Jay Leno going back to 11:30... Conan's future unclear

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Playfair

He moved his staff and family out to Cali, and now he is getting the shaft

Well let's not feel too sorry for the guy, he did get a nice fat $20M/year contract out of his move. And from what I've heard, his new place in LA is nothing to laugh at either (gf works for the Interior Designer who worked on his new house).

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by octothorp

It's pretty clear that this isn't about Conan vs. Letterman ratings, which are pretty even in key demographics: NBC announced that Conan beat Letterman in the 18-49 demographic, while CBS announced that Letterman beat Conan in the 25-54 demographic.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/04...-quarter/37565
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/04...-winners/37559

In other words, they're pretty close in 25-49 demographic, but Conan has more in the 18-25 demographic, while Dave has more in the 49-54 demographic. If you're NBC, it's not reason enough to pull the plug on the current lineup, especially if you're looking at the long-term investment.

If you look at the 18-54 demographic as being the important one, The trend is that every year, Conan's performance against Dave will improve as young viewers enter the demographic, and older viewers leave the demographic. People don't easily change their allegiances: talk shows provide a comfortable familiarity. The young people who begin to watch Conan now will still be watching him in fifteen years, and there's no reason to think that he won't be the best-rated talk-show host during that time.

He has lost something like 40% of Jay's ratings though, so the are losing money based on the fact that they aren't getting as much for advertising on the tonight show. Its a terrible situation, they never should have made the move in the first place.



Jerry Seinfeld sides with Jay

"I don't think anybody's done anything to Conan," the longtime Jay Leno pal said at the TV press tour on Sunday. "What did the network do to him? I don't think anybody's preventing anyone from watching Conan." Seinfeld pointed to Conan's rating woes: "You gotta hit the ball. They can't hit the ball for you. They can only give you the bat."

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Jerry Seinfeld sides with Jay

The reviews and ratings for Seinfeld weren't very good at first, but NBC stuck with it and eventually everyone involved benefitted. The ratings for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno weren't very good at first, but NBC stuck with it and eventually everyone involved benefitted. For those two guys to act like NBC isn't being unfair to Conan is hypocritical at best.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Jerry Seinfeld sides with Jay

One of Jay's best friends sides with him. Stunner.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Simmons is suggesting Conan go to Comedy Central after Stewart and Colbert at 12:05, that way he'd be allowed to be himself and do what he likes. Conan is better doing what he's good at, catering to a smaller particular audience, his show doesn't work watered down to the 65 year olds who watch Leno.

would Conan ever agree to play second fiddle to Stewart/Colbert? i'd love for that to happen though, if only for more cross show skits. the whole Colbert/Conan/Stewart "feud" during the writers strike was absolutely gold

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by gargamel

The reviews and ratings for Seinfeld weren't very good at first, but NBC stuck with it and eventually everyone involved benefitted. The ratings for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno weren't very good at first, but NBC stuck with it and eventually everyone involved benefitted. For those two guys to act like NBC isn't being unfair to Conan is hypocritical at best.

NBC wasn't fair to Jay though

was there a reason for him to be fired? he was first in the ratings and therefore revenue.

Conan is the one who demanded he be given the tonight show or he was going to leave for another network in 2004, and NBC agreed to do it in 2009

Where is Jay in the wrong here?

[Hack&Lube]

Conan after Stewart and Colbert would be great, not to mention they are all pals and film in New York. The whole late night scene in New York has a whole different flavor than the one in LA which is one reason things Conan didn't seem to translate. Conan's comedy is still geared for later in the night.

I guess they want Leno back in the Tonight Show and that's fine I suppose, but what's he going to for half an hour? Monologues, headlines, jaywalking, and one guest basically. No 2nd guest, no musical performance. That wouldn't be so bad.

I would still prefer Leno quit altogether and do Top Gear America.

Let's talk Letterman though, when do you think he's going to retire? He's 65 in two years. Johnny Carson left when he was 67.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

NBC wasn't fair to Jay though

was there a reason for him to be fired? he was first in the ratings and therefore revenue.

Conan is the one who demanded he be given the tonight show or he was going to leave for another network in 2004, and NBC agreed to do it in 2009

Where is Jay in the wrong here?

I believe the deal was that NBC would either give Conan the Tonight Show in 2009 or give Conan something like $35 million. They should have just paid the money and kept things as they were.

As is, Leno, Conan, Fallon, and probably Carson Daly are all rightfully upset with NBC. They've handled this as poorly as they possibly could from the start, and these time shifts are just the lastest in a long line of mistakes.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

NBC wasn't fair to Jay though

was there a reason for him to be fired? he was first in the ratings and therefore revenue.

Conan is the one who demanded he be given the tonight show or he was going to leave for another network in 2004, and NBC agreed to do it in 2009

Where is Jay in the wrong here?

He wasn't fired. His contract came to an end, and NBC had a commitment to go in another direction. He didn't do anything wrong here, but nor was he screwed over. Nor did Conan do anything wrong, who had lucrative offers from others networks, and needed assurances from NBC to stay with them.

In the end, I tend to think this will be an okay move for both shows: Jay gets to tell jokes in his old timeslot where he'll compete well against Letterman, Conan gets to retain the Tonight Show, which is his biggest priority, and probably gets more A-list guests than he did when they were being siphoned off by Leno's show. Fallon and Carson get screwed the most here, though in Fallon's case, he's new enough to the business that I don't think he'll complain.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Jay gets to tell jokes in his old timeslot where he'll compete well against Letterman, Conan gets to retain the Tonight Show, which is his biggest priority, and probably gets more A-list guests than he did when they were being siphoned off by Leno's show. Fallon and Carson get screwed the most here, though in Fallon's case, he's new enough to the business that I don't think he'll complain.

Jay only gets half his show back and probably half the guests. Conan's guest list usually had nothing to do with Leno siphoning them because his old show was based in New York and Leno was in LA so the available guests were completely different because of the location and scheduling and availability. Carson gets screwed completely because he loses his show but nobody watched it anyway. Fallon is the new kid but he'll put up with it since he doesn't have the tenure to do anything about it.

In my perfect world, Conan would still be in New York in his old (Letterman's) studio and Andy would be there as well. But then again, I live in the past.

I used to be the biggest fan of Leno, Conan, etc. and NBC in particular...I really don't care anymore as I'm more apt to watch Craig Ferguson.

Pretty happy CBS is uploading Ferguson's monologues to Youtube. None of that Hulu crap and I can catch the show without staying up at night.

[Sly]

I haven't been paying attention to the TV for a while.... I thought Leno retired? Is Fallon still going on?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Sly

I haven't been paying attention to the TV for a while.... I thought Leno retired? Is Fallon still going on?

Not to be a dick, but seriously? This thread is about nothing but discussing the questions you asked?

[fredr123]

http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/con...-monologue.php

In Conan's monologue last night, he takes some pretty good shots at NBC and this whole situation.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by fredr123

http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/con...-monologue.php

In Conan's monologue last night, he takes some pretty good shots at NBC and this whole situation.

I can't see the video. What did he say?

[Russic]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I can't see the video. What did he say?

Select remarks:

[Audience applauding] "Ladies and gentlemen, please! You keep that up and this monologue won't start until 12:05."
"Good evening, everybody. I'm Conan O'Brien, the new host of Last Call with Carson Daly."
"This weekend, a 6.5 earthquake hit California... the earthquake was so powerful, it knocked Jay Leno's show from 10:00 to 11:35." [Then mocks Leno's voice.]
"Everybody now wants to know what my plans are... all I can say is I plan to continue putting on a great show night after night, while stealing as many office supplies as humanly possible. I'm gonna rob this place blind."
"NBC announced they plan to lose $200 million on the Winter Olympics next month. Folks, is it just me, or is that story hilarious?"

A few minutes later, O'Brien reiterated that NBC wants to push his show to 12:05 AM so that Jay Leno can occupy the 11:35 PM time slot. O'Brien then played a scrolling video of some of his future "options" before the audience, many of which included jabs at NBC and Leno.

The options included:

Star in a Lifetime original movie about a woman trapped in an abusive relationship with her network.
Move to FOX and follow their hit "24" with a new show called "24:05."
Convince NBC to let me keep this time slot if I can gain 10 pounds of chin.
Bring sanity back to NBC by hiring Gary Busey as head of programming.
Leave television altogether, and work in a classier business with better people, like hardcore porn.

Here's the whole article: http://tv.gawker.com/5445941/conan-o...ghts-monologue

[Table 5]

I watched Conan (admittedly for the first time in a couple of months, as I haven't been in a talk show mood at all) and I have to say the is still as funny as I remember him to be. He was funny when he first started, he was funny in NY, and he is funny in LA.

I feel like this whole drama can only help the guy in the end just like all the Letterman drama helped him boost his ratings. Perhaps it awakes all the Conan fans out there, and makes them go and support their guy by turning on his show, instead of just being fans who love him from their youth, but who never actually watch the guy. I know I'm in that camp.

[Jordan!]

I plan to watch Conan now just to spite Jay Leno. As you said Table, I loved the guy I just have neglected to watch his show.

[InstantDeath]

Originally Posted by Sly

I haven't been paying attention to the TV for a while.... I thought Leno retired? Is Fallon still going on?

Jimmy Fallon is quite possibly the least funny person I have ever seen. I don’t get how people like him.

[Bigtime]

Conan just released a statement saying he will leave The Tonight Show if it is bumped to the midnight start time:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.
Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...ollowing-leno/

[Starfishy]

Great response. I have never been a huge fan of Conan's comedic style, but I do feel he is a very classy guy and this statement exhibits more of the same from him. It could be handled far more bitterly and unprofessionally, and in most cases would be.