Leno / Conan / NBC / etc.

[The High Heat]

Wilco stayed with Reprise until Reprise let them go, though they had the opportunity to conform to Reprise's requests. Conan stayed with NBC until NBC let him go, though he had opportunities to conform to their requests. Both Conan and Wilco stayed until there were no more opportunities to grow.

We playing Pete and Re-Pete?

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Wilco left Reprise. Should they have stayed working on that plantation, thanking them when other companies had new opportunities of progression and Reprise didn't?

No. They shouldn't. They deserved better, just as Conan deserves better than what NBC wanted to give him.

 

But the fact remains that they gave him a huge something in the first place.

[kidsmoke]

But anyway, can we all dispense with saying "ass fucked" now?

[cryptique]

But anyway, can we all dispense with saying "ass fucked" now?

 

 

[kidsmoke]

Why thank you!

[cryptique]

If anyone still cares...this is a blow-by-blow account of Leno's appearance on Oprah today.

 

My favorite bit:

 

"Again Jay says he wasn't the reason for what happened to Conan. 'The reason was the ratings,' he says. So, for those keeping track, the blame belongs with the the network, the affiliates and the ratings -- but not Jay, definitely not Jay."

[Guest Speed Racer]

I really don't understand what Jay means when he says, "But by walking away, that was an ego decision," when Oprah asks him why he didn't walk away from it all. Does that mean he finally agreed he has an ego the size of, um...a very giant ego? Directly after that, he gives the line about not wanting his staffers out of a job, and when Oprah points out that he could have negotiated for generous severance for them like Conan did, Jay says, "They offered me my old job back, so I took it." To me that says what we all know: sure he really likes the idea that he can employ his staff, but the man truly cares about his own job, ego, and being on television. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it keeps my opinion of Leno in the same place as it was before the interview.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I haven't watched the Oprah interview, but I think it's bullshit that Conan's divorce contract says he can't give any interviews for a few months, but Jay can immediately run to Oprah and try to save face.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I thought he just couldn't host a show until September; I thought he could be a guest on any show he wants, but he is contractually-forbidden from bad-mouthing the network.

[u2roolz]

I haven't watched the Oprah interview, but I think it's bullshit that Conan's divorce contract says he can't give any interviews for a few months, but Jay can immediately run to Oprah and try to save face.

 

That's because this is obviously the beginning of "repairing" the Jay Leno "nice guy" image.

Jay even mentioned it to Oprah that that is what he has to do now. Sadly, most folks won't realize that this is exactly what they are watching with the cringe inducing cut-to-commerical-slo-mo-shots of Jay. This is coming off as very Dr. Phil (at least what little I've seen of his show). (meaning: we probably won't see Jay do another interview like this because there will be plenty of soundbites to last a long time)

 

I'm sure we'll hear from Conan sooner than we think. I'm guessing Conan will do a similar interview with a bit more of an ironic twist to it. I'm betting my left pinky toe that Conan will do an interview in the next couple of months on either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

I read somewhere that he wasn't allowed to give any interviews for a certain time. I know the September/badmouthing stuff is legit, but I'm fairly certain I saw the interview detail as well.

 

Don't quote me on it, though. Either way, I don't know how Jay can expect people to believe he's an innocent victim, just trying to do what the network wants.

[Sir Stewart]

I caught some of the Conan repeat last night - interviewing Jennifer Aniston (who was talking about seeing Courtney Cox on bus ads), Conan mentions seeing Jay Leno's face on buses and billboards "and it's weird because he's my friend, and there he is suddenly...Hi Conan! Waving." Odd that NBC would choose to air that ep...or not.

[Guest Jules]

Conan's going on Letterman. Soon.

[jakobnicholas]

Oprah was very fair and asked tough questions. People can still have the opinion that Jay should have just walked away and let Conan have his turn, but I think many "Team Coco" people who watched this learned things they probably didn't know.

 

Oprah's website has 30+ minutes of Oprah taking questions from the audience. It was very interesting and supports what I've felt all along. Oprah had a poll on her website to have people vote on who they sided with, and a staggering 96% sided with Conan! Oprah was stunned and wanted to interview her friend to let people know what really went down the past 5 years. The audience clearly changed their opinion of Leno after the interview, even if they still felt like Conan got screwed.

 

And at least 3 women stood up to tell Oprah how much they feel bad for Conan and didn't like how Leno handled everything. Oprah then asked them if they watched Conan. They said no.

 

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-Debates-the-Tonight-Show-Controversy-Video

[Guest Speed Racer]

Oprah had a poll on her website to have people vote on who they sided with, and a staggering 96% sided with Conan! Oprah was stunned and wanted to interview her friend [Jay]

 

So, it was like, really hard-hitting journalism then, right? I mean, she must have really gotten to the bottom of this!

 

It's Oprah.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

Oh please. That was hardly Oprah asking "tough questions" and Conan fans learning what really happened. It was Jay trying desperately to look like a good guy, and downright lying a couple times. If that's what he deems damage control, then I almost feel abd for him. It's like he really has no idea why people were upset. Saying, paraphrased, "I had no intention of retiring when I said I would" doesn't justify all this. It means he lied once on air, and either lied again now, or legitimately believes what he says. Either way, he reeks of desperately trying to rationalize his behavior.

[cryptique]

Jay was spinning furiously. I'm not sure what there is to "learn" from that.

[jakobnicholas]

So, it was like, really hard-hitting journalism then, right? I mean, she must have really gotten to the bottom of this!

 

It's Oprah.

 

 

I've never been an Oprah fan, though I hugely respect her. I've maybe seen 3 hours combined of her show in my lifetime.

 

But I thought she was pretty tough. She asked Jay multiple times why he didn't just walk away and if he felt like Conan deserved the job and if he felt bad for Conan. She even asked why he didn't do what Conan did...make a deal with NBC that would guarantee his staff severance pay for a couple years.

 

What questions would you have asked?

[Guest Speed Racer]

My opinion of Oprah is irrelevant. Oprah is not a journalist; her vested interest is ratings. Jay is not under oath; his vested interest is preserving (or recovering) his public image. Therefore, I have no reason to see the interview as anything but Oprah asking questions - however tough they might be - and Jay answering them with the goal of making himself look good.

[jakobnicholas]

Jay was spinning furiously. I'm not sure what there is to "learn" from that.

 

 

I just don't understand this.

 

 

It's VERY clear to me now, and it's ALWAYS been clear to me, that Leno DID NOT want to leave The Tonight Show 5 years ago. Yes, he SHOULD have said "no deal" back then and gone to another network.

 

But I think Jay seriously was trying to be a good guy to the company and to Conan, and just thought, "what the heck....5 years is a long time and maybe NBC is right that I won't be #1 by then."

 

But then 5 years pass and he's STILL #1.....by a wide margin. So he thinks about taking his show elsewhere. Why shouldn't he? He loves what he does and the ratings suggest the country does as well.

 

You and others seem to suggest that it's THEN that Leno should have just bowed out of doing ANY show anywhere and give Conan his deserved shot at The Tonight Show.

 

But why should Jay be expected to do that when he's the one who said from day 1 that he didn't want to give up his show.

 

AND...it was NBC who made the decision to move Jay back to the 11:30 time slot for a half-hour show. They didn't want Jay to leave and they didn't like Conan's ratings.

 

 

 

 

Imagine if Jay told NBC "no deal" 5 years ago. Then Jay goes to ABC, as was rumored back then. Then Conan takes over the Tonight Show. Based on Conan's ratings the past 7 months (it was pointed out on Oprah that Conan's ratings were 49% lower than when Leno hosted...I don't care how lame the prime-time lineup is, that is a HUGE drop-off), I imagine Conan would have done AT LEAST as bad and probably worse. Jay would most likely have kept his audience at ABC and would continue being #1. The question would probably be who'd do better, Letterman or Conan. And one of those 2 probably wouldn't have a show by now.

 

 

The most interesting thing to me about Oprah's show is how it proved that many people supporting Conan don't watch his show. BUT...now that he's been treated unfairly, his popularity has soared and if he does go to Fox, I think his ratings will be HUGE for at least the first few weeks.

 

I still think it might be the best thing that could have happened to Conan.

[Guest Jules]

scripted and pre-planned

[jakobnicholas]

My opinion of Oprah is irrelevant. Oprah is not a journalist; her vested interest is ratings. Jay is not under oath; his vested interest is preserving (or recovering) his public image. Therefore, I have no reason to see the interview as anything but Oprah asking questions - however tough they might be - and Jay answering them with the goal of making himself look good.

 

 

I am SO puzzled.

 

Please tell me what you'd wished or hoped or expected Jay to say.

 

 

Also, yes, Oprah is interested in her ratings. Which is why she has an open invitation to have Conan. I hope and pray he shows up, 'cause I don't think Jay-haters are gonna get ONE kernel of evidence that Jay's the bad guy in this fiasco.

[Guest Speed Racer]

The most interesting thing to me about Oprah's show is how it proved that many people supporting Conan don't watch his show.

 

And at least 3 women stood up to tell Oprah how much they feel bad for Conan and didn't like how Leno handled everything. Oprah then asked them if they watched Conan. They said no.

 

Was there a statistical analysis segment of the show that I missed?

[cryptique]

I just don't understand this.

Your entire post is based on your own assumptions about what my post meant. Those assumptions were incorrect.

 

As for the ratings argument, Conan's ratings were shitty largely because Leno's 10 PM ratings were shitty. His ratings prior to the beginning of Leno's 10 PM show were better.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I am SO puzzled.

 

Please tell me what you'd wished or hoped or expected Jay to say.

 

Of course you're puzzled; as Cryptique points out, your post is based on assumptions of what you think I want or expect.

 

I really don't care what Jay has to say for himself. All of us have been looking at the same pile of evidence throughout the course of this, and all of us are drawing our own conclusions. You and I (you and many) happen to have come to different conclusions. There is nothing Jay can say that will make me think differently of him or his role in this situation, because it's not about him revealing awesome new facts or finally coming out with the "truth." Jay made several business decisions throughout the way that I disagree with; no amount of rationalization or excuses will change my opinion of the decisions he made.