Leno / Conan / NBC / etc.

[Dude]

He didn't??

 

He actually said he would retire, then he changed his mind. Here is an article from a few years ago, when the waters were a bit calmer but you could see the clusterf*ck brewing:

 

http://talkshows.about.com/b/2007/10/17/leno-sticking-around-past-2009-retirement-date.htm

 

Leno Sticking Around Past 2009 Retirement Date?

Wednesday October 17, 2007

 

There may be – and put all the stress on may be – trouble brewing in NBC’s late night world.

 

It seems that Jay Leno, host of The Tonight Show, isn’t so sure he wants to retire in 2009. That doesn’t sound so bad to fans of Leno, no doubt, but it does put a strain on plans to have Conan O’Brien take over the show. O’Brien is the host (one of our faves) of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. And NBC says it has “no plans to not turn over” The Tonight Show to O’Brien.

 

The brewing brouhaha was first broadcast in the pages of the Los Angeles Times on Monday. The hosts aren’t quoted, but the prerequisite anonymous sources are. They say Leno is not so sure he wants to leave the late night limelight, that he felt some pressure in planning his departure so many years in advance.

 

If true, that could put NBC in a pickle. If everyone keeps to their contracts, O’Brien will take over The Tonight Show spot in 2009 and Leno will leave – possibly for a late night spot in the same time slot on ABC or FOX or CNN or some other channel, entirely. Leno still commands top ratings, and losing that to another network would be a devastating blow.

 

On the other hand, O’Brien has a loyal following and solid ratings in his time slot. He might decide, if Leno sticks around, that he could easily fill the time slot on ABC or FOX. NBC has already experienced that once, when David Letterman, then host of Late Night, left for CBS and the Late Show.

 

One thing’s for sure, NBC has it’s late night work cut out for it, once more. Let’s hope this round is a bit more delicate than the last.

[u2roolz]

To paint a picture of what happened, since honestly a lot of this has been so mangled in my brain. I'm still sketchy on wording/mechanics of Leno's "retirement".

I seemed to remember as stated below it was announced that he was leaving and giving the show to Conan

AND NBC wanted to keep him on in some way.

I seemed to be forgetting if NBC made the move 1st or if Jay did or if they both cooked it up all along.

 

Wiki:

 

NBC announced in 2004 that Leno would leave Tonight in 2009, with Conan O'Brien as his replacement. Leno—who wanted to avoid an acrimonious transition like what he experienced when he inherited Tonight from Johnny Carson—said at the announcement, "You can do these things until they carry you out on a stretcher, or you can get out when you’re still doing good." He began to regret his decision to retire in 2007,and several networks and studios including ABC, Fox, Sony, and Tribune expressed interest in his services after leaving Tonight.

 

Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal, sought to keep Leno from defecting to a competitor. Leno rejected several NBC offers for daytime or cable slots, a series of recurring specials, and a half-hour show at 8 pm five nights a week featuring Leno's Tonight monologue.The network had in 1981 considered moving The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to 10 pm; Zucker, who in 2007 offered Oprah Winfrey an hour five nights a week at 8 pm, now offered Leno an hour five nights a week at 10 pm. Leno was announced on December 9, 2008.

 

At least one station, WHDH in Boston, Massachusetts, stated that it would not carry the program, claiming that Leno would be detrimental to the station's 11 pm news and that it would instead launch a local news program in the time slot. NBC said that such plans would amount to a flagrant violation of the network contract—a claim which WHDH disputed—and said that it would immediately remove its programming from WHDH if the station followed through with the plan. WHDH backed down on April 13, 2009 and announced that it would air Leno instead of the proposed program.

 

According to Broadcasting & Cable, "most [NBC affiliates] are hopeful Jay—and Conan—sticks with NBC, and most, if not all, desperately want to see a change in terms of the lead-in they're getting to their lucrative late news; the affiliates "remain fiercely loyal to Leno and were quick to say the rookie program's struggles don't reflect the funnyman's work ethic or comedic chops. 'This isn't about Jay's popularity,' says WJAR Providence VP/General Manager Lisa Churchville. 'This is about having that kind of show at 10 p.m.'"

[bobbob1313]

People are really only referencing facts of the situation in the face of your "Conan isn't getting dumped on" argument. That 5 or 6 people are doing that at once might be a little much, but it's hardly hysterical (and in fact, saying so might be overblown).

 

You must not have read this thread. There's so massive amounts of pretty unwarranted hate on Leno going on, that's what I'm referring to. But, as I said, I'm not posting in this thread anymore.

 

Here's a prime example of what I'm referring to, though:

 

The only graceful thing for Jay to do at this point is retire. If he accepts the half-hour 11:35 slot, he's a punk-ass bitch, and Conan O'Brien should kick his unfunny ass up and down the Pacific Coast Highway.

 

It's not like he needs the money. Retire, Jay. Hole up in your garage and indulge your true passion.

[Guest Speed Racer]

You must not have read this thread. There's so massive amounts of pretty unwarranted hate on Leno going on, that's what I'm referring to. But, as I said, I'm not posting in this thread anymore.

 

You're not posting on Page 11 because of what people said on Page 3? Again, to me most of the "Leno hate," which I think is better characterized more as "Leno annoyance," stems from the fact that what he's doing (or not doing, I guess) is a tad unprofessional. Many people also don't find him to be funny. Frankly, I don't find either he or Conan funny, though I prefer Conan over Leno.

 

Edit in light of your edited post: I stand by my assessment that even on Pages 9, 10 and 11, it's more or less a reaction to Leno's unprofessional behavior, and in my opinion, not unwarranted (though you somehow decided to quote the post with strong language).

[ThisIsNowhere]

He actually said he would retire, then he changed his mind. Here is an article from a few years ago, when the waters were a bit calmer but you could see the clusterf*ck brewing:

 

http://talkshows.about.com/b/2007/10/17/leno-sticking-around-past-2009-retirement-date.htm

 

Leno Sticking Around Past 2009 Retirement Date?

Wednesday October 17, 2007

I always thought it was NBC's decision, not his.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I always thought it was NBC's decision, not his.

 

Yes, it was his, and then he changed his mind (hence the Michael Jordan reference in the second half of my sentence that you quoted).

[Sir Stewart]

I should have been like Matt and just not gotten involved, I don't really care about this that much. I think the hysterics are a bit silly and overblown from a lot of people on this, I guess.

 

I'm just going to back out, sorry. If anyone wants me, I'll be in the baseball thread.

 

You have an odd perception of hysterics.

This is simply a hot-button topic that doesn't involve religion, politics, race, or class. It's just about late night TV, something that's nearly completely inconsequential to each of us. It's fun to talk about is all.

[ThisIsNowhere]

Hmm, even if it was his decision, I wouldn't be surprised if NBC influenced it in some way.

 

The next few weeks sure will be interesting though. Bottom line is someone's gonna be unhappy, and there isn't much NBC can do about it.

[cryptique]

Some people just like to argue about shit, especially if they can feel superior while doing it.

[Dude]

I always thought it was NBC's decision, not his.

I think it was his, but he made it with "pressure" from NBC execs to step down, then regretted making that decision.

[u2roolz]

Hmm, even if it was his decision, I wouldn't be surprised if NBC influenced it in some way.

 

The next few weeks sure will be interesting though.

 

Yes, this always has been in the back of my head since it was announced.

NBC kept boasting about the low cost of a single episode of the Jay Leno Show as opposed to a scripted hour long drama's episode.

 

"Each airing of Leno costs about $350,000 to $400,000 versus up to $3 million for an hour-long drama, saving NBC $13 million each week without the network needing the show to beat its competitors."

 

Let's get Chevy Chase back on late night.

 

Give Chevy another chance!

[cryptique]

Let's get Chevy Chase back on late night.

 

Give Chevy another chance!

Chevy's doing pretty well on "Community" these days, if you ask me.

[ThisIsNowhere]

Yes, this always has been in the back of my head since it was announced.

NBC kept boasting about the low cost of a single episode of the Jay Leno Show as opposed to a scripted hour long drama's episode.

 

"Each airing of Leno costs about $350,000 to $400,000 versus up to $3 million for an hour-long drama, saving NBC $13 million each week without the network needing the show to beat its competitors."

 

Let's get Chevy Chase back on late night.

 

Give Chevy another chance!

Lol, NBC.

[u2roolz]

Chevy's doing pretty well on "Community" these days, if you ask me.

 

Yes.

And he has a small role in the upcoming Hot Tub Time Machine.

 

I think people would tune in for the "they gave him a 2nd chance" factor and maybe would bring in an older demo + a younger one too (from Nat'l Lampoon & Community). I'm not sure where I fit into that demo that I senselessly created. You know what I mean, people who have seen repeats of his classics on the television.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Yes, because right now the best way to solve this problem is for NBC to completely switch its weeknight format to comedian-hosted talk shows.

[u2roolz]

Yes, because right now the best way to solve this problem is for NBC to completely switch its weeknight format to comedian-hosted talk shows.

 

 

Are you calling Leno, Dave, Conan, Jimmy, Jimmy, Craig, & Carson "not comedians"?

 

(I kid. I kid.)

[Guest Speed Racer]

I think what blows my mind the most reading this thread is that many people (many, many people) actually watch not one late-night show, but more than one and enjoy them. I enjoy some bits I've seen from Conan, Letterman's monologues and - well, no, that's about it. I can't imagine staying awake long enough to watch a whole show, for pleasure, not to mention more than one, or the later ones. Just not my thing.

[Sir Stewart]

Lol, NBC.

 

Sorry for digging at you a little ways back there.

[Dude]

"Each airing of Leno costs about $350,000 to $400,000 versus up to $3 million for an hour-long drama, saving NBC $13 million each week without the network needing the show to beat its competitors."

 

I think the other side of this equation is that NBC couldn't produce a new hit drama to save its life, but produced a crapload of $3 million failures. The Leno at 10 pm Experiment smacked of desperation. It's a bit like picking a Wasilla mayor and not even single full-term Alaska govenror for your VP candidate, or throwing a Hail Mary pass into a sea of defenders as the final seconds tick down and praying one of your guys manages to catch it.

[u2roolz]

I think what blows my mind the most reading this thread is that many people (many, many people) actually watch not one late-night show, but more than one and enjoy them. I enjoy some bits I've seen from Conan, Letterman's monologues and - well, no, that's about it. I can't imagine staying awake long enough to watch a whole show, for pleasure, not to mention more than one, or the later ones. Just not my thing.

 

I'll take this one.

 

For me, it came out of my job and its' hours. I would come home and be wired and watch pretty much these shows then go to bed after them. Keep in mind this was prior to DVR.

And I liked to see the "movie stars" and musical acts, not just the "bits'. If these late night shows are my "View" or "Oprah", then so be it.

 

I don't know what to say. I really can enjoy them all. I don't know what you would like to see on them.

Do you watch Chelsea Lately? Or Daily Show or Colbert Report?

[u2roolz]

I think the other side of this equation is that NBC couldn't produce a new hit drama to save its life, but produced a crapload of $3 million failures. The Leno at 10 pm Experiment smacked of desperation. It's a bit like picking a Wasilla mayor and not even single full-term Alaska govenror for your VP candidate, or throwing a Hail Mary pass into a sea of defenders as the final seconds tick down and praying one of your guys manages to catch it.

 

Well, they completely shot & produced Season 2 of Southland and didn't even show it.

It ended up on TNT. I'm sure TNT must have bought it off of NBC.

For how much, I'm not sure?

But that was the closest thing to a hit at 10 that they had prior to this Sept 2009. (in terms of a "new" show)

 

"On May 1, 2009, NBC announced that Southland had been renewed for a second season with an initial 13 episode order to begin airing on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 9:00 pm, one hour earlier than its original Thursday time slot. Shortly before its scheduled premiere, NBC moved the opening of its second season to October 23, 2009, citing the need to promote the show more fully. On October 8, 2009, NBC abruptly announced that the series had been cancelled.

 

On November 2, 2009, TNT announced it has purchased the rights to Southland's original seven episodes, as well as six completed episodes from what would have been its second season."

[gogo]

The Tonight Show franchise has been an 11:30/11:35 animal since 1966 (before that it was 11:15!). By placing another late-night talk show ahead of it, its cultural significance, ratings, and appeal are severely undercut.

If I could step in and address the young'uns in the group : I think I've said this before, but for a whole lot of people (those old enough to remember watching Johnny Carson as host), the idea of the Tonight Show at 11:30(ish) is pretty much carved in stone. I remember a time when it was standard practice to watch the news and stay up through Carson's monologue at least, and decide after that, depending who the guests were, whether or not it was worth staying up to watch the rest of the show. But everyone watched the monologue. It was the ultimate water-cooler show, even when the jokes were lame (and the jokes were often lame). When Leno took over, that was the set-up that he inherited, and it continued to work for him.

 

I know people don't watch TV like that anymore, people certainly don't watch the 11:00 news like that anymore, but still, placing a half-hour of jaywalking and stupid newspaper clippings between the late news and the opening of the Tonight Show definitely feels like a slap in the face to the entire idea of the Tonight Show, to me.

[Degenerex]

I think what blows my mind the most reading this thread is that many people (many, many people) actually watch not one late-night show, but more than one and enjoy them. I enjoy some bits I've seen from Conan, Letterman's monologues and - well, no, that's about it. I can't imagine staying awake long enough to watch a whole show, for pleasure, not to mention more than one, or the later ones. Just not my thing.

 

That's probably because you're better than us.

[Dude]

Well, they completely shot & produced Season 2 of Southland and didn't even show it.

It ended up on TNT. I'm sure TNT must have bought it off of NBC.

For how much, I'm not sure?

But that was the closest thing to a hit at 10 that they had prior to this Sept 2009. (in terms of a "new" show)

 

"On May 1, 2009, NBC announced that Southland had been renewed for a second season with an initial 13 episode order to begin airing on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 9:00 pm, one hour earlier than its original Thursday time slot. Shortly before its scheduled premiere, NBC moved the opening of its second season to October 23, 2009, citing the need to promote the show more fully. On October 8, 2009, NBC abruptly announced that the series had been cancelled.

 

On November 2, 2009, TNT announced it has purchased the rights to Southland's original seven episodes, as well as six completed episodes from what would have been its second season."

 

Yeah, it seems like they had a lot of failures in that time slot, with Southland being the one possible exception. I wonder how long before shareholders / Comcast execs demand Zucker step down, this Leno / Conan debacle could be the final straw...

[Guest Speed Racer]

That's probably because you're better than us.

 

Was "Just not my thing." unclear? I just don't find it funny - it seems very slapstick and, well, just not my kind of humor. Not least of all, as much more of a morning person than a night person, the idea of staying up 2 and a half hours past my usual bedtime to watch actors and actresses hock their goods between jokes and commercials is not my idea of time well spent. If the jokes are your thing, or if you really like watching actors/actresses conduct interviews, if you love watching a live song from a random band every night, then I can see why you would like one or more of these shows; I really don't.