Originally posted by Broadcasting & Cable (broadcastingcable.com) Jay Leno Taking Over 10 P.M. On NBC Jeff Zucker keeps Leno and O'Brien with Leno strip By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/8/2008 7:19:00 PM
In a surprise move, Jay Leno is taking over the 10 p.m. slot weeknights on NBC.
The move is a huge coup for NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who has long said he wanted to keep both Leno and his replacement, Conan O’Brien, in the NBC family.
The move would be a cost-effective manner in which to essentially cut down the amount of hours it must program with fare from the entertainment division.
Well....that DOES solve the problem of what to put in ER's timeslot, I guess, but I don't know if 9/8 is a great time for the Law & Orders. (Of course, there's still Saturdays and Sundays?)
So wait, NBC is going to have 3 hours of late night programming every week day? That's kind of a lot. I guess they're just looking at the 5 hours less of programming that they'll need.
On one hand this sucks, because I'm not a Leno fan and it would have been nice to see him gone. It also kind of sucks for Conan, because he probably will still be seen as the other guy.
It might be good though if it means Conan won't totally have to alter his show into a more P.C./ Leno type of format.
Originally posted by StingArmy(And are we certain that Leno is going to be on at 10:00p EVERY weeknight?)
That's what the story said ("weeknights"), but who can be sure? This is an initial report. This isn't happening until the next fall season anyway, so there's plenty of time for people to make plans, change their minds, and make plans again.
By the way, folks, 10 to 11 is still "prime time" and not "late night," even after this happens.
Damn, it does seem like a lot. But it does make sense in the fact that NBC, from what I read, wanted to cut down the amount of hours it uses for scripted shows. If they don't mind the drop in audience numbers (though it's already falling down a good bit), it seems like a decent plan. Have Leno, who I know gets crapped on as a host but has good ratings still and always seem to get mainstream stars, open up for the night. Then have Conan moved up an hour to be expoused to a bigger audience. And with Leno still on, he'll probably stay in LA and Conan in NYC, which I think works better for both than Conan at least moving to the West coast like I thought I had heard before.
At least, that's my thinking. This news doesn't affect my future plans for nighttime viewing, which would be Conan followed by Craig Ferguson.
Originally posted by JimBob SkeeterLeno hasn't been funny since he used to tell Letterman what his beef was.
I have to admit, I was looking forward to the "burying of the hatchet" between the two when Jay came out to promote whatever he was doing next and said his old line on Letterman. I guess it could still happen but . . . (he has had Conan and Kimmel on, so it's possible Dave would offer Jay a chance to come by).
You are going to get a certain amount of snarkiness on the Internet no matter what, and my rule is that you don't post anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face. Marc Andreyko (Writer of DC Comics Manhunter)
A few moments ago on "Late Night," Conan said that he knew about the Leno-at-10 plan a long time ago and that he's talked to Leno about it. He says that he's "thrilled" that Jay is staying, that Leno has been his lead-in for 16 years and has been a huge part of his success, and that he hopes Jay stays as his lead-in for a very long time.
It's not like he could have really said anything else on the air, but I thought it was at least somewhat noteworthy.
Originally posted by StingArmyA few moments ago on "Late Night," Conan said that he knew about the Leno-at-10 plan a long time ago and that he's talked to Leno about it. He says that he's "thrilled" that Jay is staying, that Leno has been his lead-in for 16 years and has been a huge part of his success, and that he hopes Jay stays as his lead-in for a very long time.
It's not like he could have really said anything else on the air, but I thought it was at least somewhat noteworthy.
- StingArmy
Certainly much classier than Leno handled the transition from Mr. Carson to himself.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the ratings shake out between Dave and Conan as well as Kimmel (depending on what time his show is on where you live - I travel a lot and he's on at different times pretty much everywhere I go).
It will also be interesting to see if FOX tries to jump back into the fray again, and weren't there rumours of ESPN developing a late night talker too? (I'd say paging Dennis Miller except that his show on Versus was awful and gone just like *that*).
You are going to get a certain amount of snarkiness on the Internet no matter what, and my rule is that you don't post anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face. Marc Andreyko (Writer of DC Comics Manhunter)