Leno nightly at 10pm on NBC

[Dalton]

Wow.  This is a seismic shift in network television and how they do business.  Smart on NBC's part.  If it works out for them- great.  If after a year it tanks and Conan tanks, they can just move Leno back to 11:35 and no harm no foul (and no 50 million dollar payment penality to Conan for not giving him the Tonight Show).


NBC Expected to Give 10 P.M. Show to Leno


By BILL CARTER
Published: December 8, 2008

NBC is expected to announce Tuesday that it has signed its late-night star Jay Leno to a new contract that will keep him at the network in a new format that will give him the 10 p.m. time period each weeknight for a show similar to the one he has done on NBC’s “Tonight Show” show since 1993.

Five years ago NBC announced that it would give the job of host of that franchise late-night show to Conan O’Brien in May 2010. Since then the network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be the late-night ratings leader, at the network in some capacity, fearing that he could leave and start a new late-night show on a competitor.

Mr. Leno was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox network and the Sony television studio. The new show is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. O’Brien will move the “Tonight” show to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal City, Calif.

No broadcast network has ever before offered the same show in prime time five nights a week. Such so-called “stripped shows” have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a new weeknight show for Mr. Leno at 10 p.m., an idea that NBC executives said Monday came from the NBC chief executive, Jeff Zucker, not only allows NBC to retain Mr. Leno’s services, but also means the network may be able to greatly reduce costs of developing and producing other prime-time shows.

Only Monday Mr. Zucker appeared at a UBS lunch in New York and suggested that in the future networks might have to cut back on the hours of prime time they program. The daily program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut back 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.

But the network is expected to announce the new deal with Mr. Leno at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

[ExpendablesFan]

It's really sad NBC can't come up with enough decent programming to fill their timeslots. It's pretty bad news for people who like TV and terrible for people who work in TV.

[DerickA]

That's awful. Way to take the juice out of Conan's Tonight Show. It's only going to be an albatross. I wonder if they're going to keep Carson Daily, which would effectively mean they are going to air 4 talk shows in succession every night.

Weird that they are so touchy about keeping Leno when they couldn't get Carson out of there fast enough.

[Dalton]

That's awful. Way to take the juice out of Conan's Tonight Show. It's only going to be an albatross. I wonder if they're going to keep Carson Daily, which would effectively mean they are going to air 4 talk shows in succession every night.

Weird that they are so touchy about keeping Leno when they couldn't get Carson out of there fast enough.

The story of Carson leaving is a bit more nuanced than that.  Won't go into it here but check out Bill Carter's Late Shift (not the movie, the book)- NBC really did not want Carson gone but Helen Kushnick leaked to the press that they did.  Once Johnny saw that he said "That's it, guys!"

I imagine if this works out all networks will follow suit and prime time entertainment programming will be cut to two hours per network per night.

[Scott Taylor]

This is genius. Every network is going to copy this. I was worried that the 10-11 slot on networks was going to become syndicated, but this is the way of the future. More, cheaper shows with shorter runs.

This is about as big a change as can happen.

[DerickA]

This plan will not succeed. Letterman should have CBS move him to 10pm and air static at 11:30 just to spite Leno.

[Hayner]

I'm okay with keeping Leno on TV, but I don't know about this.  

Adam Carolla has been floating a decent idea on his show where Jimmy Kimmel takes  a half hour hit, moving in against Fallon and put Leno on against Conan (which would mean axing Nightline).  Then prime Kimmel to take over against Conan when Leno is ready to retire.

[DerickA]

Jesus, no one is a Conan fan?

[JCEFalconi]

Funny, I was watching old Leno appearances on Letterman on youtube, he really used to be great once.

 I dunno, could Leno beat scripted shows from other networks?  I thought late night talk show never had big ratings, just ok ratings taking the timeslot into account. Didn't they use to get beat by Cheers repeats?

Conan must be pissed.

[Hayner]

Jesus, no one is a Conan fan?

I absolutely enjoy Conan's show and his schtick, at the same time I also enjoy Kimmel and Leno.  Letterman, I don't enjoy as much as I used to.

[the k man]

It's really sad NBC can't come up with enough decent programming to fill their timeslots. It's pretty bad news for people who like TV and terrible for people who work in TV.

How is this a bad thing?  Isn't it the sign of the times?  With so many networks and now newer platforms(games, new media, etc) out there, what are the chances that any one network is going to have 3 hours of quality original scripted primetime programming every night?

[Hawkboy]

That's awful. Way to take the juice out of Conan's Tonight Show. It's only going to be an albatross. I wonder if they're going to keep Carson Daily, which would effectively mean they are going to air 4 talk shows in succession every night.

Weird that they are so touchy about keeping Leno when they couldn't get Carson out of there fast enough.

Carson wasn't pushed out by any means - his retirement announcement came as a complete surprise to everyone at NBC, and he handpicked his final airdate.

I second Dalton's recommendation of "The Late Shift", even if its declaration of Letterman as the new King of Late Night was a little premature.

As I said over at VA, Jimmy Fallon is the true loser in this shift - who's going to want to watch three hours of late night talk shows?

[the k man]

As I said over at VA, Jimmy Fallon is the true loser in this shift - who's going to want to watch three hours of late night talk shows?

The average viewer doesn't watch Leno and Conan.  Its two different audiences.  The same will hold true for Fallon.  The college kids and such that watched Conan will tune in to Fallon.

[ExpendablesFan]

It's really sad NBC can't come up with enough decent programming to fill their timeslots. It's pretty bad news for people who like TV and terrible for people who work in TV.

How is this a bad thing?  Isn't it the sign of the times?  With so many networks and now newer platforms(games, new media, etc) out there, what are the chances that any one network is going to have 3 hours of quality original scripted primetime programming every night?

I can't see any upside to this other than short term cost savings for NBC. By doing away with the 10pm hour (which is where they usually show a scripted show) there are less jobs for actors, writers, and production crews, especially if other networks follow them. They are replacing 10pm shows with a show that already exists so no new jobs are created. Cable might step up more and create jobs there but those will be lower paying jobs that produce less episodes a season. It's also a loser for NBC in my eyes because it limits their chances of producing TV shows that will earn them more in the long haul than a variety show that won't make money other than it's original airing. I think this is lose lose for everyone but Leno.

Okay I see one upside. Stern will be infuriated tomorrow and probably really entertaining.

[Hawkboy]

The average viewer doesn't watch Leno and Conan.  Its two different audiences.  The same will hold true for Fallon.  The college kids and such that watched Conan will tune in to Fallon.

College kids like Jimmy Fallon?

I guess that explains all the midnight screenings of "Fever Pitch" and "Taxi" I've seen popping up all over college campuses.