This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.
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 on weeknights on the network.
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. Jeff Zucker foreshadowed the move at a UBS media conference Monday, saying that NBC has to look at options including programming less primetime hours.
It would be a much-needed victory for struggling NBC in the wake of a massive round of layoffs and a re-organization of the entire way the network and studio are structured as the network continues to languish in fourth place.
The move would also bring to an end a potentially messy transition in the coming year that had industry speculation centered on Leno potentially moving to ABC, which would set up a three-way brawl for the dwindling late-night dollars between Leno, O’Brien and CBS’s David Letterman.
Leno’s start date is undecided, but expected to be by next fall.
That is a bold move by NBC. It allows them to keep Leno away from FOX and ABC, while also avoiding the $30 million (or whatever it is) penalty the network would have landed for not giving the Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien by 2009. Can Leno get the necessary ratings at 10 p.m. ET? No more safe harbor for Leno (at least in the Central and Mountain time zones), not that he ever worked particularly blue on the Tonight Show.
Ace Purple wrote:Can Leno get the necessary ratings at 10 p.m. ET?
Key question: "What does 'necessary' mean in this situation?"
The show is "comparatively" cheap to produce (even with a likely good-sized bump as it moves to primetime), will offer plenty of the various back-to-the-future revenue possibilities, will be in perfect position to direct traffic to interactive, and will provide better promotion opportunities than have been available in decades, which should guarantee an almost-constant flow of A-list-of-A-list guests (which the show will probably need to do well).
At the very least, it's a bold experiment. It also keeps Leno from competing in late night and gets him several more years closer to being "old," retired, and no longer a risk.
"I don't know the same things you don't know."
"Yes, you do; you just won't admit it!"
"Yeeee...it looks like a 'Belt Buckle & Ball Cap' convention in here......"
Breaking: The budget for the show will be a little under $2,000,000 a week....that compares to $2-3,000,000 for each of the 22 episodes of the hour-long dramas that air M-Th on NBC....say, $80-90 million a year versus $230 million a year.....
Lee wrote:The real question is this:
Will Conan O'Brian's brand of humor translate well over to the Tonight Show crowd?
The constant desire is to push the ages of the viewers lower....if the Leno audience, with its average age of 56, doesn't stay with Conan, that'll be more than fine with them.
"I don't know the same things you don't know."
"Yes, you do; you just won't admit it!"
"Yeeee...it looks like a 'Belt Buckle & Ball Cap' convention in here......"
The other networks will have to counter with something.
I wonder if people will start going to bed just after Jay's monologue like they do now?
That might affect ratings for the 11pm news.
NBC affiliates could counter with a 10pm news and time shift Leno to 10:30pm.
Load up the news with spots and make more money.
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
Other than an occasional clip of an interview or "headlines", I honestly don't remember the last time I watched the tonight show. I think his show blows and he is really not that funny. No way in hell would I watch a 10 o'clock show either.
I don't watch conehead obrian but I do enjoy his "brand" of humor.
I believe the major nets are missing out on a John Stewart money machine. If I were ABC, Fox, or whoever, I would call him up and say "How much do you want?"
Big Media wrote:I believe the major nets are missing out on a John Stewart money machine. If I were ABC, Fox, or whoever, I would call him up and say "How much do you want?"
I forgot all about John Stewart. If he goes, I look for Colbert to take over The Daily Show...which would be a no-brainer.
Lee wrote:I forgot all about John Stewart. If he goes, I look for Colbert to take over The Daily Show...which would be a no-brainer.
Wha?!?!?!?
Colbert is already established, and a 30 minute shift in time slot would mean nothing to him. At most Colbert would air earlier, and DS would move later.
Oh! Because Leno would be a sellout, an industry shill, unlike BBC's Jeremy (Jezza) Clarkson, James (Captain Slow) May, and Richard (Hamster) Hammonds.
Oh, and for the record the following guide to the new series is,
Adam Corolla - Jezza
Tanner Foust - Hamster
Eric (I'm not gay) Strommer - Captain Slow
The Stig - The Stig
The first step in a successful revolution is to defeat all competing revolutionaries.
