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On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:57:51 -0500, "Ken McM." <...@yahoo.com
Top Ten Formats for Leno show
10. Survivor - LA
9. Who wants to still be a millionaire
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On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:10:10 -0600, Brady <...@earthlink.net
Hmm. That's one outcome I didn't anticipate.
[http://tinyurl.com/6zwbos]
Makes sense for both NBC and Leno, I guess.
What does NBC do if Leno starts getting regularly pummeled in the
ratings by *CSI*, et al.?
Brady
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On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 18:26:51 -0800 (PST), DTSmith <...@queensu.ca
On Dec 8, 6:10 pm, Brady <...@earthlink.netFire his sorry ass and replace him with Mike Bullard. (another obscure
Canadian reference)
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On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 19:52:50 -0800 (PST), Robert Cohen <...@msn.com
On Dec 8, 9:26 pm, DTSmith <...@queensu.ca
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20081209/D94UU56O2.html
I am watching BOSTON LEGAL, and no fiction show is better & more nutty
I would probably watch Jay when the quality 10pm shows are in re-run
or on hiatus
So, for this viewer I can't see how NBC loses, because I don't watch
NBC with its usual fare
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On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:09:16 -0600, SG <...@yahoo.com
agreed, too bad tonight was the series finale, truly sorry to see this
one go
> NBC with its usual fare
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On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 21:02:10 -0800 (PST), Maybe <...@aol.com
So Leno is going to have a talk/variety show and 35 minutes later
Conan will follow him with a talk/variety show? Aren't they building
a studio for Conan in LA? Where is Leno going to do his show? NY or
LA? Are they going to have the same guests promoting the same things?
Maybe...so Conan is still following Leno
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Anonymous Wrote:
On Dec 8, 10:02 pm, Maybe <...@aol.com
This is the same deal NBC offered Dave to keep him from jumping to
another network. Dave wisely turned it down.
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Anonymous Wrote:
Where Is Leno Going? To Prime Time, on NBC
NBC will keep Jay Leno five nights a week, but in prime time,
competing not with David Letterman, but with shows like "CSI: Miami."
The network will announce Tuesday that Mr. Leno's new show will
appear at 10 o'clock each weeknight in a format similar to "The
Tonight Show," which he has hosted since 1993.
Five years ago NBC announced that it would hand the job of host of
that franchise show to Conan O'Brien in May 2009. Since then the
network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be
the late-night ratings leader, fearing that he could leave and start a
new late-night show on a competitor's network. "The Tonight Show" is
seen at 11:35 weeknights.
Mr. Leno, 58, was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox
network and the Sony television studio. But he was apparently
persuaded to stay at NBC after aggressive personal wooing by Jeff
Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, a unit of General
Electric.
Retaining Mr. Leno will undoubtedly be seen as a coup for Mr. Zucker,
who has faced some serious questions about the wisdom of guaranteeing
"The Tonight Show" to Mr. O'Brien and possibly losing Mr. Leno to
another network.
Details of Mr. Leno's agreement and the new show were provided by NBC
executives who were briefed on the matter and who requested anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk about the project until the
network made its announcement.
The new show, which will begin next fall, is expected to be set in Mr.
Leno's longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. Leno is expected to
retain many of the most popular elements of his "Tonight Show,"
including his monologue and bits like "Headlines" and "Jay Walking."
One "Tonight Show" staff member said the new program would not be a
variety show.
Mr. O'Brien, currently the host of NBC's "Late Night," will move "The
Tonight Show" to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal
City, Calif., in May. Mr. Leno, who is known to want to work as much
as possible, would then miss only three months on the air, and would
use that time to prepare his new show.
An executive involved in the discussions with Mr. Leno said that Mr.
Leno finally came around to the idea that the television business had
changed and a show like his could be a success in prime time.
Running the same show in prime time five nights a week would be a
novelty for a broadcast network. Such so-called stripped shows have
been a staple of daytime broadcasting.
The offer of a weeknight prime-time show is one that Mr. Zucker has
favored for some time. In 2002, when David Letterman, Mr. Leno's
competitor at CBS, was contemplating whether to renew his contract,
Mr. Zucker offered him a show at 8 o'clock weeknights. He turned it
down.
Executives involved in the decision said Monday that because ratings
have decreased and costs are becoming more critical, NBC could reap an
enormous financial benefit from this move.
Though Mr. Leno will command an enormous salary, probably more than
$30 million a year, the cost of his show will be a fraction of what a
network pays for dramas at 10 p.m. Those average about $3 million an
episode. That adds up to $15 million a week to fill the 10 p.m. hour.
Mr. Leno's show is expected to cost less than $2 million a week.
In addition, NBC will get more weeks of original programming. Network
dramas typically make 22 to 24 episodes a year. Under this deal, the
executives involved in the discussions said, Mr. Leno will perform 46
weeks a year.
That cost differential will probably be enough for NBC to absorb any
fall in ratings from its current slate of dramas. Mr. Leno has
averaged 4.8 million viewers for his show this year, with a rating of
1.3, or 1.7 million people, in the category of viewers ages 18 to 49,
which most advertisers favor.
Few shows now at 10 p.m. could be considered hits. They include "CSI:
Miami," and "CSI: New York" on CBS and "Law & Order SVU" and "E.R." on
NBC. "E.R." is about the leave the air. "SVU" will probably move to 9
p.m. next fall.
There have been no new hits at 10 p.m. on any network in almost four
years; ratings for shows in that time slot continue to fall.
That does not mean that neither the network nor Mr. Leno has no risk
in the move. Mr. Leno's shows tend to fare best in their first half
hour; if they were to decline too much in the second half hour, NBC's
affiliated stations would see their news shows adversely affected. And
there may be some question about whether Mr. Leno's show at 10 might
diminish the stature of Mr. OBrien's "Tonight Show" at 11:35.
But Peter Lassally, the longtime late-night producer of shows starring
Johnny Carson, Mr. Letterman and now Craig Ferguson, said that NBC
came to Mr. Carson in the late 1980s with a similar idea, but that Mr.
Carson turned it down.
"It's all different now," Mr. Lassally said. "The economic factors
have changed so much it makes complete sense for NBC to try this."
On Monday Mr. Zucker suggested at a news conference in New York that
in the future networks might have to cut back the hours of prime-time
programming. The program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut the
number of hours NBC needed to fill each week from 22 to 17.
Mr. Leno had no comment. NBC executives also declined to comment. The
network is expected to announce the deal with Mr. Leno in Los Angeles
on Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html?_r=2&em
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On Mon, 8 Dec 2008 21:51:23 -0800, "B. Peg" <...@worldnet.att.net
Leno will hang on even at the 10pm slot. Reality shows are becoming too
boring. CSI has had its run with too many versions. NBC has the only
decent lineup on Thursday nights, imho.
With all the automotive and motorcycle crap and mechanics that Leno's got in
LA, I doubt he'll move to New York any time soon.
Ferguson is funnier and more quick witted than Conan. His show is far
cheaper to produce as well (no band, minimal set). Conan has become too
predictable.
B~
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 00:04:22 -0800 (PST), Sally <...@aol.com
On Dec 9, 12:51�am, "B. Peg" <...@worldnet.att.net
NBC will regret it. Leno's 10 P.M. slot will be a dismal failure.
He'll be lucky if his "celebrity in a sack" watches it. Mm-mm. Not
gonna work. Jay's future lies in Vegas, as I see it. Heads will roll
for this decision.
Sally
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On Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:09:15 -0800, "Marcia R." <...@spamlessinlasvegas.net
And I wonder if Leno's fans will just follow him and Conan will be the
one to suffer.
Marcia
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On 9 Dec 2008 08:08:13 -0800, R H Draney <...@spamcop.net
Sally filted:
Vegas?...you think so?...
I'm thinking more "host of the all-new Tic Tac Dough"....r
--
"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!"
"You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!"
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 08:25:39 -0800 (PST), James Langdell <...@gmail.com
I'm sure Leno is enough of a professional to take on this new
assignment. But, it's certainly a change of pace for Jay to go around
solving murders and transplanting organs five nights a week. I mean,
what else do people on TV do at 10 PM?
--James
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 10:37:59 -0800 (PST), Sally <...@aol.com
On Dec 9, 11:25�am, James Langdell <...@gmail.com
I'd grin, but there was a power failure in Delray Beach this morning,
and I had a heck of a time getting access tp the Internet. Very funny,
James, as you usually are. Don't stop. I always get anxious when I
have to pull a plug and restart the computer after what are, to me, a
few magic moves. Also, the wind is howling and I have to go out. Hate,
hate, hate howling winds. Carmel, California is one place I could
never live, therefore.
Sally
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 11:59:53 -0800 (PST), Robert Cohen <...@msn.com
re: CNBC discussion
The 10pm drama shows cost tres cher beaucoup, and so Bossman Jeff
Zucker...
The discussion consensus is that it's a smart risk
Me: and if it backfires, then
so what, they could surely find at least one popular Canadian,
British or Australian etc melodrama, or maybe a terrific reality
ratings attraction
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 18:52:12 -0800 (PST), James Langdell <...@gmail.com
Sally <...@aol.com
When I was in college, I took clarinet lessons with Rosario Mazzeo,
who lived in the Carmel Highlands. Sometimes I'd have to stop playing,
because I wouldn't be heard over the wind outside.
--James
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:48:51 -0800 (PST), Sally <...@aol.com
On Dec 9, 9:52�pm, James Langdell <...@gmail.com
It's a wild town. Figures that Clint Eastwood would choose to be its
Mayor some years back. Do you believe those twisted, gnarled trees?
There's a violence about Carmel. Strange to think that Doris Day would
pick that place to settle down in. Hey, James, do you know "Shepherd
On the Rock" by Shubert? I know how to sing that one...I also know
"The Wayward Wind" since I was a kid. Gogi Grant.
Sally
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 13:41:56 -0800 (PST), Gary <...@yahoo.com
I bet the contract won’t allow Leno leave NBC even if they cancel his
new show after two weeks, and is basically a retainer that’ll have
nothing to do with performance. So if it works out, then they both
win. And if it doesn’t, well Jay still gets paid multi millions for
doing nothing and NBC stops him from going elsewhere at 11.30. Its a
win-win.
I just wonder what the hell Conan makes of all this! Is Jay just going
to do the Tonight Show at 10pm?
Gary
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On Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:41:35 -0600, polar <...@winternet.com
I can't imagine how this will work. This just
looks like NBC programming is taking the cheap
and easy way out in filling up their prime time.
In a few months we'll all be talking about the
Leno prime time disaster and how we all saw it
coming.
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 17:28:46 -0800 (PST), Robert Cohen <...@msn.com
On Dec 9, 5:41 pm, polar <...@winternet.com
In slight defense of NBC
They have tried various formats and shows, and they used to run second
or 3rd run movies, as did ABC
They do pay for ER, approx $25 million for an hour, and they can't
make money without running it several times, and it gets old fast for
people that even like the show
ST ELSEWHERE was better imho--it was subsequently run in syndication
as is ER now
They can have Leno in prime time for perhaps less than $5 million per
week, and we are going into recession or worse
PRIME TIME was a quality news magazine, thanks to Jane Pauley, Stone
Phillips
They ran it at least twice a week in prime time, maybe more outside of
prime time
They still run it, but only once in prime time (is 7pm Sunday
considered "prime time?")
Anyhow--I know I've got this half-assss jambled up,
ratings demand prime time semi schlocky stuff of which i refuse to
watch
i'm watching oberman on MSNBC right now, and i'd watch most anything
else than prime time nowadays, that's how much i loathe the corny
crape
tv now with upteen dozens of channels is never going to be as good as
its golden years, when the 3-4 networks were oligopalizing it
Longgggggg before Fox there was Dumont TV Network, though I can
recall only weak programs admittedly (they actually had an astronaut
show even before Nimoy & Shattner I think, the main charater's name
was "Captain Al" or close
today, it's so many choices and the ad money is of course diluted
NBC is trying to adapt and not lose money for GE in recession, and
that's a lot of pressure, though
the experiment imho should pay off
Leno's jokes aren't that much nightclubby, and so children staying up
can watch too w/o the parents being embarrassed
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On Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:09:33 -0500, Tom W <...@myway.com
They are not denying that. Nothing else seems to be working for them in that
time slot, anyway.
The Jay Leno Show doesn't launch until fall 2009. I'm not so sure it's destined
to fail. Since Leno's not coming up with a completely new show, he and his staff
know what they're doing.
Tom W
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On 10 Dec 2008 19:14:02 GMT, "Default User" <...@yahoo.com
NBC has been making noises about reducing the number of hours of
programming. I suppose this is sort of a compromise move.
Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:02:21 -0600, polar <...@winternet.com
Right now, I watch NBC at 10 pm sometimes on
Sundays when they have football. ER went down
the drain years ago and the original Law and
Order, while still good, has been haphazardly
scheduled for too long.
I didn't know it will start in the Fall 2009, all
the news I heard made it sound like it was coming
rather soon. Leno's show will be cheap to produce
so the standards of success will be much lower than
the dramas and whatever being shown on the other
networks.
All I know for certain is that I won't be watching.
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Anonymous Wrote:
Leno's move to prime time becomes monologue fodder
NEW YORK (AP) Jay Leno treated his move to prime time at NBC like all
headlines -- as monologue fodder.
"A lot of people were shocked," the host of "The Tonight Show" joked
Tuesday night. "They didn't know NBC still had a prime time."
The network announced Tuesday that Leno will get a show five nights a
week at 10 Eastern, after he leaves the "Tonight" show next May. The
network had announced nearly five years ago that Conan O'Brien would
move to "Tonight" and succeed Leno.
Leno, 50, made light of his possible jump to another network,
playfully telling stagehands: "Guys, leave those boxes. We're not
going anywhere."
He also said reports about a possible move "were nothing but rumors
started by a disgruntled employee: me."
Leno joked that his longtime rival - CBS' David Letterman - would try
to one-up him with a scheduling change by having a show at 9:59 p.m.
(Earlier this year, Letterman said he wants to continue hosting his
"Late Show" past 2010.)
Letterman's only allusion to Leno's deal in his monologue Tuesday came
at the very beginning: "Welcome to the 'Late Show,'" he said. "Still
at 11:35."
Craig Ferguson on CBS also had a little fun with it. "Jay's getting a
little older now," Ferguson said. "So 10 p.m. is kinda 'late night'
for Jay."
Leno's deal also has the potential to be a big cost savings for NBC. A
talk show is considerably cheaper to produce than the dramas that
usually air at 10 p.m. Eastern.
Leno could now deliver his nightly monologue and sketches to more
viewers. Generally about 50 percent more people are watching TV at 10
p.m. than at 11:35 p.m.
Dramas used to be a mainstay of network schedules, and NBC's own
history at the time slot includes "ER," "Hill Street Blues," "Law &
Order" and "L.A. Law."
Yet dramas have been fading in recent years. One reason is digital
video recorders; more people are watching shows they taped earlier
than the live 10 p.m. shows.
Ten years ago, "ER" was the top-rated show in television, with an
average of 25.4 million viewers. This season, its last, "ER" is
averaging 9.9 million viewers and is ranked No. 33 in prime time.
Besides "ER," NBC this season airs "Law & Order" and its "Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit" spinoff in the 10 p.m. time slot - both shows
that could easily move to an earlier hour. "My Own Worst Enemy" and
"Lipstick Jungle," shows in the 10 p.m. hour on Monday.
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 20:33:16 -0800 (PST), Maybe <...@aol.com
But ER is gone in March. The series finale is March 12.
And, NBC just announced their new mid-season shows on December 3.
What becomes of the 10 pm shows they just announced?
From:
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=51001
<The new post-January mid-season additions to NBC's program schedule
grid follows (all times ET); new series are capitalized except for
"ER":
MONDAYS (beginning February 2)
8-9 p.m. -- "Chuck" (returns with "3-D" episode)
9-10 p.m. -- "Heroes" (new volume "Fugitives" begins)
10-11 p.m. -"Medium"
WEDNESDAYS
8-9 p.m. -- "Knight Rider" (season finale February 25; new show
beginning March 4 to be announced soon)
9-10 p.m. - "Life" (beginning February 4)
THURSDAY (March 12)
9-11 p.m. - "ER" Series Finale
THURSDAY
9-11 p.m. - "KINGS" (two-hour series premiere March 19)
10-11 p.m. - "KINGS" (regular day and time beginning March 26)
I don't know, why did they even announce the new schedule before the
Leno announcement?
Maybe...unless they are expecting all the 10 pm shows to fail by the
time Leno starts
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 20:48:41 -0800 (PST), Donz5 <...@aol.com
On Dec 9, 11:33 pm, Maybe <...@aol.com
That's fitting.
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 21:03:35 -0800, "Alan Page" <...@spamsucceed.net
Maybe wrote...
"Donz5" wrote...
Why is Dave Barr's birthday fitting?
--
Alan
www.best-page.us
http://www.wfp.org/lateshow
~WWWWW~
What a Wonderful Web We Weave
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On Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:06:53 -0600, Brady <...@earthlink.net
Because it's just the right size.
<<hand
Brady
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On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 21:07:57 -0800 (PST), Maybe <...@aol.com
On Dec 9, 8:48�pm, Donz5 <...@aol.com
A nice birthday present for Donz!
Maybe...you should have a guest role as an ER patient!
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:48:18 -0800 (PST), Donz5 <...@aol.com
On Dec 10, 11:29 pm, Helen Read <...@together.net
Author must have read his birth year (1950) as his current age.
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:31:12 -0800 (PST), Gary <...@yahoo.com
I guess this all means we won’t see Jay guest on Late Show next year.
I was sure it was going to happen after Dave’s interview with Rolling
Stone where he said he’d love to have Jay on the first night he was
out of work. Well maybe it could still happen. Anyone think so?
Gary
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:50:48 -0800 (PST), Sally <...@aol.com
On Dec 10, 4:31 pm, Gary <...@yahoo.com
Dave said he'd like to have Jay on the first night he was out of work?
That's killingly sarcastic. I really don't think an appearance could
still happen. Too much weird behavior on the phonily "angelic" and
contrite Leno's part. They can't be friends again. I think Jay has
proven himself way too neurotic about work and particularly in his
desire to defeat Dave. Creepy in the highest. A meeting on Late Show
between the two would garner high ratings, but might lead to
bloodshed. Paul would have to intervene.
Sally
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Anonymous Wrote:
Who wins, loses when Jay Leno moves his talk show to prime time
Last month, Jay Leno made it clear in an interview with the Free Press
that he thinks the government should throw Detroit automakers a
lifeline.
This week, Leno gave a bailout of sorts to his own employer -- not by
loaning money to NBC, but by agreeing to stay with the beleaguered
network and move his late-night act to prime time.
The dust is settling from the news that the current host of "The
Tonight Show," who has long been set to leave that job at the end of
May, will launch a show next fall that airs at 10 p.m. weeknights.
Is it a brilliant piece of forward-thinking strategy? A makeshift
measure against bleak economic realities? An indication that the face
of network television will never be the same? All of the above?
Leno's shift is more than a blip on the entertainment radar. This is
history-making, TV-quaking stuff.
"It's the biggest story of the year," says TV Guide senior
correspondent Stephen Battaglio, surveying the tube landscape.
It's also another sign of the times. In the new age of anxiety, every
assumption once taken for granted now seems totally up for grabs --
whether it concerns your job, your mortgage or, yes, even your bedtime
rituals.
Here's a look at who the potential winners and losers are in the Leno
deal, from the big names to the viewers at home.
- The networks. Holding on to Leno is a big plus for NBC, a network
that recently announced job cuts and is reeling from the bleak economy
and its failure to launch successful new shows.
"Frankly, NBC needed a win," says Ben Grossman, editor-in-chief of
Broadcasting & Cable. "Keeping Jay Leno in the fold? I haven't talked
to anyone who doesn't consider that a good move."
ABC is the loser in the expectations game. It was widely assumed Leno
-- the ratings leader in his current 11:35 p.m. "Tonight Show" perch
-- would land there and take over the space now occupied by
"Nightline" and the first half of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." That's why
Kimmel joked on Tuesday, "I feel like a huge chin has been lifted off
of my shoulders."
CBS, however, is feeling fine. It didn't want to compete against both
Leno and O'Brien at late night. Plus, the Eye network is likely
thrilled at having fewer NBC dramas vying against its popular crime
procedurals such as "CSI: Miami" in their 10 p.m. slot
- The hosts. Call it poetic justice, Jay-style. In 2004, NBC struck a
bargain that nudged Leno from "The Tonight Show" spot by 2009 and
locked in younger-skewing Conan O'Brien as his replacement.
Then, with the transition just around the corner, NBC reveals a plan
that essentially keeps O'Brien in secondary status.
"The biggest loser it seems to me is Conan," says Mary Ann Watson,
professor of electronic media at Eastern Michigan University. "It's
like Leno is just totally stealing his thunder."
Still, O'Brien, who has made gracious comments about the plan, must
prefer it to the alternative. Ratings-wise, he should be in a better
position when he takes over "The Tonight Show" in June than he would
have been if Leno had moved to ABC.
As for former "Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon, who's replacing
O'Brien in the 12:35 a.m. late-late shift, becoming the third-string
guy takes pressure off him to make a splash. On his official video
blog, Fallon sarcastically deadpanned that with two talk shows
preceding him, "people are going to be ready for another hour of
talk."
And what about Leno's longtime rival David Letterman? He seemed to
take the news in stride. "Welcome to the 'Late Show,' still at 11:35,"
he cracked Tuesday on CBS.
- The viewers. For some Leno fans, it boils down to this: They'll be
able to catch Jay at 10 p.m. and go to bed earlier.
"The Jay Leno Show," the working title of the new project, is supposed
to have the same monologues, comedy bits like "Headlines," news-making
interviews and overall flavor as Leno's current format.
Sleep-saving potential aside, it's not clear how many people Leno can
attract. The potential audience is larger, but it's used to seeing
scripted dramas and newsmagazines at that hour. "The Tonight Show" has
averaged nearly 5 million viewers this year -- numbers that aren't
impressive for prime time.
Why is NBC willing to take the gamble? One reason: Topical humor is
hot coming off the 2008 presidential campaign, and Leno provides that
in abundance (although the counter-argument to that is that the
election is over). Another reason: It has been nearly impossible over
the past few years to create a hit show in the 10 p.m. slot.
Yet another: A mix of jokes and interviews bouncing off the day's
events might stem the tide of viewers spending 10 p.m. watching shows
they've recorded on their DVRs. "It's the kind of show you really
can't tape," says Battaglio.
- The financial impact. TV is a creative medium, but it all comes down
to money. Even considering Leno's reported multimillion-dollar salary,
it will be cheaper for NBC to pay him than to float the $3
million-or-so-per-episode price tag for a scripted drama. According to
the New York Times, Leno's show will cost less than $2 million a week,
compared with $15 million for a slate of dramas.
Airing Leno will free up NBC to focus its resources on 8-10 p.m.
projects. And where scripted sitcoms and dramas produce about 22 weeks
of original programming, Leno will churn out around 46 weeks each
year.
On the other hand, NBC won't be able to profit from the syndication
deals and DVD sales that scripted hits can generate. Fresh monologues
don't have a lucrative future in boxed sets.
Watson notes another possible long-term drawback for NBC, recalling
ABC's love affair with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," which aired
several nights a week.
"At the time it was a big hit, there was no drive to do creative
development on other programming," Watson recalls. "They were really
hurt for a couple of years after the trend wore off, because they had
fewer projects in the hopper."
- The talent. If you're a celebrity with something to plug, this is a
win-win. You'll have a better shot at popping up on prime time without
having to bare your soul to Diane Sawyer or Ann Curry.
There could be some testy battles over high-profile guests with
O'Brien, who's relocating to the west coast. Leno has the time
advantage. "If you're a movie star with a big project to pitch, it
makes more sense to go on at 10 o'clock," says Watson. But as an NBC
player, Leno may want to share his spoils with O'Brien.
The downside for actors and writers looking for work, however, is
having fewer possible jobs on NBC.
- The local newscasts. What kind of lead-in will Leno provide for the
11 p.m. news at NBC stations? WDIV Local 4 general manager Marla Drutz
says the jury is still out on that.
She can spot a couple of nights on NBC's current 10 p.m. lineup where
Leno would be an upgrade. She's not sure yet about the rest of the
week.
Right now, "The Tonight Show" is front-loaded with comedy and big-name
guests, and it experiences a ratings drop in the final half-hour. If
Leno keeps the same routine in prime time, it could impact local NBC
newscasts, like the one anchored by Devin Scillian and Carmen Harlan.
Drutz sees the glass as half-full, not half-empty. The right mix of
bookings and buzz could turn 10 o'clock into the hot destination for
fall. But Leno's team will need to save some of the best stuff for the
last half-hour to help keep eyes glued to newscasts.
"I think it's going to be incumbent on them to program and book the
show so the voice of affiliates is heard," says Drutz.
- The traditions of TV. For those who grew up with "The Tonight Show,"
it's odd to imagine Leno shifting the paradigm to prime time every
weeknight. "If he does the exact same type of show, it's going to be
strange," says Battaglio.
But, hey, it was weird when reality TV reduced the clout of scripted
series, and when pay cable became the place for quality dramas, and
when basic cable started winning Emmys.
It's a shifting media world and a scary economy. Desperation can lead
to innovation. Grossman calls this "a bold move by NBC." Yet it's also
a melancholy moment for those who remember when 10 p.m. sprouted NBC
hits like "Law & Order."
Could this also be a tipping point for the broadcast networks as they
inch toward the niche strategies of cable networks? Is it possible to
conceive an NBC, Fox or ABC that's all reality and talk? It just got a
little easier.
Then again, maybe it's just a redefinition, not a revolution -- baby
boomers morphing pop culture to fit their own preferences. For an
aging population, anything after 9 p.m. doesn't feel much like prime
time.
"For older viewers, 10 o'clock is pretty much late night," says
Watson.
http://www.freep.com/article/20081214/ENT03/812140324
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Anonymous Wrote:
How Leno Won. Again.
by Bill Zehme
The co-writer of Leno's autobiography, on why NBC always knifes its
late-night royals - and a never publicly seen note Leno once sent to
Johnny Carson about it.
Let me confess that I've known James Douglas Muir Leno - man, mystery,
machine - since his juggernaut jaw first began its near unfathomable
and unequalled conquest of American Comedy. Across twenty-five years
of bearing close personal witness (though not as close for the last
handful of years or so, after we finally displeased each other into
lamentable shared silence), I will thusly vouch: He is nothing if not
purebred competitive warhorse who has always managed to win, and win
defiantly, secretly relishing his primordial belief that he's never
been as good as other people in his line of work.
"I've always been the underdog," he has long averred. (This makes the
winning forever sweeter, he will tell you, privately, maybe.) "I'm a
very great believer in low self-esteem," he said just yesterday
morning during the NBC media conference wherein his newest job
assignment was made official - this zeitgeist-bending switch from the
sacrosanct irreverent shadows of Late Night into the populist poppy
fields of Prime Time, on a five-night-a-week basis immediately prior
to the local newscasts that have predicated the bejeweled Tonight Show
institution since, well, always. And, of course, this move doesn't
exactly surprise those of us who vaguely understand the Leno psyche -
certainly no more than would have a huffy defection to an opposing
broadcast entity so as to wreak glib revenge on the network whose name
he once suggested stood for Never Believe your Contract.
But that was, what, sixteen years ago during the ugliest moment in his
life (i.e. Leno vs. Letterman, re: Carsonian succession - maybe you
remember it?), over which he would ultimately prevail, because that is
what Leno does best. (He might otherwise swear that his highest
calling - as he oddly repeated yesterday - is fulfillment of the
slightly hoary mantra: "Write jokes, tell jokes, get check.")
Of course, the layers of Leno plunge deep with dichotomies abounding,
each serving him heroically beneath grinning opaque veneer. "I have an
expression," he told me years ago. "Think like a man, smile like a
woman. And that's how I get through life. Most people don't know how I
feel on most subjects." And that would include the subject presently
at hand. "I'd love to know how Jay made that decision," says
late-night eminence Peter Lassally, producer to a pantheon (Carson,
Letterman, Tom Snyder, and today's cheeky Craig Ferguson). "I don't
believe he did it to play good company man, because I'm sure he felt
the network knifed him."
To that end, it could be argued that NBC is merely upholding its
unique tradition of knifing its Late Night royals, beginning with the
steadfast squeezing-out of King John William Carson (dagger-point era,
circa 1991-92), followed instantly by the shunning of noble Prince
Letterman-in-waiting, followed by the 2004 edict that jolly Lord Leno
- no matter his high-flying ratings - would have to abdicate his
throne five years hence to make way for nimble jester Conan O'Brien,
who cannot be altogether pleased that his larger-than-life predecessor
will be usurping topical thunder ninety minutes ahead of him Every
Single Night for untold years to come.
Indeed, what with Leno being Leno at a "decent hour," the historic
dark splendor of The Tonight Show (such as it is anymore) - and what
has now manifested as the Silver Age of Late Night essentiality,
wherein all these shows burst with fine merit - will be appreciably
devalued, if not made somewhat superfluous. If this represents Leno
prevailing by way of nuclear strike against the nocturnal genre
itself, he would prefer not to think about it, I think. Instead, he
shrugged yesterday and cited our disastrous economy as great
(patriotic?) reason to move himself up in the nighttime: "People now
have to go to bed earlier, get up earlier..."
I mean not at all to be cynical here - in the best sense, Leno has
flawlessly become this generation's Bob Hope, a national treasure of
sorts, their aboriginal chins just a coincidental thing - although
Leno's general job description does make cynicism requisite for him,
and also for those in his proximity. Having written several lengthy
Leno profiles over the years (same goes for Letterman-chronicling), I
became the chosen collaborator on his 1996 memoir Leading With My Chin
- which (cynicism alert!) he actually wanted to call A Good Dog Will
Run Till His Heart Explodes. "It's an old hunting expression I heard
and always liked," he explained, inherent creepiness notwithstanding.
Perseverance, you see, is his raison d'tre, which is why insiders
rightfully believe that he will never leave the air until Letterman
goes at least one day ahead of him, because Dave lives in Jay's craw
and vice-versa, but I think there's a weird mutual love there as well
as a psychic tangle knotted so insidiously as to be ever fully
fathomed. "I just heard CBS is going to be running Letterman at
9:59PM," Leno eerily cracked at his news conference Tuesday, as if to
declare their loggerheads forever in play. (Letterman, when informed
Monday of the Leno prime-time shift, reportedly gave a nonplussed "Oh
really..." - then changed the subject.)
But in the end I do believe Good Dog Jay's intentions were pure in
making Conan's ascent drama-free by agreeing to step down next year.
That Carson clearly would have bequeathed his desk to Dave has never
been lost on Leno - indeed, I am fairly sure it haunts him still, if
just a little. Which calls to mind a sweet placating letter he once
shared with me, written to the then recently retired Carson during the
thick of aftermath squabbling over whether NBC would unseat him in
favor of keeping Letterman from bolting. Sent after he had bumped into
the great departed King at an awards ceremony, it dripped with
self-flagellating chagrin and stands as a lost but essential peek into
Leno conscientiousness:
"Dear Johnny: Just a little note to wish you good luck on your trip to
Africa. Im sure whatever dangerous situations or wild beasts you
encounter couldn't possibly be any stranger than what is going on at
NBC. Have you heard the latest idea? Simulcast live: Dave on one side
of the screen, me on the other. If there is one bright spot in all of
this, it was being able to talk and have a few laughs with you at the
American Teacher Awards. Seeing you smile at me when I walked into
that green room, it meant more to me than anything that has happened
before or since. I was extremely touched by your graciousness,
considering how poorly everything at my end was handled. I was stupid
and nave and will never again allow anyone to handle my affairs for
me. If you remember the story I told you backstage, I would like to
quote Arnold Schwarzenegger's words to me, 'LENO, YOU ASSSSSSSSSHOLE.'
Yours truly, Jay Leno."
Somehow I sense he vowed to never again lay himself open to such
scorching consternation - whether from future action-hero governors or
from professional brethren - even if it means removing himself from
his beloved Late Night war games and entering an altogether new arena
wherein he cannot possibly prevail every night of the week.
"Will we lose against CSI the second week [we're on the air]?" he said
yesterday. "Sure. It's hard to go up against [dramatic series dialogue
like] 'Your dream became a nightmare . . .'" Oddly, when I heard Leno
deliver that intentionally cheesy line, my mind drifted directly
toward Conan's suddenly transformed lot and to a telephone exchange he
had with Johnny Carson four years ago upon learning that he would
succeed Leno as the next host of The Tonight Show. Said a humbled
Conan to the King in absentia, "Listen, I'm going to do my best to
take care of this franchise." To which Carson, with legendary wryness,
responded, "That's quite a franchise, isnt it?" Conan would later
tell me, "You could almost hear his eyes roll."
Bill Zehme co-wrote Jay Lenos bestselling autobiography Leading with
My Chin and is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Way You
Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'. He is at work
on the first definitive biography of Johnny Carson "Carson The
Magnificent" for Random House.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-12-10/how-leno-won-again
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:52:00 -0800 (PST), "kat...@earthlink.net" <...@earthlink.net
Leno Excited to Face Future
Now that the what-will-he-do drama is over, Jay Leno seems eager to
begin the next chapter in his TV career.
In an exclusive interview with TelevisionWeek Monday night, just hours
before NBC made his new deal official, Mr. Leno seemed even more
relaxed and upbeat than usual. If he bore any lingering animosity
toward NBC executives for handing over “The Tonight Show” to Conan
O’Brien, he didn’t show it. In fact, Mr. Leno seemed happy to pass the
baton to Mr. O’Brien and excited about the idea of a new challenge.
He also indicated that one of his main priorities in deciding his next
move was making sure he continued to work with the same people who
have helped him put on “The Tonight Show” for the past 17 years. As
risky as his new 10 p.m. program will be, the idea of starting all
over again somewhere else seemed even less appealing, he said.
Most of all, Mr. Leno seemed pleased that he’ll be able to continue
doing what he loves best: telling jokes on TV. “I’m not a retiring
kind of guy,” he said.
Here’s what Mr. Leno had to say on a number of topics:
On how the deal came together:
“About a year ago, NBC came to me and said, ‘What do you think about
doing five nights a week at 8 o’clock’? I said I didn’t think I had
the strength to carry an 8 p.m. hour. But I asked NBC to do more
research about other time periods … and they eventually came to me and
said, ‘What about 10 o’clock?’ … (Ultimately), NBC made me an offer.
It was fair. I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
On whether the 10 p.m. show will be a carbon copy of “The Tonight
Show”:
“No. ‘The Tonight Show’ belongs to Conan O’Brien now. So the desk, the
format … it will be a little bit different. It’s really based on what
do people like and not like. I’ve been keeping notes for 17 years. I’m
not going to suddenly start doing modern interpretive dance. I like to
stand up and tell jokes.”
On the idea of jumping ship:
“It was tempting. I know what’s out there. But at 11:30, I’m going up
against everyone. I don’t want my own troops shooting me as I go out
the door.
“And if I went somewhere else, I’d have to start all over. I have a
heritage here. I can call up the art department and say, ‘Hey,
remember when we did that bit five years ago? You still got that prop?
I have history I can draw on.’
“I can also get this new show on the air in September or even late
August. If I left, it would be well after January (2010) before I
could be on the air.”
On his relationship with Conan O’Brien:
“I do like Conan. He’s a friend of mine. In the same way I provide a
strong lead-in now, I think I can do that for him at 10 o’clock. It
seems logical.”
On the possibility of competing with Mr. O’Brien for guests, where Mr.
Leno might have an advantage now that he’ll be in prime-time:
“We (manage bookings) now. Would I love to get Angelina Jolie first?
Sure. Sometimes a guest will want to do Conan first, and we say fine,
just do us 10 days later and tell a different story. That doesn’t
change. And it’ll be easier than if I was somewhere else.”
On the risk of doing a prime-time show:
“This will be an interesting challenge. If this was the beginning of
my career, I would have said no. Now, if I can get a few years out of
it, then great.”
On his reaction to NBC’s decision to name Mr. O’Brien as his successor
five years early:
“I’m an adult. When I took this show over, they said, ‘We’ll probably
ask you to leave at the top of your game.’ Johnny was No. 1 when he
got the nod. When I (agreed to announce Mr. O’Brien as host of
‘Tonight’) it was to avoid all of that ‘Screw you,’ ‘No, screw you.’
“The best years of my career was when I used to go on the Letterman
show. When I got ‘The Tonight Show’ it strained that relationship.
When Conan takes over, it’s going to be a peaceful transition. It’s
not a military coup. I wasn’t forced out. It’s the nature of the
business. And now I have somewhere to go.
“I don’t get depressed. The secret is to make showbiz money and try to
lead a normal life. I’m real happy.”
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/12/leno_excited_to_face_future.php
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On Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:44:03 -0800 (PST), "kat...@earthlink.net" <...@earthlink.net
Is Leno the answer for NBC?
Network unveils new primetime talkshow
Jay Leno's show in the 10 p.m. slot will adopt elements of 'The
Tonight Show.'
NBC took the wraps off its primetime Jay Leno gabber on Tuesday,
touting it as an answer to the network's ratings woes.
As first leaked Monday, the tentatively titled "The Jay Leno Show" --
a moniker Leno isn't too fond of -- will air weeknights at 10 starting
in fall 2009 on NBC.
Leno, flanked by NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chairs
Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, told reporters at a Universal City
press conference that he plans to retain most of the elements that
have made "The Tonight Show" the top-rated latenight talker for nearly
a decade and a half.
That means his usual monologue, such bits as "Headlines" and
"Jaywalking," and guests and musical acts. Band leader Kevin Eubanks
is expected to remain. But Leno also plans to expand the show's scope
given the increased budget he'll have to play with in primetime.
"We'll take elements of the show that we know work -- monologue, drop-
ins, topical stuff," Leno said. "Probably get more newsmaker things.
(But) the desk and the format of 'The Tonight Show' belong to 'The
Tonight Show.' That will go with Conan."
Leno credited NBC U topper Jeff Zucker for approaching him last month
about stripping a Leno skein weeknights at 10.
Indeed, until recently, NBC insiders had believed Leno's move to ABC
was inevitable, but Zucker was tenacious in making a deal, Leno said.
"I know NBC," he said. "I know the people I work with ... it just
makes it easier."
The Peacock's fortunes changed after the 10 p.m. plan was floated --
and Leno decided to stick with the network where he's spent the past
two decades. It was all over Monday, when Leno called Disney chief Bob
Iger to say "thanks, but no thanks."
"We feel somewhat like the guy that asks his longtime girlfriend over
and over to marry him and she keeps saying no, and then one day he
asks just because he's used to asking and she says, 'OK,' " Graboff
said.
Nonetheless, Leno didn't pull any punches Tuesday, noting that NBC
"barely has six hours of programming" anyway -- and his relationship
with the Peacock had been strained in recent years.
"Originally, I wasn't going to stay with NBC, but I remembered
something my parents told me when I was a kid," he quipped. "They said
whatever you do in life, always try to come in fourth."
Later, he added, "There were reports that I was going to ABC, but that
was started by a disgruntled employee -- me."
Leno also noted that there wasn't any hurry to get his deal done --
pointing out that his old NBC contract ran through January 2010, and
that the Peacock wasn't going to let him work elsewhere anyway.
"You guys have screwed me through January," he said.
Under terms of his contract, had Leno departed NBC, he would have been
forced to wait six months -- until January 2010 -- before appearing
elsewhere. Now, under the new pact (said to span "several years"),
he'll only take next summer off.
Although the 10 p.m. idea had been circulating for months, Leno said
he and attorney Ken Ziffren had only recently been given a firm
proposal by Zucker. NBC Universal had floated several other ideas by
Leno first, including an 8 p.m. show that would have consisted of just
a monologue and a few comedy bits.
"But that didn't seem like it would be enough to hold people to me,"
Leno said. "Eight o'clock doesn't sound real good."
Meanwhile, Leno said he's increasingly heard on the road from fans
that "The Tonight Show" is on too late for them to catch it. The
Peacock showed him studies that also charted a willingness by his
audience -- which has been aging, along with him -- to start watching
Leno at an earlier time.
"Ten years ago, this wouldn't have made any sense," Leno said. "The 10
o'clock shows were killers. ... (But) it just seemed like the time was
right for this. Would I do this at the beginning of my career? No. But
after 17 years of being on 'The Tonight Show,' it's fun to try
something different."
Asked whether he'd like to spend the rest of his career in this slot,
Leno said, "Probably."
"My mother's from Scotland, so we tend to die in the mine, so yeah,"
he said. "It would be nice to have a stroke during a taping and that
would be the end of it."
As for why Leno didn't ask for full ownership of the show -- or any
other concessions, most of which NBC probably would have granted --
the host said he had no desire to expand his domain.
"You can only eat so much pie," he said. "I don't need to be the
richest guy in show business ... I like being an employee; I don't
want to be the boss. I write jokes, tell jokes and get a check. I
enjoy making love; I don't want to be a gynecologist. I live in an
idiot dream world, like most people in show business."
As for incoming "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien, Leno said the two
have discussed the move, and there's no animosity between them.
"It's fair to say that our show at 11:30 does a lot better than a lot
of the 10 o'clock shows are doing," Leno said. "I've always given
Conan a lead-in from my show in the past and will continue to do that
in the future.
"Conan and I are great friends. That won't be any problem. It's less
of a problem than if we were on competing networks."
On "Late Night" Tuesday night, O'Brien said he was fine with the move.
"I am indebted to Jay Leno," O'Brien said. "And I love the idea that
the relationship is going to continue," O'Brien said.
Silverman called the "Leno Show" -- particularly the monologue -- "DVR-
proof" and said the primetime hour will allow "the scale and
opportunity for Jay to do what he does best."
"Jay is the only person who we'd ever pursue to do this," Silverman
said. "The idea of Jay being on primetime every night of the week not
only adds stability ... but further reinforces us as the home of the
best comedy on all of television."
Leno, Silverman and Graboff said they won't be competing in the
traditional sense against the 10 p.m. dramas on ABC and CBS, noting
that it's no longer an "apples-to-apples comparison."
"Do we expect to beat 'CSI'? Do we expect to beat some other 10
o'clock shows? No," Leno said. "Not at first run. ... But we can do
four or five of these shows for the cost of what a normal 10 o'clock
show does."
Indeed, while "Leno" will likely cost around $2 million a week to
produce, the cost of hourlong dramas has shot up dramatically in
recent years, surpassing even that figure for each episode.
As for ratings, Graboff said the threshold of success for Leno will be
lower than for scripted programming in the hour given the smaller
expense of a talkshow.
That said, Leno will be in originals for around 46 weeks a year,
giving NBC more originals in the hour than usual.
"This allows us to concentrate on 8 to 10 and create the best lead-ins
possible for Jay," Silverman said. "We're still doing as much
development but taking a more targeted approach. Overall, the load
will be similar in terms of weight."
The execs said they may now stick with more original fare on Fridays
and Saturdays, nights that had previously been given up for dead.
The new NBC schedule also may mean smaller episodic orders of series,
Silverman added, and more timeslot sharing. That also means fewer
repeats of scripted skeins.
"This is, in part, a response to advertisers clamoring for more
original programming," Silverman said. "We're not in the rerun game
anymore."
Of course, the Leno move is also a response to NBC's ongoing Nielsen
woes. With plenty of holes in its sked -- not to mention the
retirement of shows like "ER" -- the Peacock had more than enough room
to accommodate a stripped series at 10 p.m.
"We've been very focused and very vocal about how we are looking to
change how broadcast television works in this new-media landscape,"
Graboff said. "And we are looking to keep Jay Leno in the family. With
this, we have accomplished both."
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997082.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
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Anonymous Wrote:
I once heard a LS staffer say that Dave would retire one day after
Leno did.
Yup.
I don't think so.
Agreeance.
HA! He was forced out, plain and simple.
"Nave"? Come on. He knew exactly what he was doing.
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