financial obligations. If they were to let him go they'd eat the salary and value their decision as more valuable.
You can't expect a contract to be ironclad as to being on the air. A network is going to have to arrange their schedule as they see fit. They'll just have to pay the price for it.

Air on the side of the caution and get it in there.

Jeritron

01-13-2010, 11:59 PM

It's the same reason a baseball player doesn't get it in their contract to bat cleanup in every game regardless of production or other players.
The money's guarunteed though. He just should have gotten Jay Leno insurance.

Seriously, Leno needs to take a hike. I've always liked his show, but sliming something like this back is a lesson he should have learned in preschool. You just don't do it. It's Conan's now and that was the plan.

Jeritron

01-14-2010, 12:00 AM

Air on the side of the caution and get it in there.

Thats what I'm saying. It's not going to be in there. It's just an outrageous demand.

Juan

01-14-2010, 12:01 AM

Leno apparently is also considering leaving, which would fuck over NBC completely.

Too late to save face, Mr. Leno

Jeritron

01-14-2010, 12:04 AM

He's probably getting feelers from the outside. Obviously he's proven he's enough of a snake to bail out for a bigger contract from Fox or something, even after causing this.

If they were to both walk, and Leno signed with Fox, and Conan just didn't go anywhere...wow

What Would Kevin Do?

01-14-2010, 12:04 AM

The irony is, if Leno leaves, Conan doesn't have to.

Jeritron

01-14-2010, 12:08 AM

but if Conan already has, and doesn't come back, NBC gets the shaft. Unfortunately, then Conan does too. Unless he swallows his pride and goes back to NBC, which I wouldn't.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-14-2010, 12:15 AM

Conan hasn't left NBC yet, or said he's going to.

All Conan has said is that he won't host the Tonight Show at 12:05. Technically, the ball is back in NBC's court.

FearedSanctity

01-14-2010, 12:15 AM

Conan should go to Comedy Central and have an awesome 2 hour block of funny with his Tonight Show, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report

Juan

01-14-2010, 12:18 AM

Apparently NBC has said that they hope to resolve this issue before the Winter Olympics start

Mr. Nerfect

01-14-2010, 02:39 AM

They say they plan to resolve it, but Conan apparently wasn't even in on discussions about the Leno move. He's been left out of the loop, and I think that is a huge part of the reason he is pissed, and understandably so. It's a horrible thing to not be given the same chance as the guy who replaced you, only to be replaced by him again; but it's even worse when they don't tell you about it until the last minute. Conan's got a family, and I think it hits everyone involved in the show pretty hard, too -- as they were all pretty much Conan's New York Late Night crew. Conan personally looks like a massive jackass because he brings them and their families over to Los Angeles, and then has to tell them "Sorry, you're jobless."

I'm glad he's not backing down. I think NBC will be watching to see how Conan's ratings do through this scandal. It apparently took Leno two years to beat Letterman, so if Conan can get some "angry momentum" on his side, who knows? I don't know if Leno's move is just to save public image -- but Conan has ensured that Leno and NBC look like assholes. If Conan leaves NBC, then the stigma of Leno and NBC being jerks is going to be there.

Another thing that NBC has to think about, is that they don't really have anybody besides Conan to carry on The Tonight Show when Jay retires (not that he probably plans to). If they're just trying to save Leno, then they might be better off cutting him free, so that HE can go to FOX, and then they can look like "nice guys" for taking Conan's side. I mean, Leno and his fan-base are eventually going to die. They should really start warming people up to his successor now. It's not going to be Jimmy Fallon. Well, it shouldn't be.

I'm still curious to see how this turns out. I can honestly see momentum starting to shift sides. Partially because Conan has not taken the hit like NBC probably expected him to.

Skippord

01-14-2010, 03:36 AM

Conan should go back to writing The Simpsons

Mr. Nerfect

01-14-2010, 04:35 AM

If Conan returns to FOX, doing something with The Simpsons and/or one of the Seth MacFarlane shows would be an excellent way to publicise himself.

Jura

01-14-2010, 10:09 AM

That would be a big step back IMO and I don't think he needs to do that.

Mr. Nerfect

01-14-2010, 10:34 AM

That would be a big step back IMO and I don't think he needs to do that.

I agree that full-time writing would be a step back. Writing an episode of The Simpsons, ala Ricky Gervais, could be a great way to remind people how funny Conan O'Brien can be via a different medium.

Appearing on the shows as a voice actor also wouldn't hurt. Certainly not internationally, anyway. I'm disappointed by how many Australians I've met actually don't have a clue who Conan O'Brien is. And yes, I am aware that Conan has played himself on The Simpsons before.

What Would Kevin Do?

01-14-2010, 11:36 AM

Tonight Show Host Gets Sweet Offer from Mrs. Fields
SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Mrs. Fields has officially offered a job to Conan O'Brien should he end up leaving the Tonight Show at NBC. The national cookie company states that O'Brien has his pick of working at any of their over 300 stores nationwide, or at their corporate offices in Salt Lake City, UT. Details of the position as well as salary are pending negotiations and interest from O'Brien.
"At the age of 22 Conan applied for a job at Mrs. Fields, but sadly never received a call back," explained John Lauck, President of Mrs. Fields. "We want to officially call you back, and make amends for what we now know was a huge oversight in talent recruitment."
Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, which also owns TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, additionally stated that should O'Brien's interest in cookies no longer be as strong, he is eagerly invited to enter This Could Be Yours, the Great TCBY Store giveaway. Should he win this national contest, Conan would find himself the owner of a brand new TCBY store in a location of his choosing

McLegend

01-14-2010, 04:16 PM

Jay Leno is back on at 11:35. I think he starts back on the 25th.

So I guess Conan is going to be out.

Mr. Nerfect

01-14-2010, 05:36 PM

Yeah, apparently the new deal has been reached with Leno. Jeff Zucker is apparently pissed off that Conan has been as out-spoken as he has been, and that his ratings have gone up, and is trying to keep him off the air for three years (probably something similar to one of the WWE's no-compete clauses), so that he isn't a threat when he moves. Conan has apparently trying to make sure NBC looks after the staff that uprooted from New York to move to California.

Pretty intense stuff. I feel so sorry for Conan, but he is way too honest a person to be hosting a gig like that. He's been part of the greatetst talk show institution of all-time, so now he can hopefully create his own.

thedamndest

01-14-2010, 05:38 PM

Obviously TPWW is not in the Jay Leno demographic. Here are what some Jay Leno fans have to say (from the Jay Leno Community at http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showforum=366

MY HUSBAND AND I LOVED JAY AT 11:35. LOVED HEADLINES, LOVED JAY WALKING, LOVED MONOLOGUE. Now at 10 it's AWFUL Hate the format...hate seeing Jay look so uncomfortable sitting without a desk next to the guest. The whole thing is awkward. And even though we'd outgrown the Letterman show, we went back to it because we HATE CONAN. He's annoying...NOT FUNNY...just awful. He has a "niche" group, but the ratings are clear. ALL DEMOGRAPHICS prefer Jay to Conan. They wanted the 18-49 set? You lost them with Conan! But putting Jay back for 1/2 an hour will AGAIN mess w/ what was right before. JAY, DON'T TAKE THIS FROM NBC. They screwed you by taking your #1 show off and moving you to 10 to make room for Conan. Now, they NEED YOU. Don't agree to 1/2 hour. It's all or nothing! Unless you're going to eliminate guests and just do a monologue, Jay walking, headlines and go...it's not going to work if you try to cut those things and get guests in. The stations around the country are insisting you come back, you have the ball. Don't allow them to continue to pamper Conan and screw you. STAY FIRM. YOU'RE IN THE DRIVER SEAT!!

Jay has proven himself as the ratings leader against Letterman, who is one boring dude. He had the best combination of format & writers on the Tonight show. Now it is obvious that he should hold the Tonight show spot. I like Conan, but he gets too silly. Jay had the right formula, but it was taken from him in Prime time. He is the closest performer to Jonny Carson. Letterman can't compete. I followed Jerry Lester, Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and Jay Leno. He belongs back on the Tonight Show.Give Conan to Fox. You won't be sorry. Let the red necks have him. For you people who want change, we'll bring back Soupy Sales to throw pies at people. You probably would have changed Johnny Carson!

Dude. I'm 31... now I don't know if you consider that "old" but I find it odd that you're calling someone who's been busting his ass as a comedian longer than either of us has been alive 'unfunny'. Have you ever seen Jay do actual standup? He's a master at it; try looking beyond your percieved coolness and check it out sometime. He wouldn't have gotten where he is if he weren't funny. Conan is funny but his type of humor just isn't working in that timeslot, and the ratings prove it.

My wife and I happen to like the current lineup just the way it is. Jay's show is different, and it should be! Conan and Jimmy are doing just fine.
In my opinion, the local affilliates are clueless as to how to present a local newscast that actually invites viewers. Blame the national network for their own shortcomings.

NBC would be best served by yanking Conan off The Tonight Show and reinstating Jay. Conan has clearly shown he isn't up to the job, and certainly isn't the same caliber as all the previous Tonight Show hosts, all of whom appealed to all age groups. With Conan appealing mainly to the 18-49 demographic, he isn't capable of pulling in the viewers and ratings that Jay is at that hour.

If Conan objects, pay off his contract and let him walk. His fans can then find him on a channel where his juvenile humor is more suitable, with the listing of fill-in host of The Tonight Show as part of his resume. When his humor matures to the point where he can appeal across demographic lines, he may then be ready for the major leagues. As of now, he isn't.

I always watched Jay at 11:35. I thought I was going to like Jay at 10 pm, but somehow I never got in the habit of regularly watching it. The interviews on couches, not from behind a desk, felt wierd and lots of times the humor fell flat.
I'll be happy to see Jay back at late night, because I do not like Conan's monologues and skits. I;ve been watching Letterman, but he's not the same. Jay's monologues, headlines, and Jay walking, things found at discount stores - those are great. But it really should be an hour show, if not he won't be able to have any guests, especially musical guests.

Buzzkill

01-14-2010, 06:53 PM

Wow. Apparently Jeff Zucker is threatening to keep Conan off the air all together for the next 3.5 years until his contract runs out.

What a fucking narcissistic asshole

Shadow

01-14-2010, 07:17 PM

Guess who has two thumbs and will never...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER watch an NBC program again?

THIS GUY!

What Would Kevin Do?

01-14-2010, 07:33 PM

Yeah, I'm hating NBC and Leno more and more.

Jura

01-14-2010, 08:22 PM

It's like NBC can't catch a break. They become the number 4 network or something and now this.

Triple A

01-14-2010, 08:49 PM

NY Times article from 1992 when Leno was first starting at the Tonight Show and NBC was possibly going to replace him with Letterman...

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/23/arts/jay-leno-criticizes-nbc-on-tonight-cliffhanger.html?pagewanted=1
Jay Leno, expressing what he called "surprise and disappointment" with NBC executives, said yesterday that he believed his performance as the host of the "Tonight" show should have more than satisfied the network and that he did not deserve to be threatened with losing the leading show in late-night television to David Letterman.

"Am I crazy?" Mr. Leno said in a telephone interview. "The ratings are going up, the advertisers are happy and so are the affiliates." And yet Mr. Leno said he had not received any assurances from NBC executives in New York that he would not be dropped in favor of Mr. Letterman by Jan. 15. That is the deadline NBC is facing to match a CBS offer to give Mr. Letterman about $16 million to star in a nightly talk show at 11:30, the same time as the "Tonight" show.

"I am disappointed," Mr. Leno said. "I feel like a guy who has bought a car from somebody, painted it, fixed it up and made it look nice and then the guy comes back and says he promised to sell the car to his brother-in-law." Go Elsewhere? 'Of Course'

Mr. Leno said he would "obviously leave NBC immediately" if the network decided to give the "Tonight" show to Mr. Letterman. He said he would absolutely refuse to do a show in the 12:30 A.M. spot now occupied by Mr. Letterman's show, "Late Night," and would indeed consider creating the same problem for NBC that Mr. Letterman's proposed deal with CBS caused.

"Would I go to CBS if they asked me?" Mr. Leno said. "Of course. I'm not going to do some little happy hour from Omaha at 12:30."

Blitz

01-14-2010, 09:13 PM

Exclusive: Key source in Conan O'Brien negotiations says deal 'possible' by the weekend
by Lynette Rice
Categories: Uncategorized
A key source in the ongoing negotiations between NBC and Conan O’Brien denied an internet report that a deal was in place to return Jay Leno to The Tonight Show, but did speak optimistically about the talks and a possible end to the time shift disaster that has captivated the media and — ironically — reinvigorated Leno’s and O’Brien’s ratings over the last four days. “We would like to see it resolved by the weekend,” said the source, who did not want to be identified by name because of the heightened sensitivity surrounding the meetings. “It’s possible.”

It seems likely that Leno will end up returning to The Tonight Show where he earned the title of the King of Late Night, while O’Brien’s representatives will negotiate a settlement for the 46-year-old comedian to leave the network. It also seems certain that the settlement will involve some sort of compromise that prevents O’Brien from immediately jumping to the competition. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will continue to air at 12:30 p.m. “The whole point of a settlement is to negotiate a way out — a way that Conan can, over time, still perform and earn his living — and NBC is comfortable with the decision they are making,” the source said. “Its all part of a negotiation.”
Though public perception is strong that NBC treated O’Brien unfairly by demanding that he retreat to the 12:05 p.m. timeslot to accommodate The Jay Leno Show at 11:35 p.m., the source stressed that NBC “always has the right to cancel, always has the right to fire” someone based on performance. The source added that there are no timeslot restrictions in O’Brien’s contract, so the network was within its right to move The Tonight Show (even though it has never aired at 12:05 a.m. in the show’s 55-year history). The source also added that a heavily-reported clause in O’Brien’s contract that guaranteed him a hefty payout of $40 million or more if he wasn’t given The Tonight Show was not applicable here.

The source acknowledged that both sides have consulted with Universal Studios President/COO Ron Meyer for assistance in the talks.
NBC’s handling of O’Brien has been harshly denounced by fans and the nation’s TV critics, which has culminated with multiple online campaigns that call for NBC to keep the redhead. The source said that NBC wasn’t troubled by the attacks as much as they were by O’Brien’s jokes regarding Jay Leno (sample yuk from Jan. 13: “You can do anything you want in life, unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too.”) Says the source, “It’s completely wrong, uncalled for, and I don’t quite know where it’s coming from.”

Juan

01-14-2010, 10:00 PM

The source said that NBC wasn’t troubled by the attacks as much as they were by O’Brien’s jokes regarding Jay Leno (sample yuk from Jan. 13: “You can do anything you want in life, unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too.”) Says the source, “It’s completely wrong, uncalled for, and I don’t quite know where it’s coming from.”

Really?? You really don't know where it's coming from??

Droford

01-14-2010, 10:16 PM

Wow. Apparently Jeff Zucker is threatening to keep Conan off the air all together for the next 3.5 years until his contract runs out.

What a fucking narcissistic asshole

would that preclude him from writing stuff or is that included too?

What Would Kevin Do?

01-14-2010, 10:18 PM

would that preclude him from writing stuff or is that included too?

It depends what his contract covers. Basically, if NBC ices him for 3.5 years, Conan would be bound by his contract.

Jeritron

01-15-2010, 12:35 AM

It would suck if he got blocked from working elsewhere. It's just entirely unfair that they can bump him off the air for Leno to take his spot back, send him packing, and not even have to worry about him going to Fox.
But contracts are contracts so we'll see how that all works. NBC sucks for this already, but if this whole thing causes there to be no Conan on TV for any lengthy period of time, I'm going to be really pissed

What Would Kevin Do?

01-15-2010, 12:47 AM

For the record, NBC isn't bumping Conan off the air... Conan did decide not to go to 12:05.

Jeritron

01-15-2010, 12:56 AM

Yea but they're still responsible. They bumped him off of his timeslot, but it's also a calculate move and a slap in the face. True, Conan doesn't have to leave, but he has some pride.

Dragon

01-15-2010, 03:12 AM

http://tv.gawker.com/5448615/

Jimmy Kimmel on the Jay Leno Show. Pretty great.

Juan

01-15-2010, 03:22 AM

I saw that earlier on TV. Probably the funniest thing on the Jay Leno Show since its inception.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 04:58 AM

I always liked Jimmy Kimmel -- but now I love him.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 05:04 AM

FearedSanctity

01-15-2010, 07:58 AM

http://tv.gawker.com/5448615/

Jimmy Kimmel on the Jay Leno Show. Pretty great.

Fucking OUCH. Can't believe anyone at NBC thought interviewing him on Leno's show would be a good idea. It's not like he was pro-Leno or neutral in the days before. Putting pretty much anyone pro-Conan on his show from now on will be a mistake, especially if they have even half the balls Kimmel has

GoneFishing

01-15-2010, 08:36 AM

Lately, some of Leno's seagments are so uneventful that it seems like a talkshow, rather than a comedy.

Conan and Fallon are good.

Steven Colbert = greatness

What Would Kevin Do?

01-15-2010, 10:29 AM

Yeah, I seriously have a new respect for Kimmel.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 11:07 AM

You gotta love how Kimmel invited Leno into his yard, and Leno declined. That is pretty much Leno admitting he can't go blow-for-blow with Kimmel, who was owning Leno that entire segment. I don't know why the powers that be allowed that to happen, but whoever it was does not have a good sense of Leno's abilities.

Leno's status might be good for immediate ratings, or whatever. I think a lot of that is routine, a fanbase that Leno had established over 17 years, and a myriad of other reasons -- but Leno is taking so many hits in this war. On his own show, too. There is a good chance he will come out of this looking like complete crap, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Sequel might really suffer because of it. Then they are stuck with Leno, because Fallon is nowhere near ready, and they chased off their heir in Conan.

Savio

01-15-2010, 11:36 AM

They still have Carson Daly! lol

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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4dHkvZb34VA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></object>

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 11:41 AM

I actually have no idea what Carson Daly even looks like. Truthfully, is he any good? He didn't get Conan's Late Night spot, so it makes you wonder...

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 01:09 PM

Carson Daly is bad. But since they reformatted his show he seems much more comfortable.

Buzzkill

01-15-2010, 02:11 PM

Yeah he is really bad but you can tell that he is well aware of how shitty the show is, which gives it a bit of charm in my books

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 03:13 PM

This is the mindset of a Jay Leno fan:

I have looked all over the site for a place to submit funny headlines that we find to you. I didn't have much time, so perhaps I just missed it. Maybe someone could create a "submit ideas here" hot button?

Anywho, I was online reading news yesterday when I saw this...

Publicist: Jude Law to be a father; mother unknown

It struck me funny, as usually it's the mother who's known and the father there is some doubt about.

Serious story and can be found at :
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-0...by_N.htm?csp=34 (http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2009-07-30-law-baby_N.htm?csp=34)

Looking forward to the new show!! Best of luck to you and your staff!

Kimberly

http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=829299&st=0&start=0

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 03:18 PM

This guy must think he is responsible for Jay's tenure at The Tonight Show. Hopefully he has killed himself now that The Jay Leno show is being canceled:

Dear Jay,

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck.

I'm not sure if you remember or ever got my letter when you first started hosting The Tonight Show, and you took a trip to New York to compete with David Letterman, who was leading. I wrote you a detailed plan where you should celebrate your stand-up background and Hollywood glamor, and even though your New York trip got good ratings, it was overall the wrong direction.

At some point you created the movable tongue that stretched out from the stage, brought in chairs to make the set look more like a stand-up club, brought in Hollywood power players, and you made The Tonight Show your own. Someone either had the same general idea that I did, or my comments hit home with someone, and you went with it, and you went on to do it spectacularly.

As you begin your new show at 10 pm, my only big piece of advice is to really think about the title of the show - "The Jay Leno Show". It's not do-all-the-same-things-that-worked-before show; it's a show that showcases you. You believe in hard work. You love cars. You love your wife. You like and think people are funny. You think real life is often funnier than fiction. These are great things.

On the Show Premiere and in the following episodes, my humble advice is as follows:

1. On the first night, after the monologue, talk directly into the camera to the people and tell them how you feel about the new show and this opportunity from the heart, before continuing with the show.

2. Do an expensive (where every dollar looks like it is on the screen) and extremely funny set piece that demonstrates your hard work and that you are raising the bar for yourself and the show.

3. In executive producing each show, think of each show like you are driving a great car on a great drive, where you can feel the road, hear the engine, wind blowing through your hair with the music cranked up. I bet you have many different favorite drives in your favorite cars and motorcycles. Recreate the pacing for the show from each of your favorite drives. It'll a feel right.

4. Have a regular set-piece that is inspired by your wife. It will be funny and help you with the female audience.

5. Find great and funny regular people that have amazing personalities or do amazing things to mix in with the celebrities on a regular basis.

6. Report wacky but true news with field correspondents (not like Jon Stewart) but more local interest humorous stories.

7. Avoid the Saturday Night Live problem - where it starts off funny and by the end, you can't believe have fast it got unfunny. Have at least three great set pieces - a fantastic beginning, spectacular middle and a showstopping end. Since you are at the 10 pm to 11 pm time slot, you need to be a good lead in and more viewers will watch to the end of the show.

Well, I think I've written enough. Take care and again, best of luck.

Sincerely,
Dennis Chiu

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 03:21 PM

This woman's son's childhood idol is Jay Leno. That should be reason enough to cancel his show. Also she doesn't know the difference between "irony" and "apt".

Dear Jay, 

I am posting this photo of my son, Zach Rice (http://www.zacharyalexanderrice.com/), with YOU at the recent Burbank Car show.

He is a busy little actor...and you are his IDOL...you were VERY KIND AND PATIENT with him. He has not stopped talking about that day...I am sure that you didn't know how much a few kind words would do to make a little boy happy...but...I guess...Now you know!!

Ironically...He was chosen to be FEATURED in one of your upcoming show skits for The Jay Leno Show...How ironic! http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif

Our whole family has always been your fans...but...after your kindness to our "boy" ...We will be supporting you and cheering you on for ETERNITY!

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!! http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/style_emoticons/default/wub.gif

McKenzie (Zach's Mommy) and all of the Rice Family!!

http://www.zacharyalexanderrice.com/ZACH_PHOTO_GALLERY/IMAG034A.JPG

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 03:25 PM

Let's get Jay Leno off the air so these people just worry about watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns at 11:35 and that will be that.

DaveBrawl

01-15-2010, 03:31 PM

He looks so creepy in that picture.

#1-norm-fan

01-15-2010, 03:47 PM

lol. Jimmy Kimmel is awesome. That was an uncomfortable interview to watch.

#1-norm-fan

01-15-2010, 04:13 PM

http://tv.gawker.com/5448615/

George Lopez did a bit on the whole ordeal on his talk show. Watching it reminds me that there are worse options than Leno. Lopez seriously makes Leno look like the comedic genius of our generation. God, is he ever awful. I mean AWFUL. I don't mean awful actually... I mean something miles past awful. My God. Really. Fuck.

Buzzkill

01-15-2010, 05:49 PM

Let's get Jay Leno off the air so these people just worry about watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns at 11:35 and that will be that.
lol I sort of like everybody loves raymond :(

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 07:11 PM

Jay Leno fans make me want to rip my face off. Why the fuck did that woman put "boy" in quotation marks? Is her child already a transvestite after suffering through his first meeting with Leno?

Here are some comments from NBC President Dick Ebersol:

NBC chairman Dick Ebersol says Conan O'Brien has nobody to blame but himself for getting the boot from The Tonight Show and called Conan and David Letterman's decision to take shots at Jay Leno "chicken-hearted and gutless" since neither can beat Leno in the ratings.

Ebersol went on to say that "what this is really all about is an astounding failure by Conan," says Conan refused to take advice on how to increase his ratings. Ebersol met with Conan three weeks before the changes were announced, urging Conan to adopt changes that both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno had adopted to increase ratings in central time zones like Chicago and Des Moines.

"I like Conan enormously personally," Mr. Ebersol said. "He was just stubborn about not being willing to broaden the appeal of his show." He added that NBC
"bet on the wrong guy."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seems like an exaggerated story to me. Conan changed a lot when he went to The Tonight Show. You can tell he took a chill pill, and for the first few weeks decided to play the "I'm gonna be a normal talk show host with elements of my personality" game. It didn't really work out, and ratings dropped. He then started to go back to his real persona, although you can tell by the way he's presented himself since this whole story broke, that he has tried to jump through a few hoops for NBC.

I remember when Conan took some time out after Johnny Carson's passing, to comment on advice Carson gave him when he first got the Late Night gig. He apparently told Conan to "always be himself." Conan has been himself for the past 17 years, and only now do NBC want him to change? Why give him the show in the first place? They stood by the offer for five years, and only decided to revoke it now, 7 months into his stint?

Leno also took two years to beat Letterman, and NBC threatened him with the same shit, until Leno managed to turn things around. They expected Conan to beat Letterman right away? Especially with Letterman getting some attention with his scandal? NBC put Conan on a pedestal, and haven't given him the chance to really earn a Tonight Show audience yet. He really only has his Late Night crowd following him still.

I hope Leno backfires on them big-time. The dude's not funny. Kimmel owned him on his own show. You don't get schooled on your own show unless you are an overrated hack. Leno was in the slot for 17 years, I bet he did do better than Conan in the ratings, initially.

thedamndest

01-15-2010, 08:07 PM

I'm not even sure going to Fox will be a great move for Conan. Everyone says now that NBC is so wretched and once Conan goes to Fox he will destroy Jay in the ratings. That isn't happening. More likely, Conan goes to Fox and ends up in a distant third because Fox has no evening programming. Jay gets back on top because he has a solid 5-night NBC line up again. Dave takes second place because the people who were just watching Dave because there is no more Jay can now watch Jay again.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 08:53 PM

Sadly, I think you may be right, theddy. But, it should be noted that Leno is losing viewers during this whole mess, while Conan is gaining them. Momentum is definitely on Conan's side right now. He's on "the right side of history." I still feel that NBC should tell Leno to fuck-off, and let Conan and Letterman compete against each other. Right now, I don't think Leno has got the good will to follow through on any threats and head to another network. NBC is obviously thinking about the ratings, but by not taking their shit, Conan and the rest of the media have essentially damaged Leno's marketability. Leno would only be the "late night savior" to NBC, and not too many others.

I can't see NBC backing down on sheer principle, though.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 09:39 PM

I'm reading up on the whole ratings thing now. Leno's run in prime time has essentially been credited with a weaker lead in for NBC's news broadcasts, which has in turn lead to a weaker lead-in for Conan. Is it too much for me to credit this to a genius (from a business, if not comedic perspective) plan on Leno's part?

If Jay Leno's prime time show was a success, then he would be laughing. The audience for prime time is about 40% larger than late night, so he would logically stand to make a lot more money through affiliates and such. Leno laughs all the way to the bank as he "moves on" from The Tonight Show, and becomes even more of a star over time. But if Leno falls flat on his face, then it creates that domino effect which pushes extra pressure on the news and Conan (who Leno very well knows is an acquired taste). Letterman beats Conan for a little while, and Leno can leverage his way back to The Tonight Show, where he did well.

I might be giving Leno too much credit here -- but it's obvious the guy did not want to bow-out. He obviously loves the spotlight, because God knows he has enough money after doing The Tonight Show for almost two decades.

UPDATE: Apparently Conan O'Brien's numbers continue to rise and rise while Leno's continue to fall and fall. Apparently O'Brien beat Leno by a 27% margin, even with Leno's prime-time slot. While this is almost certainly due to the media attention this war has been getting, the public consensus seems to be fairly one-sided: Conan = Good; Leno = Hitler. O'Brien's ratings are unlikely to stay as they are; but Conan being the acquired taste that he is, and being the loose cannon that he currently is, could make some permanent fans during this period. Also, if what the affiliates want are ratings, Conan is engulfing Leno's audience right now. Even if they say that Conan's "pre-hoopla" ratings weren't impressive, Conan still has the sympathy of his side of never really being given the chance Leno got in the timeslot, when Letterman was kicking his ass for two years.

Am I naive in thinking there is hope that NBC "lets the baby have his candy?"

Emperor Smeat

01-15-2010, 10:16 PM

NBC is being too foolish with the whole mess they did. Leno might have his loyal viewers but that is because they have been with him for past 17 years for the 11:30 time frame. If Leno was great then he should have in theory kept the majority of his viewers since most would be able to watch his show earlier instead of having to go to bed for work or school. Instead most of his "loyal viewers" dropped watching him at 10pm.

Meanwhile Conan was in the process of building up his viewership for the long run (maybe takes 1-2 years without interruption) so for NBC to negotiate with Leno without Conan would have hurt the long term ratings buildup NBC is going to need. If Conan leaves and Fallon is the new #2 guy, NBC is going to fail big time if Fallon is set to be their #1 guy in a few years.

Fallon needs to build up his late late night viewers which takes a few years and then build up his late night viewers which takes another few years before he can even think of being ready for post-news show. It also gives Fallon time similar to what Conan needed to find his "gig" to make him unique and funny for the show.

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 11:08 PM

I agree with you, SM. I cannot think of a logical reason that Leno's ratings are not stronger if he moved to an earlier slot where more people would theoretically be able to watch him -- they just choose not to.

What really surprises me is that Leno's ratings have dropped through this ordeal. With all the noise about their shows, you would expect people to check out Leno, and give him a try, and see what he's bringing to the table. I may not be an expert on ratings, but Leno's ratings dropping right now cannot be a good sign, surely?

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 11:13 PM

The latest is that NBC has apparently offered Conan a $30 million dollar buyout. They apparently had an "all-nighter" arguing over whether or not NBC breached Conan's contract. If they did, I hope Conan takes them to the bank. If not, Conan's momentum has got NBC on the ropes if they are willing to pay him to keep him quiet.

It looks like this is about to finish up. It's sad that Leno gets The Tonight Show, but Conan can always say that he lived his dream. I'd love it if Conan went to FOX, and then started kicking Leno's ass. I'm not saying it will happen, but it'd just be justice. I can see NBC begging for Conan to return in the future.

CSL

01-15-2010, 11:35 PM

You americans have far too many talk shows

Mr. Nerfect

01-15-2010, 11:59 PM

You americans have far too many talk shows

Far too few good ones.

Skippord

01-16-2010, 02:30 AM

You americans have far too many talk shows
also too many reality shows

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 02:32 AM

They should make a reality talk show.

Zeeboe

01-16-2010, 09:08 AM

You guys ever see that 90's HBO original movie called "The Late Shift"? It was all about the Leno/Letterman drama. They're going to have to make "The Late Shift II" now.

Anyhow, I remember back in 2004 when Jay announced on his show that in five years, he was going to pass the torch to Conan, and that one of the reasons why he was doing it was because he remembered all the issues he had with Letterman, and he wanted to avoid that with Conan.

.....Now he's getting the same amount of heat all over again. It's sad because Jay does seem like overall that he's a generally nice guy, and a victim of circumstances.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:33 AM

I caught a little bit of The Late Shift once, but I was not as fascinated by the television industry as a whole as I am now. I'd love to go back and watch it. Conan O'Brien could probably play himself, since he may not be working on an actual talk show for a while.

I wonder just how much Jay has to do with it, though. I mean, didn't he threaten to jump to another network and compete if he didn't get his prime-time show, even though it was a ridiculous idea (that failed and apparently cost a news programs a 40-50% weaker lead-in in some markets)? If Jay really wanted to pass the torch to Conan, he would have left NBC last year. Leno wanted to stick around, and that congestion has really added to this mess.

FearedSanctity

01-16-2010, 09:39 AM

Conan O'Brien Strikes Departure Deal with NBC (http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/16/conan-obrien-jay-leno-the-tonight-show-nbc-announcement-settlement/)

Posted Jan 16th 2010 12:45AM by TMZ Staff (http://www.tmz.com/bloggers/tmz-staff/)
Conan O'Brien and NBC have reached a settlement in principle and the big announcement is expected Saturday, sources tell TMZ.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2010/01/0112_conan_leno_ex.jpg

We're told NBC has already given Conan's lawyers a draft of the agreement and his hired guns were going over it Friday night. The deal should be finalized Saturday.

Once the deal gets inked, NBC will announce Conan is leaving the network. The network will also announce what we first reported -- that Jay Leno will get the full hour from 11:35 PM to 12:35 AM and it will be called "The Tonight Show" -- just like old times.

Stay tuned

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/#ixzz0cmoRJszz

Zeeboe

01-16-2010, 09:40 AM

It's not exactly Jay's fault. Conan is the one who failed to bring in ratings. NBC is just trying to cover their asses.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:42 AM

Gross. I hope this backfires on NBC. I really do.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:45 AM

It's not exactly Jay's fault. Conan is the one who failed to bring in ratings. NBC is just trying to cover their asses.

The lead-in Leno provided has been really, really weak, though. I'm sure that is not the only reason for Conan's low ratings, don't get me wrong. But Leno isn't some magnificent saviour for NBC. During this whole debacle, his audience has actually dropped. People aren't even watching Leno for the car-crash television. Maybe when he goes later, his ratings will go back to once they once were. I hope the damage has been done to Leno, however.

FearedSanctity

01-16-2010, 09:45 AM

If he still is able to do the show until Friday and gets a deal with another network before then, I'd love to see what he has to say on the show all week

FearedSanctity

01-16-2010, 09:46 AM

The lead-in Leno provided has been really, really weak, though.

I believe his ratings we're one of if not THE lowest in his time slot.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:48 AM

I don't think we'll be seeing a conformist Conan. He tried to placate NBC when he first started, but I think we'll continue seeing the unleashed Conan we have seen this past week. I hope his ratings keep growing and growing, as well. Just for Conan's own bragging rights.

I also hope to see the return of The Masturbating Bear. Why the hell not?

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:52 AM

I believe his ratings we're one of if not THE lowest in his time slot.

Apparently he was costing stations something like $500,000 a week. They needed to get rid of Leno from that slot. They also don't want him competing. It was inevitable something like this would happen, I guess.

Part of me wishes that Conan would stay on with NBC, take the hit and go back half-an-hour, and then compete with Leno from within. He already has the good will, and Leno's show will be horrible, especially with only 30 minutes to work with. Eventually Conan would have taken The Tonight Show back to 11.35. The man sticks to his principles, though. I've got a feeling that Leno/Fallon are going to have a hard time taking down Letterman/Ferguson right now, though.

FearedSanctity

01-16-2010, 09:58 AM

He'll do fine at FOX if that's where he goes. They obviously allow riskier stuff than NBC ever would so we hopefully will see the return of many of Conan's trademarks. Here's hoping for the best for the guy, incredibly shitty situation to be thrown into, especially after achieving what was a dream of his only a short while ago

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 10:02 AM

Conan seems like a pretty optimistic guy, though. I mean, I think even he would have laughed at you if you had told him he was actually going to host The Tonight Show back even 18 years ago. He's achieved his dream, and now he gets to go forward and create his own late night staple. Rather than following someone's format, and trying to please a network looking for "someone's replacement," he will hopefully get the opportunity to break new ground.

Zeeboe

01-16-2010, 11:03 AM

The lead-in Leno provided has been really, really weak, though. I'm sure that is not the only reason for Conan's low ratings, don't get me wrong. But Leno isn't some magnificent saviour for NBC. During this whole debacle, his audience has actually dropped. People aren't even watching Leno for the car-crash television. Maybe when he goes later, his ratings will go back to once they once were. I hope the damage has been done to Leno, however.

Well, maybe people's schedules somehow conflicted, and perhaps they also wanted more then just half an hour. All I do know is Jay has saved the network before, and in my view, he is not the guilty one, and has became the scrapegoat of all this.

I think he'll save the day again. Jay is better at what he does then some people give him credit for. That's why he beat out Letterman in 92', and why he is going back to hosting the show again.

They should have just let Conan go in 2004, and let Leno remain the host. I'm sure that is what they are wishing they had done now.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 12:48 PM

Especially since this whole mess has made Conan a bigger star than he ever was prior to it.

Nark Order

01-16-2010, 12:58 PM

http://17.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvyrv0wT0A1qzgcpyo1_400.jpg

Buzzkill

01-16-2010, 01:10 PM

They should make a reality talk show.
Snooki should helm Meet the Press

Xero

01-16-2010, 01:14 PM

thedamndest

01-16-2010, 01:21 PM

It's true that they're fucked, but I don't blame Conan for it. If Conan had gone on at 12:05 there is no guarantee that it would have helped the ratings, or that this wouldn't become an issue six months down the line. It's hard to say what would have happened. They have regular show lead ins, but then they have the condensed Jay Leno Show up against Letterman. That seems like it would have been a bad strategy too.

Requiem

01-16-2010, 01:41 PM

It's not exactly Jay's fault. Conan is the one who failed to bring in ratings. NBC is just trying to cover their asses.

Except NBC gave Leno 2 YEARS to bring his ratings up to compete with Letterman, and they only gave Conan 8 months before giving him the boot. Which is why everyone is like "Uh.. he didn't even get a chance to build an audience or anything.."

And then like others have said, the lead-in to his show was pretty bad because of Leno, and it didn't set him up for a very big audience to begin with.

Requiem

01-16-2010, 01:43 PM

Also. Leno is not funny.

DrA

01-16-2010, 02:16 PM

I don't think Leno is bad. The thing about the show though is that it is pretty much the same thing over and over and over again. With Conan his ad libs usually give each show a fresh feel sort of. It was fine the way it was with Leno and then Conan. Now it is fucking Jay Leno/Jimmy Fallon/Carson Daly.

LoDownM

01-16-2010, 02:22 PM

Yup, looks like the only thing I'm watching NBC for is The Olympics, Penguins games and the Stanley Cup finals from now on.

DrA

01-16-2010, 02:28 PM

Zeeboe

01-16-2010, 03:11 PM

Jay Leno finally lets David Letterman have it!

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:lol: Exactly. Who is Letterman to be judging anyone?

Top ten reasons it sucks to be David Letterman:

10) In a few years his “baby momma” is going to leave and take half his stuff.

9) 30-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, kind of cute; 60-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, just creepy!

8) Held onto double-breasted suit look longer than Billy Ray Cyrus had his mullet.

7) Amount of Botox needed to smooth out face would kill a humpback whale.

6) Wanted to be racecar driver but couldn’t find crash helmet big enough to cover ego.

5) By the time his son graduates from college he’ll be dead.

4) Once his stalker got to know him she started following Leno around.

3) Has lower ratings than Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly.

2) Got passed over for Leno, O’Brien, Fallon, Kimmel, Ferguson, and Kilborn.

1) Three words, “You’re on CBS.”

Credit goes to http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeffrey-jena/2009/06/15/top-ten-reasons-it-sucks-be-david-letterman

Innovator

01-16-2010, 03:14 PM

Nbc affiliates were threatening to drop leno because of how shitty he was at 10

LoDownM

01-16-2010, 06:56 PM

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:08 PM

The worst part about this is that the crew and everyone who moved to Cali are now completely fucked because of Conan, not NBC, unless he requires them to come with them, which I doubt will happen (outside of Andy and the band).

Conan's only thinking for himself here.

So is Leno, but the Conan sheep will try to refute what I just said up and down.

Conan loves his staff. It's why he moved them from New York to Los Angeles in the first place. Those close to him were saying that his primary concern during the negotiations was either making sure NBC would take care of his staff, or enable him to.

I'm fairly certain his writing staff, graphics department, wardrobe and such will jump with Conan to wherever he goes. Conan's writers have appeared in sketches since the debacle went down, which imply their support for Conan. It's good you're thinking of the smaller guys; but many have beat you to it.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 09:09 PM

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 10:07 PM

Okay, Xero, I owe you an apology. I just read this:

Conan O'Brien isn't the only person affected by NBC's decisions. Sources are saying that his staff on The Tonight Show are all livid and feel "betrayed" because Conan did not accept NBC's offer to move the show to 12:05AM, thus costing everyone their job.

"They all uprooted their lives and their families' lives to move to LA for him, and now they feel like they have simply been forgotten," said the source.

"There are 200 people losing their jobs while he walks off with a payoff worth $30 million. The mood on set and backstage is dismal."

The show's producers have said that there's been "no discussion over severance," while Conan is telling his staffers he "simply doesn't know what will happen."

Many of the staff moved to LA to work on the show when Conan took over.

Sounds like there are stresses. I trust that Conan will do his best to either take them with him, or make sure they get some sort of payment. Part of me is wishing that Conan would have eventually accepted the move back. He could have looked at himself as the first man to have done it, and then he could have moved back when Leno fell flat on his ass. But Conan is a smart guy -- he knows that if he fucks over his staff (which is not in the man's character, anyhow), he will lose A LOT of the good-will he has built-up over this situation.

Mr. Nerfect

01-16-2010, 10:28 PM

Another interesting article relating to this split:

The Masturbating Bear is dead.

As a deal nears for Conan O'Brien's exit from NBC, one thing is certain: the characters and recurring comedy bits O'Brien originated during his 16-plus years on "Late Night" and "The Tonight Show" will not follow the host when he leaves NBC.

The Peacock owns the intellectual property behind such popular O'Brien characters as Pimpbot 5000 and Conando, as well as recurring segments such as In the Year 3000 and Desk Driving. Sources involved in the settlement negotiations say NBC is keeping the copyrighted and trademarked elements of O'Brien's shows as part of the deal. That means the bits and characters will likely never be seen after O'Brien's "Tonight" ends its run Jan 22. ‬

While the vast majority of the characters O'Brien introduced are said to owned by NBC, it's unclear who controls Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the crass canine puppet that is perhaps O'Brien's most popular recurring bit. Triumph was originated by writer and longtime O'Brien pal Robert Smigel, whose reps declined to comment on whether Smigel or NBC owned rights to the character.

In 1993, David Letterman got into a dustup with NBC when he departed "Late Night" for CBS's "Late Show." NBC attorneys attempted to prevent Letterman from taking intellectual property originated on "Late Night" to the comic's new home. Letterman responded by dropping certain bits and renaming other recurring segments--"Viewer Mail" became "CBS Mailbag" and frequent guest Larry "Bud" Melman began referring to himself by his real name, Calvert DeForest. Letterman mocked the dispute on his first "Late Show" when NBC anchor Tom Brokaw interrupted the monologue and stole cue cards in the name of securing NBC's intellectual property.

O'Brien, if he lands at another late-night show, might be in a tougher spot. Unlike comic personalities Letterman and Jay Leno, O'Brien began his career as a writer on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons," and his shows relied more heavily on the cleverly scripted bits and outrageous characters.
Losing those assets could hurt O'Brien as he looks for another home, although his "Tonight" had featured fewer of the characters than "Late Night" and the host--who is considered one of the top comedy writers in the business--may be looking for a fresh start. Sources close to him said he was not interested in taking his NBC characters with him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that just sucks. They are bits designed by Conan and his writing team for his sense of humour. Keeping them is just a big "fuck you" to Conan and to Letterman, when they pulled it with him. I guess it's smart business -- making Conan work overtime, but it's kind of sad we will never see them again.

Xero

01-16-2010, 10:33 PM

The Jack-off Panda.

Emperor Smeat

01-16-2010, 10:44 PM

So does this mean Andy Richter belongs to NBC as well since he was a "character" on the show?

DAMN iNATOR

01-16-2010, 10:51 PM

Jay Leno finally lets David Letterman have it!

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:lol: Exactly. Who is Letterman to be judging anyone?

Top ten reasons it sucks to be David Letterman:

10) In a few years his “baby momma” is going to leave and take half his stuff.

9) 30-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, kind of cute; 60-year-old Alfred E. Newman look-a-like, just creepy!

8) Held onto double-breasted suit look longer than Billy Ray Cyrus had his mullet.

7) Amount of Botox needed to smooth out face would kill a humpback whale.

6) Wanted to be racecar driver but couldn’t find crash helmet big enough to cover ego.

5) By the time his son graduates from college he’ll be dead.

4) Once his stalker got to know him she started following Leno around.

3) Has lower ratings than Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly.

2) Got passed over for Leno, O’Brien, Fallon, Kimmel, Ferguson, and Kilborn.

1) Three words, “You’re on CBS.”

Credit goes to http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeffrey-jena/2009/06/15/top-ten-reasons-it-sucks-be-david-letterman

Pssh, sticks and stones, my friend. NBC's just bitter because Letterman left for a REAL network, CBS in '93. I can't say I blame him after the way he was treated for 13 years at NBC.

DaveWadding

01-16-2010, 11:40 PM

The Jack-off Panda.

Carrotwaxer the Rabbit

Xero

01-17-2010, 12:06 AM

Big Black Guy Rubbing His Peacock

Mr. Nerfect

01-17-2010, 12:53 AM

The Time-Killing Large Land Mammal.

This could actually help Conan. His charm is a perfect match for a guy trying to work his way around copyright issues.

Jura

01-17-2010, 02:24 AM

Ratings rise for O'Brien as nasty NBC exit nears

 http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100116/capt.be9406f4813444cc9fc230d169559646.tv_conan_leno_nyet248.jpg?x=213&y=142&xc=1&yc=1&wc=410&hc=273&q=85&sig=GeDhwGXtYEHQNR85kCheiA-- (http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/The-Tonight-Show-Conan-O27Brien/photo//100116/482/be9406f4813444cc9fc230d169559646//s:/ap/20100117/ap_en_tv/us_tv_conan_leno)<cite class="caption"></cite>


 <cite class="vcard"> By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer David Bauder, Ap Television Writer </cite> – <abbr title="2010-01-16T17:43:04-0800" class="timedate">Sat Jan 16, 8:43 pm ET</abbr>

 PASADENA, Calif. – Conan O'Brien's ratings are soaring as he nears a bitter exit from NBC's "Tonight" show, his ridicule of his network executives apparently resonating in a country filled with the unemployed.

His ratings Friday were 50 percent higher than they've been this season, and he beat CBS' David Letterman, according to a preliminary Nielsen Co. estimate based on large markets. In the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that NBC relies on to set advertising prices, O'Brien even beat Jay Leno's prime-time show.

Settlement talks continued Saturday on a deal that would let O'Brien leave NBC and restore Leno to the 11:35 p.m. time slot he occupied for 17 years through last spring.

O'Brien's ratings have been rising through the week, which was an extraordinary one in late-night television and saw O'Brien and Letterman hurling barbed remarks at Leno, and Leno firing back.

O'Brien's team sees the ratings as vindication. His manager, Gavin Polone, on Saturday compared it to when Leno, trailing Letterman in the ratings in the mid-1990s, drew attention for the memorable appearance of Hugh Grant after his arrest. Leno passed Letterman in popularity and never looked back.

"People who never watched Conan before are saying, `I'll try it,'" Polone said. "Now they're saying, `this is good, I'll stick with it.'"

It's doubtful they'll get the chance. O'Brien sounded halfway out the door on Friday's show, an exit prompted by his refusal to move his show to 12:05 a.m. at NBC's request. "By the time you see this, I'll be halfway to Rio in an NBC traffic helicopter," he said in his monologue.

He aired a skit where he was assaulted by gunfire after pulling his car into the studio parking lot. He also is showing "greatest hits" of his seven-month tenure.

The audience's energy level noticeably went down when he joked about topics other than himself. "I didn't love it either," he said as one joke fell flat. "At this point, I really don't care."

He laughed maniacally when telling the audience that NBC is expected to lose millions of dollars from its coverage of next month's Winter Olympics.
But he pulled back from jokes about Leno. On Friday, Jeff Gaspin, chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, had said the crossfire between hosts "has definitely crossed the line.

"Jay is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television," Gaspin said. "It's a shame that he's being pulled into this."
Leno took a retaliatory strike on CBS' Letterman on Friday.

"Even Dave Letterman is taking shots at me, which surprised me. Usually he's just taking shots at the interns," Leno said, a reference to the CBS host's admission last year that he had affairs with women who worked on his show.

Meanwhile, Polone denied a New York Post item Saturday, quoting an anonymous source, that said O'Brien's staff members are "furious" with O'Brien for negotiating an exit payment reportedly approaching $30 million while they are losing their jobs. Polone noted that O'Brien paid staff members himself during the Hollywood writers' strike, and was negotiating severance packages for his employees, many of whom moved from the New York area last year when O'Brien started on "Tonight."

Polone is also angry at NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, who told The New York Times this week that O'Brien was "an astounding failure" who had stubbornly resisted advice to broaden his show's appeal. O'Brien's people blame the show's ratings problems on the poor ratings of NBC's late local news and Leno's show before that.

Leno averaged 5.2 million viewers per night on his last season at the "Tonight" show, Nielsen said. O'Brien is averaging 2.5 million this season.
___
AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.

Mr. Nerfect

01-17-2010, 03:14 AM

So Conan today is still trailing Leno's stint on The Tonight Show. It should be taken into consideration that CoCo has a poorer lead-in, and that his ratings are apparently somewhere in the 3.0 range now, and that the 2.5 takes into consideration Conan's lower rated stint. I really, really wish he was staying. But his new show on FOX will probably be more exciting.

Droford

01-17-2010, 04:53 AM

Conan can go wherever he wants whenever apparently. My guess is FOX this fall though that will mean no more 11 pm Simpsons/Seinfeld or whatever other syndicated shows are on.

they should call it Later Tonight on FOX, instant plugs everytime they do "Later Tonight on FOX its ..." for other shows

FearedSanctity

01-17-2010, 06:11 PM

Conan O'Brien is going to bat for his staff in the ongoing negotiations with NBC. Countering a report by the New York Post that said that Conan's staff was angry with him for not taking care of them in this mess, reports say he is insisting that his staff be taken care of, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. When Conan took over The Tonight Show, many of his staffers switched coasts, and O'Brien is determined to include them in whatever settlement he ultimately agrees to. So much so in fact that Conan considers it a dealbreaker, sources say.

Credit: TV Guide (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Rep-Conan-Worried-1013763.aspx)

Jura

01-17-2010, 06:31 PM

That was basically already in my post.

FearedSanctity

01-17-2010, 06:32 PM

Mr. Nerfect

01-18-2010, 12:45 AM

Yeah, doesn't surprise me that Conan is going to bat for his staff. If I were NBC, I'd scrap Leno, because right now he is damaged goods, and let Conan go on for at least a little while. See how his ratings go for another season. This whole incident has caused so much good-will towards O'Brien, that I think he may have made some permanent fans.

Jura

01-18-2010, 07:57 AM

I like how his peers call him very intelligent and educated and even though he seems silly most of the time I think he did go to Harvard.

Mr. Nerfect

01-18-2010, 08:39 AM

The moment Conan starts talking about something seriously, you can tell what an intelligent, humble and kind man he really is. He's the offspring of a lawyer and a doctor; graduated high school valedictorian, and left Harvard as magna cum laudi in literature and history. Double-checking this on Wikipedia, I find that when he was serving the Harvard Lampoon as its president, the rival magazine, The Harvard Crimson, was being headed by current NBC President, and one of the main forces behind Conan's departure from NBC, Jeff Zucker.

Old grudge? :shifty:

FearedSanctity

01-18-2010, 09:11 AM

Read somewhere else that Zucker also had Conan arrested right in front of him because him and the guys at the Harvard Lampoon went around picking up copies of the Harvard Crimson. Also the Crimson posted up Zucker's number for some sort of sexual ad or something, don't remember exactly and too lazy to find it again.

So yeah, I'd say there's a pretty hardcore grudge there

Mr. Nerfect

01-18-2010, 09:52 AM

Hahahaha, that is an amazing "coincidence."

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 03:14 PM

Mr. Nerfect

01-18-2010, 05:33 PM

I think the reason why Letterman is pissed is because he is still bitter over losing The Tonight Show. He also knows when Jay comes back, he'll be bringing in the ratings again.

I think in due time, this will all just be a bad memory, but things will go back to the way they use to be. Jay will be making jokes about all this again one day when he finally retires, and another host takes over, but before then, people will forget all this hopefully. NBC wants $$$$, and ratings, and they want it now. They had no other choices back in the 90's when they gave Jay time to make the show a hit, but they had options this time, and waiting two years or more for Conan to get his act together is not doing smart business in my view.

Actually, they did have an option back in the 90's. They were reportedly considering replacing Leno with Letterman just a few months into Leno's stint. Letterman had received a $16 million offer from CBS, and NBC had to decide which horse they wanted to back. NBC eventually chose Leno, but Letterman kicked his ass for a good while. This only changed when Leno did something huge and had the interview with Hugh Grant.

Leno is no longer the brilliant strategist that he was. He got destroyed by Jimmy Kimmel on his own show. He has delusions about himself, as you can infer from his speech about "being no Carson" but then doing the opposite of what he said he would, anyway. Also, Leno has been able to build no momentum in this thing. His ratings are down which are not a good sign right now with all the attention floating around his name.

I'm sure Letterman is still bitter, but why shouldn't he be? He was Johnny Carson's picked replacement. He had served NBC for years before. He gave Leno the platform Leno needed to get himself out there a lot more than what he was. It's easy to perceive how Leno swooping in out of nowhere to take the show would infuriate Letterman.

Calamondin

01-18-2010, 05:42 PM

Leno isn't going to be some magical fix for NBC. I don't think he's going to be pulling in the same numbers he was last year, as he more competition and other issues when he goes back to 11:30.

George Lopez is pulling in decent numbers at 11, Jimmy Kimmel's ratings are increasing, and Jay isn't going to have a good prime time lead in for a while... not to mention he's come out looking like a bit of a douche.

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 06:08 PM

I think a lot of people never gave Leno a real chance, but once they saw him when Hugh Grant was on there, they realized Leno was funny.

In regards of Carson/Letterman - It was NBC's show, not Carson's, and NBC was, and still is trying to target the younger audience, and Jay brought in younger viewers at that time. I'm not sure if he is now, but back then, Jay was the guy younger people wanted to watch.

This is just an opinion, but Letterman has always had an old people vibe to his CBS show. I watch his show sometimes, and for years, I seriously feel like I'm back at my grandparent's house.

And with nothing but the highest respect to Johnny Carson, towards the end, his show was a Grandma and Grandpa show, which is why NBC kept hinting for him to retire.

I don't wanna come across as bias, but since I was a kid, I felt Jay's show had that young vibe to it. Maybe because the lighting on his show is darker, and it gives it a nightclub vibe to it, and even the colors are nightclubish colors. Whereas Letterman's lighting is all big and bright, like a bingo hall....

....Plus, Jay has Kevin and his mostly all black band, and black people (no matter how old they are) are rad. :y:

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 10:15 PM

Watching Leno as I type this. He is addressing this issue right now, and telling his entire side of the story. I hope it shows up on AOL news, You Tube, and everywhere else on the web so others can see.

Emperor Smeat

01-18-2010, 10:18 PM

I believe the person that might end up learning and benefiting the most from this whole debacle from NBC might be Fallon or whoever NBC sets as the #2 guy.

Once Leno decides to retire again, whoever is the #2 person probably wants to ironclad the Tonight Show contract to prevent Leno or NBC from going back on their promise/deal. Although if Leno was able to go back a 3rd time, it might end up killing the Tonight Show in the long term since nobody will want to work NBC if they are not guaranteed to develop their time on the Tonight Show.

thedamndest

01-18-2010, 10:18 PM

You can definitely trust Jay Leno's side.

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 10:24 PM

You can definitely trust Jay Leno's side.

He pretty much told the truth. In my view, when stuff like this happen, you need a scapegoat, and Leno was the perfect one since he is pretty much getting the gold. It's like people just wanna cheer, and feel bad for the ones who lose.

Juan

01-18-2010, 10:27 PM

None of this would have happened if Leno would have retired like he said he was going to.

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 10:40 PM

None of this would have happened if Leno would have retired like he said he was going to.

NBC wouldn't let him. He was under contract, and they would not let him go elsewhere. Plus, they felt he still brought in ratings, and thought he could help.

Juan

01-18-2010, 10:42 PM

Wasn't there talk of him going over to FOX or ABC? I don't think he was under contract

Zeeboe

01-18-2010, 10:46 PM

Wasn't there talk of him going over to FOX or ABC? I don't think he was under contract

He said on his show a while ago that he was under contract with NBC for like another year, and he was asked to stay. He agreed to help NBC, Conan, as well as all the people on his staff so they could stay employed.

He's also said he and Conan have spoken, and have no issues with one another.

Blitz

01-19-2010, 01:58 AM

Leno's take:

“I thought maybe I should address this — at least give you my view of what has been going on here at NBC. Oh, let’s start in 2004 — 2004, I’m sitting in my office, an NBC executive comes in and says to me, ‘Listen, Conan O’Brien has gotten offers from other networks. We don’t want him to go, so we’re going to give him The Tonight Show.’ I said, ‘Well, I’ve been No. 1 for 12 years.’ They said, ‘We know that, but we don’t think you can sustain that.’ I said, ‘Okay. How about until I fall to No. 2, then you fire me?’ ‘No, we made this decision.’ I said, ‘That’s fine.’ Don’t blame Conan O’Brien. Nice guy, good family guy, great guy. He and I have talked, and not a problem since then. That’s what managers and people do; they try to get something for their clients. I said, ‘I’ll retire, just to avoid what happened the last time.’ Okay.

“So time goes by, and we stay No. 1 up until the day we leave. We hand… [applause here] No, no. Okay, but I’m leaving before my contract is out. About six to eight months early. So before I could go anywhere else — I would be at least a year or 18 months before I could go and do a show somewhere else. I said to NBC, ‘Would you release me from my contract.’ They said, ‘We want to keep you here.’ Okay. What are your ideas? They said, ‘How about prime time?’ I said, ‘That will never work.’ ‘No, no, we want to put you on at 10:00. We have done focus groups. People will love you at 10:00. Look at these studies showing Jay’s chin at 10:00. People will go crazy.’ Didn’t seem like a good idea at the time. I said, ‘All right, can I keep my staff?’ There are 175 people that work here. I said, ‘Can I keep my staff?’ ‘Yes, you can. Let’s try it. We guarantee you two years on the air, guaranteed. Now for the first four or five months against original shows like CSI, you’ll get killed, but in the spring and summer when the reruns come, that’s when you’ll pick up.’ Okay, great. I agree to that.

“Four months go by; we don’t make it. Meanwhile, Conan’s show during the summer — we’re not on — was not doing well. The great hope was that we would help him. Well, we didn’t help him any, okay. They come and go, ‘This show isn’t working. We want to let you go.’ ‘Can you let me out of my contract?’ ‘No, you’re still a valuable asset to this company.’ ‘How valuable can I be? You fired me twice. How valuable can I be?’ Okay. So then, the affiliates are not happy. The affiliates are the ones that own the TV stations. They’re the ones that sort of make the decisions; they’re not happy with your performance and Conan is not doing well at 11:30. I said, ‘What’s your idea?’ They said, ‘Well, look, how about you do a half-hour show at 11:30?’ Now, where I come from, when your boss gives you a job and you don’t do it well… I think we did a good job here, but we didn’t’ get the ratings, so you get humbled. I said, ‘Okay, I’m not crazy about doing a half hour, but okay. What do you want to do with Conan?’ ‘We’ll put him on at midnight, or 12:05, keeps The Tonight Show, does all that, he gets the whole hour.’ I said, ‘Okay. You think Conan will go for that?’ ‘Yes, yes. [laughter from the audience] Almost guarantee you.’ I said okay. Shake hands, that’s it. I don’t have a manager, I don’t have an agent, that’s my handshake deal.

“Next thing I see, Conan has a story in the paper saying he doesn’t want to do that. They come back to me and they say, ‘If he decides to walk and doesn’t want to do it, do you want the show back?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I’ll take the show back. If that’s what he wants to do. This way, we keep our people working, fine.’ So that’s pretty much where we are. It looks like we might be back at 11:30; I’m not sure. I don’t know. [applause] I don’t know. But through all of this — through all of this, Conan O’Brien has been a gentleman. He’s a good guy. I have no animosity towards him. This is all business. If you don’t get the ratings, they take you off the air. I think you know this town, you can do almost anything. You get ratings, they keep you. I don’t get ratings; he wants. That was NBC’s solution. It didn’t work, so we might have an answer for you tomorrow. So, we’ll see. That’s basically where it is.”

Much as I think Leno is horrendously unfunny, I'm much more inclined to blame NBC for this fiasco than him, even before that statement.

Emperor Smeat

01-19-2010, 02:59 AM

NBC is completely lacking any long term thinking in this mess. They went with the cheap short-term route with Leno's new show and then panicked once their plan backfired with Letterman regaining #1 spot and Leno costing them money.

Instead of doing the logical thinking of fixing the show that is causing the problem and hope it acts like a trickle effect to the following shows, they decide to get rid of Conan's 11:30 time and hope things go back to the old way.

Zeeboe

01-19-2010, 09:07 AM

Tried to post the full clip from AOL, but nada, so here is the link that will take you to the clip.

http://www.popeater.com/2010/01/18/jay-leno-monologue-conan-obrien/?icid=main|htmlws-main-w|dl2|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2F2010%2F01%2F18%2Fjay-leno-monologue-conan-obrien%2F

LoDownM

01-19-2010, 07:19 PM

Leno should just tell NBC he's not going to do a 30 minute show or the Tonight Show.

Zeeboe

01-19-2010, 07:47 PM

Leno should just tell NBC he's not going to do a 30 minute show or the Tonight Show.

He's under contract. He pretty much has to do what they say, or he could get sued.

FearedSanctity

01-19-2010, 10:25 PM

Yeah, but before they were violating HIS contract with the move. If it bothered him so much he could've just said no, but instead he went and reworked his contract. Regardless, can't blame Leno for this, but he did have a choice

Nervous Ferret

01-20-2010, 12:14 AM

rofl @ NORM MACDONALD showing up on Conan tonight :D

Triple A

01-20-2010, 12:46 AM

whatm what happened

Nervous Ferret

01-20-2010, 01:51 AM

Dunno at the end of the monologue Conan was like "And I have just been told we have an old friend who will be dropping by in the next segment so stay tuned..." and I was like hmmm HOPE it is Norm MAcdonald

And then in the next segment NORM came out with a fruit basket. And he was like "oh well I uh got you this in June but forgot to bring it with me, so I figured I would drop it off now.."

And then he read the "card" attached to the gift basket and it was all hilarious stuff congratulating Conan on the show and how NBC was so smart for giving it to him and how we looked forward to seeing the show on forever and stuff. Dunno when Norm reads it all it is hilarious.

FearedSanctity

01-20-2010, 04:47 AM

Juan

01-20-2010, 07:08 AM

Mr. Nerfect

01-20-2010, 10:58 AM

NORM is hilarious. Conan has also been on fire since this whole thing started. When he's pissed off, he just goes all-out, and it's reminiscent of Late Night Conan (who was much more lively).

I'm still not inclined to completely take my suspicions off Jay Leno. While NBC are no doubt the biggest idiots in this mess, Leno's story is not really consistent. Everything I have seen has led me to believe that Leno did not really want to give up The Tonight Show when he did, and when 2009 did come along, he wasn't as passive about things as he makes out. Leno sort of gave NBC (whether he "threatened" them or not) an ultimatum -- I'm going to be working for you or I am going to be working elsewhere. NBC (perhaps foolishly) said "for us."

I mean, if Leno was still under contract, he would have still been getting paid, right? He wanted to be on the air. That's not a bad thing, per se, but it did put NBC in a bit of a panic. They knew he would be going elsewhere as soon as he could, and they didn't want the competition. Leno didn't want to sit-out of late night. That led to them trying him in prime time, and it didn't work. As a result, Conan is the one who got the shaft. Granted he didn't get the ratings, but it's easy to see why he didn't get the chance Leno did when he was getting killed by Letterman, and didn't have Carson still floating around.

Leno should have opened his mouth back in 2004. He should have said "no," and then NBC would have chosen right there and then between Leno and Conan. Leno jumped through certain hoops, and it made a huge mess. I guess he's only human. If one that knows how to play politics.

What's sad, is that Conan O'Brien has been quite dominant against both Leno and Letterman recently. Granted, it is because most people know that his show is ending. But they also know the same thing about Leno in prime time. Right now, Conan is the "hot" act in late night, and in seven months he's turned things around (for a time) on Letterman -- which is something Leno took years to do. Reports indicate a drastic growth for Conan's audience each night, too. It's not just one spike. If NBC plays this out a little longer, they could see how big they could get Conan and re-evaluate themselves. Releasing Conan while he is hot could also be a big mistake. Let the attention fade away, let his ratings drop again, and then Conan would be a "two-time failure." But right now, Conan would technically have to be considered the "King of Late Night."

They could give Jay Leno a show on Sunday in the meantime, or something. Not sure what NBC usually airs over there at that time, but over here, Rove McManus did quite well with a show that aired live on Sunday. People would actually really look forward to it as a way to relax before the coming week.

Mr. Nerfect

01-20-2010, 11:02 AM

This is from MTV. I'm not sure how reliable they are with their show-biz news:

Conan O'Brien and NBC were said to be close to a deal late last week to secure the host's exit from "The Tonight Show" after just seven months on the job, clearing the way for Jay Leno to return to the desk he occupied for 17 years.

Now it appears that those negotiations are bogged down over the issue of severance compensation for O'Brien's staff of nearly 200, many of whom moved from the East Coast to California when their boss took the "Tonight Show" gig.

Conan is "dug in on that," a source familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

Earlier reports have offered conflicting versions of what was going on backstage at "Tonight." The New York Post reported that staff was disgruntled over possibility losing their jobs while O'Brien walked away with millions in compensation. Conan's manager hit back against such accusations, telling TheWrap.com that the host was intent on securing adequate payment for his staff.

In response the latest leaks regarding negotiations, NBC shot off a statement to the AP. "[I]t was Conan's decision to leave NBC that resulted in nearly 200 of his staffers being out of work," the statement read. "We have already agreed to pay millions of dollars to compensate every one of them. This latest posturing is nothing more than a PR ploy."

It seems like relations are going to get even nastier between the network and their soon-to-be-jettisoned top dog. Speaking of which, negotiations are also focused on whether or not O'Brien will be able to maintain the intellectual property rights to comedy bits like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog that he created during his NBC tenure, according to the AP.

Thus far, the proposed deal between the two sides would reportedly pay O'Brien more than $30 million dollars and allow him to start work on another network at early as this fall. The deal, however, is said to prevent Conan from attacking NBC in his jokes if and when he pops up on another network, perhaps Fox, as has been rumored.

On Tuesday's show, though, Conan was still addressing the late-night debacle head on and even referencing the possibility of skipping over to the rival network when he ticked off a list of ways to keep himself occupied once he leaves his show. "Make a big move to Fox," he said. "Megan Fox."

Inadequacy

01-20-2010, 04:57 PM

Hopefully this will clear some things up

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Mr. Nerfect

01-20-2010, 04:59 PM

Apparently all that is now dividing the split between Conan and NBC is an additional $600,000 for his 200 staff. NBC is just going to lose that money elsewhere, I don't see why they don't just humour CoCo.

Nark Order

01-20-2010, 11:17 PM

I hate Jay Leno so I've decided that this is all his fault.

Buzzkill

01-21-2010, 12:08 AM

Innovator

01-21-2010, 12:21 AM

I marked for the EPIC return of the Masturbating Bear

What Would Kevin Do?

01-21-2010, 12:34 AM

That was great, but the 1.5 million dollar sketch was amazing.

Fignuts

01-21-2010, 12:44 AM

So fucking glad I don't watch late night. What a shitstorm.

IC Champion

01-21-2010, 03:57 AM

That was great, but the 1.5 million dollar sketch was amazing.

That was fuckign amazing and halarious.

Zeeboe

01-21-2010, 06:33 AM

Again, comedy is subjective. Leno's show was bringing in all the ratings before Conan took over so clearly a lot of people love Leno too. I was watching some of his show last night, and he took another shot at Letterman. Lucky for me, AOL News posted something about it, saving me the trouble of having to type it out:

"Letterman has been hammering me every night, going after me," Leno said during Wednesday's monologue. "Hey Kev," he added, turning to bandleader Kevin Eubanks, "you know the best way to get Letterman to ignore you?

"Marry him. He will not bother you. He won't look you in the eye...Here we go, get the ride going!"

Triple A

01-21-2010, 07:07 AM

The most popular things are the best things. It is simple logic.

Triple A

01-21-2010, 07:09 AM

I dunno if it has been posted (probably has) but I was reading some interview a few days ago where some dude from NBC called Conan a "failure" and said that Conan refused to listen to any advice from NBC about how to make the show appeal more to middle America.

Horrible

FearedSanctity

01-21-2010, 08:45 AM

The $1.5million bit: http://videos.mediaite.com/video/Conan-OBrien-The-Most-Expensive

Big Fat Mike

01-21-2010, 09:05 AM

The $1.5million bit: http://videos.mediaite.com/video/Conan-OBrien-The-Most-Expensive

lol mouse

Big Fat Mike

01-21-2010, 09:06 AM

Pretty pissed off about all this happening, by the way. But I guess business is business and NBC and their affiliates need to keep making money through advo revenue.

01-21-2010, 09:08 AM

lol

Mr. Nerfect

01-21-2010, 09:24 AM

Mr. Nerfect

01-21-2010, 09:26 AM

Australia did not show the current episode of The Tonight Show last night. Mega-pissed. Missed the return of the Masturbating Bear -- which should have been coming. Fuck the world. There's no reason to live! Where's my kayak!?!

What Would Kevin Do?

01-21-2010, 11:24 AM

NEW YORK (AP) - Conan O'Brien told NBC good riddance Thursday in a $45 million deal for his exit from "The Tonight Show," allowing Jay Leno to return to the late-night program he hosted for 17 years.

Under the deal, which came seven months after O'Brien took the reins from Leno, O'Brien will get more than $33 million, NBC said. The rest will go to his 200-strong staff in severance.

Compensation for O'Brien's staff and crew was the final hurdle in negotiations. O'Brien was said to have been "dug in" on the issue out of concern for the workers, while NBC said this week that it had already agreed to pay "millions of dollars to compensate every one of them" and deemed it a public relations "ploy."

On Wednesday night's show, speaking of a push to get a severance deal for his staff, O'Brien joked, "At first they thought I was gullible. They said the staff would be taken to a big farm, where they'd be allowed to run free forever."

O'Brien's final show will be Friday, with Tom Hanks scheduled to appear as well as Will Ferrell — his first guest as "Tonight" host last June.

Leno will return to "Tonight" on March 1.

"In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew, and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket," his manager, Gavin Polone, told The Wall Street Journal. "Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible."

O'Brien will be free to begin another TV job as soon as September, NBC said. There has been much speculation on where he might go next. ABC (which airs "Nightline" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!") has said it wasn't interested, while Fox, which lacks a network late-night show, expressed appreciation for his show — but nothing more. Comedy Central has also been mentioned.

A spokesman for O'Brien said he would be unavailable for comment.

O'Brien landed the "Tonight" show after successfully hosting "Late Night," which airs an hour later, since 1993. But he quickly stumbled in the ratings race against his CBS rival, David Letterman.

Under Leno, the "Tonight" show was the ratings champ at 11:35 p.m. Eastern, but he proved an instant flop with his experiment in prime time.

Last week NBC announced that the five-hour vacancy in prime time left by Leno will be filled by scripted and reality fare calculated to bring NBC affiliates a more robust lead-in audience for their local news than Leno had been delivering. A provisional slate of shows will include new and veteran NBC dramas, a comedy panel series produced by Jerry Seinfeld and "Dateline NBC."

What Would Kevin Do?

01-21-2010, 11:25 AM

At first when I heard about the settlement, I was shocked at how low the severance was for his staff... Reading this I realized that NBC is giving them severance, and on top of that Conan is giving them money out of his buy out. Pretty cool.

LoDownM

01-21-2010, 01:35 PM

I hope Letterman beats Leno forever, just so NBC can realize that they are fucking retards.

Zeeboe

01-21-2010, 01:41 PM

I hope Letterman beats Leno forever, just so NBC can realize that they are fucking retards.

Some people were hoping the exact same thing in 1993 after NBC picked Leno to host the Tonight Show over Letterman, and it did happen.....but then Jay took over, and for the most part. has been the late night king EVER since, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. :)

LoDownM

01-21-2010, 01:53 PM

This situation is a little different from back then. Leno comes out of this looking worse than back then imo. Last time it was 2 guys wanting to replace someone, not the guy that was supposed to retire, doesn't and then 7 months later gets his show back.

Now I know this is mostly NBC's doing and not Leno's, just like last time, but people will see it as Leno being greedy and wanting the show back. Which will make them not want to watch.

Mr. Nerfect

01-21-2010, 04:58 PM

Some people were hoping the exact same thing in 1993 after NBC picked Leno to host the Tonight Show over Letterman, and it did happen.....but then Jay took over, and for the most part. has been the late night king EVER since, so I wouldn't get your hopes up. :)

Leno has seemingly been tarnished by this whole ordeal. Maybe the oldies will watch, but they will eventually die.

Mr. Nerfect

01-21-2010, 05:09 PM

With adults right now, Conan is almost beating Leno and Letterman COMBINED! He scored a 2.0 with the 18-49 demographic, which generates the most revenue.

thedamndest

01-21-2010, 05:27 PM

It will be interesting to see if Leno is able to reclaim his top spot. A lot of viewers went to Letterman. Will they return for Leno? It will also depend on what NBC cooks up for their 10:00 slot.

I'm not sure I buy that Leno's image is permanently tarnished. Viewers have short memories and there are only so many channels. Some people are saying they would boycott NBC over this, but I doubt their love for Conan outweighs their love for Jim and Pam.

Inadequacy

01-21-2010, 05:54 PM

I'm not sure I buy that Leno's image is permanently tarnished. Viewers have short memories and there are only so many channels. Some people are saying they would boycott NBC over this, but I doubt their love for Conan outweighs their love for Jim and Pam.

That's why I never went the boycott route, as long as you replace "Jim and Pam" with "Jack and Liz."

Heros Welcome

01-21-2010, 06:04 PM

Zeeboe

01-21-2010, 10:08 PM

Jay Leno: `I have chosen to stay on the Titanic'

by Lynette Rice

Now that it’s official that Conan O’Brien is vacating The Tonight Show, Jay Leno made the following statement during today’s taping of The Jay Leno Show that will air tonight: “NBC and Conan O’Brien made an announcement earlier today – as many of you know – Conan is leaving the network. His final show airs tomorrow night. I have chosen to stay on the Titanic. I don’t believe the iceberg is that big, the biggest ship, this ship will never sink and Kev…when it does, Kev as it’s sinking you will play us…you’ll be here for us so. Apparently we’ll be back on The Tonight Show March 1 after the Olympics, so that’s pretty much where we are.”

Earlier today, NBC Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin told EW.com that he expects Leno “will be competitive” when he returns to The Tonight Show and — despite the wave of pro-Conan O’Brien sentiment — that he will not have trouble luring stars to his old stomping grounds. “Jay has been booking guests for 18 years, and while there might be a guest or two who favors Conan who doesn’t want to come on, there are also guests who Leno has that don’t like to go on Conan,” said Gaspin. “I think we will be fine.”

Jeritron

01-21-2010, 10:46 PM

There will be no issues booking guests because 9 out of 10 are there to promote a new movie, show or album, and at the end of the day them and their studios will care more about the promotion than whether or not they like the host.

Buzzkill

01-21-2010, 10:48 PM

I think any big names in the comedy business will bypass Leno most likely

Emperor Smeat

01-21-2010, 11:26 PM

Leno probably won't be severly affected in the short term for ratings since NBC is going to give a month off for the Olympics so its gives Leno's show enough time to let most of the initial anti-Leno/NBC feelings to cool off a bit.

The issue is going to be how strong his "core" base is since the idea of 10pm show should have been even better in ratings due to more people available to watch than a late night time. NBC should have realized Leno doesn't have as strong of a base as was assumed during the whole mess they started when trying to get rid of Conan/shift the show times.

Droford

01-22-2010, 11:49 AM

NBC also now owns all of Conans created characters like the Masturbating Bear and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and any others that he used on either show so where ever he goes youve seen the last of them.

Also, he might not go to FOX but FX is interested since apparently TBS has done good with George Lopez, though that might be seen as a step down but if its all he can get for now he might want to take it..

Ol Dirty Dastard

01-22-2010, 01:05 PM

Conan has a lot of friends in high places. He'll be fine, I'm not too worried.

Jura

01-22-2010, 03:51 PM

I think he can get away by renaming it and changing some things here and there.

screech

01-22-2010, 04:22 PM

Part of me wants Leno's audience to boo him his first night back.

#1-norm-fan

01-23-2010, 05:03 AM

Part of me wants Leno's audience to boo him his first night back.

That would be amazing. lol

Zeeboe

01-23-2010, 01:00 PM

I should say I do like Conan. I use to watch his show all the time. I had to stop watching late night TV however because I always had to get up early for work. From 1993-2005 however, I was a big time late night TV watcher. I always watched Jay and Conan. Then from 05' and on, I have not been a watcher of late night TV, but all this stuff going on with it has caused me to watch some more of it again.

I always thought Conan was funny. I wish he would have just been content with his Late Night show, then none of this would have happened. I do feel bad for him.

NBC also now owns all of Conans created characters like the Masturbating Bear and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and any others that he used on either show so where ever he goes youve seen the last of them.

Also, he might not go to FOX but FX is interested since apparently TBS has done good with George Lopez, though that might be seen as a step down but if its all he can get for now he might want to take it..

Err. If he does that, his career is over, and I'm going to feel even more bad for him. :( His career will be in the dumper for sure then. A late night show on FOX is the only way to go. Of course, since Conan didn't do so good on NBC with the ratings, FOX may not be interested.

It is pretty depressing, and even though Conan is rich and famous, I still have compassion for him. And again, if it were all up to me, I'd have Jay remain host as Tonight Show, and Conan as the host of Late Night. Why fix what wasn't broken is my motto in life.

Anyhow, I doubt Jay will be booed on his first show back, so don't count it. Believe it or not, Jay has a lot more fan support then some might think. And I am glad Jay is at least staying.

Nark Order

01-23-2010, 02:31 PM

Zeeboe, of all the celebrities to worship, you choose Jay Leno.

thedamndest

01-23-2010, 02:36 PM

Zeeboe, do you know what a lead-in is?

DaveWadding

01-23-2010, 02:49 PM

I still think if Conan goes to cable, Mon-Thurs on Comedy Central behind Stewart/Colbert would be the best thing ever.

Zeeboe

01-23-2010, 04:03 PM

Zeeboe, of all the celebrities to worship, you choose Jay Leno.

I don't worship, but I was a big fan of his. I actually stopped watching him in 2005 because I thought he was getting way too mean to people, and it ticked me off. 05' was a bad year for me anyhow. But I ended up finally working, and had to say goodbye to my many late night adventures, including watching Jay and Conan.

I realize no one asked for my bio, but I felt a point needed to be made.

Zeeboe, do you know what a lead-in is?

Yes, it's someone who starts the show, and warms the crowd up.

I still think if Conan goes to cable, Mon-Thurs on Comedy Central behind Stewart/Colbert would be the best thing ever.

I think he could get a strong cult following if he did that perhaps. But sadly his chance to enter icon status may be gone, but I hope I'm wrong. He may become an icon to some, like the type of people that worship The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Evil Dead, but as far as mainstream goes, Conan may sadly be remembered in the history of TV as a failure. :(

What Would Kevin Do?

01-23-2010, 04:37 PM

I'm pretty sure Conan has been around way too long already to be considered a failure.

IC Champion

01-23-2010, 04:53 PM

I'm pretty sure Conan has been around way too long already to be considered a failure.

Yeah, I think it's kinda hard to call a 20 year run a failure. Not to mention he walked away on his own.

Zeeboe

01-23-2010, 04:54 PM

I know he's been around for a while, but as far as The Tonight Show goes, the plan he had in mind did fail. That is what I meant.

thedamndest

01-23-2010, 05:37 PM

No, that is not what a lead-in is at all. A lead-in is a show that precedes other shows. It should be a fairly popular show that people will watch in order to keep people watching for the next show on the same channel. So The Jay Leno Show would be a lead-in for the 11:00 local news. Make sense?

Due to The Jay Leno Show sucking so bad, local news affiliates around the country that had previously been number one dropped to three or four in their timeslot. What that means is that most likely people chose to watch something else at 10:00 and then stuck around for that channel's news.

If people are already watching CBS news at 11:00, that's part of the audience that will just leave the TV on for Letterman. It has nothing to do with who people think is funnier.

LoDownM

01-23-2010, 06:14 PM

I was getting a drink while Conan and everyone was playing that song, came back and saw the beginning of Fallon's show. First time I've ever liked something he's done.

Zeeboe

01-23-2010, 06:28 PM

damndest - Well, I wasn't sure of what you meant when you asked that. I was even going to ask in what context you meant. But anyhow, in regards of Leno, I say let's wait and see how he does before people assume he sucks. He hosted the show for 17 years. Clearly he was doing something right.

Also, according to the polls on AOL, many people prefer Leno.

Emperor Smeat

01-23-2010, 06:51 PM

Best recent run-in that worked very well was how Spike TV used TNA wrestling to lead into UFC when they 1st got the rights to UFC. Then once UFC got popular, they switched it around so that UFC now leads into TNA as a way to bring up TNA ratings.

Problem with NBC was they went too cheap and short term with making Leno as a 10pm show and when it wasn't working, they panicked and now its going to cost them millions they didn't want to spend in the 1st place.

James Steele

01-23-2010, 06:58 PM

James Steele

01-23-2010, 06:59 PM

Jura

01-23-2010, 07:01 PM

I know he's been around for a while, but as far as The Tonight Show goes, the plan he had in mind did fail. That is what I meant.

What plan? If anyone's plan failed it's NBC's. They only gave him 7 months of hosting and he was contracted to host for 5 years or something. If Leno retired or went somewhere else then they would have come up with something better for the lead-in and wouldn't have been forced to do anything this drastic or lose any money.

But they didn't do that.

They didn't want anyone else to have Leno so gave him a show at an earlier time. Well, okay we thought he was retiring but maybe this will be decent. It should save them some money if it gets decent ratings. It airs and it's basically The Tonight Show at an earlier time. WTF is that? Guess what? It's a disaster. They actually are losing money and news affiliates are putting pressure on NBC to do something about it. Then guess what NBC has to do now? Do what they should have done in the first place and put a good show at 10 but they have to keep Leno from going anywhere also so hey lets push Conan back and put Jay at 11:30. Conan doesn't like it and stands up for himself. Uh oh. So it seems Conan is going to leave so they end up giving Jay his job back.

Letterman appeals to the older crowd mostly and Conan appeals to the younger demographic while Leno appeals to middle-aged plus some of the younger and older crowd. But hen you look at it, it's not really about who's funnier or more entertaining, which is Conan by far but it's a combination of a lot of things. Most of the people who love Jay probably didn't give Conan a chance at all or they even went to Letterman.

Do you think that if NBC picked Letterman instead and Leno went to CBS that Jay would still have beaten him consistently in the ratings?