After the initial 2 week blitz of the ratings when Conan debuts on Tbs, I won't be surprised to see Leno start leading the pack again. Ratings don't measure the way television is consumed by the younger demographic (streaming,dvr,torrents), and thus favour older viewership like Leno's fans.
Its similar to how polling is conducted during political races in that they are done over the telephone, but just to people with land lines. Most younger people these days have only mobile phones, and aren't reflected in polling results because of it. This leaves the polls accuracy swung towards the older demographics opinions.
A dramatic account of the politics and personalities behind NBC's calamitous attempt to reinvent late-night television.
When NBC decided to move Jay Leno into prime time to make room for Conan O'Brien to host the Tonight show-a job he had been promised five years earlier-skeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true. Leno's show, panned by critics, dragged down the ratings-and the profits-of NBC's affiliates, while ratings for Conan's new Tonight show plummeted to the lowest levels in history. Conan's collapse, meanwhile, opened an unexpected door of opportunity for rival David Letterman. What followed was a boisterous, angry, frequently hilarious public battle that had millions of astonished viewers glued to their sets. In The War for Late Night, New York Times reporter Bill Carter offers a detailed behind-the-scenes account of the events of the unforgettable 2009/2010 late-night season as all of its players- performers, producers, agents, and network executives-maneuvered to find footing amid the shifting tectonic plates of television culture.
About the Author
Bill Carter joined The New York Times as a national media reporter in 1989. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Late Shift, two other books on the television industry, Monday Night Mayhem and Desperate Networks, and has written numerous articles for The New York Times Magazine and other publications. He has been a guest on Nightline, Today, CNN, Charlie Rose, The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, and many other shows.
I wish Shaw would get rid of stupid Peachtree TV and get TBS back... not really because there's a lot I'd watch on TBS (maybe Conan), but mostly because I hate Peachtree TV.
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I wish Shaw would get rid of stupid Peachtree TV and get TBS back... not really because there's a lot I'd watch on TBS (maybe Conan), but mostly because I hate Peachtree TV.
When Shaw switched from TBS to Peachtree TV it was a little baffling as Peachtree is one of those dime a dozen US stations. Lots of syndicated shows and movies with poor editting.
When Shaw switched from TBS to Peachtree TV it was a little baffling as Peachtree is one of those dime a dozen US stations. Lots of syndicated shows and movies with poor editting.
It's a CRTC issue.
WTBS (now WPCH), the local Atlanta station has been approved for carriage in Canada (same as WGN in Chicago), but TBS has not. This wasn't an issue when both channels aired virtually identical schedules, but in 2007, the stations were officially split and branded separately.
As it stands, Canadian cable/satellite providers can only carry the Atlanta local station.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!