Conan getting cancelled for Leno? :(

[Janitor From Mars]

Jan 10, 2010 10:47:06 GMT -5 ani said:

Here are Conan's options:
www.tmz.com/2010/01/10/conan-obrien-jay-leno-nbc-foc-abc-tonight-show/

Looks like a lose lose lose situation for Conan

Door Number 4: Fight to the Death between Conando and Iron Jay.

[Janitor From Mars]

Jan 10, 2010 16:09:46 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Not really big on the late night talk show front admittedly, but if given the choice between the options I'd probably go with Conan.

Still, who's to say that Leno moving to 11:30 will actually be successful? It's entirely possible his rating problems go to people being tired of him and the fact that he's been around for ages - not necessarily saying that's the case, but it's an argument I haven't really seen brought up when it's entirely possible.

Leno hasn't been funny since Monica Lewinsky was blowing Bill Clinton.

[BR329]

Jan 10, 2010 18:48:36 GMT -5 Janitor From Mars said:

Jan 10, 2010 10:47:06 GMT -5 ani said:

Here are Conan's options:
www.tmz.com/2010/01/10/conan-obrien-jay-leno-nbc-foc-abc-tonight-show/

Looks like a lose lose lose situation for Conan

Door Number 4: Fight to the Death between Conando and Iron Jay.

Can The Crimson Chin be the special guest ref?

[Janitor From Mars]

Can't Conan sue NBC for breach of contract or even mental distress? Even if 12:05am is in his contract, it still isn't right to put him through this.

[The Captain]

Jan 10, 2010 18:51:43 GMT -5 Janitor From Mars said:

Jan 10, 2010 16:09:46 GMT -5 Lizuka #BLM said:

Not really big on the late night talk show front admittedly, but if given the choice between the options I'd probably go with Conan.

Still, who's to say that Leno moving to 11:30 will actually be successful? It's entirely possible his rating problems go to people being tired of him and the fact that he's been around for ages - not necessarily saying that's the case, but it's an argument I haven't really seen brought up when it's entirely possible.

Leno hasn't been funny since Monica Lewinsky was blowing Bill Clinton.

Which he still makes jokes about now years and years after it was relevant.

[Janitor From Mars]

Jan 10, 2010 19:01:26 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jan 10, 2010 18:51:43 GMT -5 Janitor From Mars said:

Leno hasn't been funny since Monica Lewinsky was blowing Bill Clinton.

Which he still makes jokes about now years and years after it was relevant.

I remember that summer well. It was back-to-back channel flipping between Letterman and Leno. Sometimes, Dave would come out on top and other times, Jay would. I remember Rupert Jee and the Hello Deli quite well, as well as the Top 10. Then again, there's Iron Jay.

I didn't start watching Conan until much, much later on.

[AriadosMan]

Jan 10, 2010 19:01:26 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jan 10, 2010 18:51:43 GMT -5 Janitor From Mars said:

Leno hasn't been funny since Monica Lewinsky was blowing Bill Clinton.

Which he still makes jokes about now years and years after it was relevant.

They need an episode of Futurama with Leno's head in a jar still making those jokes.

[Shy Guy]

can conan do the whole "pay me a dollar a year" thing if he were to go to a different network?

[toddpolt]

Jan 10, 2010 19:05:03 GMT -5 Shy Guy said:

can conan do the whole "pay me a dollar a year" thing if he were to go to a different network?

I got that suggestion from the TMZ talkbackers, I doubt its possible.

But if it was, it would be a terrific Screw You to NBC.

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2010 10:47:06 GMT -5 ani said:

Here are Conan's options:
www.tmz.com/2010/01/10/conan-obrien-jay-leno-nbc-foc-abc-tonight-show/

Looks like a lose lose lose situation for Conan

From what I understand all 3 of those options earn him a s***load of money (Roughly $80 mil) over the next 4 years so I won't be feeling too bad for him lol

[toddpolt]

Craig Ferguson is awesome.

[Richard]

Jan 10, 2010 19:05:03 GMT -5 Shy Guy said:

can conan do the whole "pay me a dollar a year" thing if he were to go to a different network?

that is what I was thinking too.

[AFN: Judge Shred]

Too bad they didn't have the idea to put Jay at 8pm mve the dramas back to 10 and just see what happens.

[Cry Me a Wiggle]

Better yet, just make Jay a Hulu exclusive. That way his main audience would never watch him and he'd just vanish.

[Welfare Willis]

Jan 10, 2010 18:12:11 GMT -5 The Summer of Muskrat XVII said:

I'd say the only thing Conan can do is walk. If he stays, he looks like a chump plus he'd be torpedoing Jimmy Fallon, who is settling in quite well on Late Night.

If I were Conan, I'd go to Fox, build an audience, raise his stock, and when Lettermen retires hopefully there's a nice big bidding war between CBS and Fox for Conan.

From my understanding, CBS wants Jon Stewart to take over after Letterman retires. This is of course gossip and the variable is what Craig Ferguson would do. I prefer if Jon stayed on the Daily Show, but the real money is not in basic cable.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

Jan 11, 2010 8:49:29 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Jan 10, 2010 18:12:11 GMT -5 The Summer of Muskrat XVII said:

I'd say the only thing Conan can do is walk. If he stays, he looks like a chump plus he'd be torpedoing Jimmy Fallon, who is settling in quite well on Late Night.

If I were Conan, I'd go to Fox, build an audience, raise his stock, and when Lettermen retires hopefully there's a nice big bidding war between CBS and Fox for Conan.

From my understanding, CBS wants Jon Stewart to take over after Letterman retires. This is of course gossip and the variable is what Craig Ferguson would do. I prefer if Jon stayed on the Daily Show, but the real money is not in basic cable.

Ya, I've heard that CBS has expressed interest in Jon before as well.

[Designated Drinker]

Sounds like Leno is the HHH of NBC

I hope that Conan leaves,he deserves better treatment than this.

[Welfare Willis]

Jan 11, 2010 9:31:47 GMT -5 Designated Drinker said:

Sounds like Leno is the HHH of NBC

I hope that Conan leaves,he deserves better treatment than this.

From the NY Post (which I trust for news like I trust wikipedia for information )

Just call him Conan O'Flyin'

'Tonight Show' star set to bolt over network snub
By SEAN DALY in Pasadena, Calif., and MICHAEL SHAIN in NY

The peacock ruffled Conan O'Brien's feathers -- and now he's ready to fly the coop.

The "Tonight Show" host feels like the redheaded stepchild of late-night TV after NBC's abrupt decision to cancel Jay Leno's 10 p.m. experiment after just five months -- and return the car-loving comic to O'Brien's coveted 11:35 p.m. slot.

"This level of s- - - -iness was not expected," one source said.

"He's done a great job for NBC. He moved his entire staff, he moved his family to LA. And five months later, they repay him like this?"

As it stands now, the source said, "Conan would be happier somewhere else."


NBC
RED ALERT! “Tonight Show” ratings dived after Conan O’Brien took over.
The pompadoured host has "many options," including a move to Fox, which for years has been looking to create its own late-night show.

In fact, he has already spoken with Fox, The Wall Street Journal's Web site reported last night.

MICHAEL STARR: NBC: DON'T LET DOOR HIT YOU...

NBC yesterday said Leno's 10 p.m. talk show would end on Feb. 11, with the start of the Winter Olympics.

Network Chairman Jeff Gaspin confirmed that he was pushing a new late-night arrangement: Leno at 11:35 p.m., hosting a half-hour show, and Conan at 12:05 a.m. hosting the one-hour "The Tonight Show."

Jimmy Fallon's "Late Night" would then be pushed back to the remarkably late -- or super early -- hour of 1:05 a.m.

"My goal is to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy as our late-night lineup," Gaspin said.

He characterized the plan as a "compromise" that gives Leno what he wants -- his old time slot back -- and lets Conan keep the title of "Tonight Show" host.

"I hope and expect that before the Winter Olympics begin, we will have everything set," Gaspin said.

"I can't imagine we won't have everything set by then."

He added that all three hosts had been given the weekend to think about the changes.

But Conan, an insider said, "may not be operating on their timetable. He's not going to be stampeded. This came out of the blue, and it will take him a while to figure out what's best for him."

O'Brien rep Leslee Dart last night said only that "Conan has made no decisions yet."

The real-life soap opera involving NBC's late-night personalities has been comic gold for others in the business.

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" poked fun at the suits at 30 Rock during Seth Meyer's "Weekend Update" segment.

"It was reported Thursday that in the wake of poor ratings for 'The Jay Leno Show,' NBC will move his show back to the 11:35 time slot, and then start Conan O'Brien's 'Tonight Show' at midnight -- though it's a little weird to start 'The Tonight Show' at a time when it's no longer 'tonight,' " Meyers said.

Peacock executives have been fighting a losing, two-front war since giving O'Brien the "Tonight" job. Not only has Leno's 10 p.m. show been weak, but CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" has consistently been beating O'Brien.

In the 10 p.m. slot, NBC had nothing in development worth investing the millions it would take to rush to the air. So it created a 10 p.m. show for Leno, without spending much money.

But "The Jay Leno Show" -- while profitable -- didn't attract enough viewers to satisfy NBC affiliates left holding the bag with an ineffective lead-in to their 11 p.m. newscasts.

The news shows are usually the biggest moneymakers for local stations, and Gaspin said those affiliates demanded more traditional programs be put back in place.

"I would have liked nothing more than to give this a 52-week try," said Gaspin, who insisted that Leno eventually would have been a hit at 10 p.m.

"I think, over time, it would have started to grow."

Gaspin said he feared more than a handful of affiliates were going to revolt by either dumping "Leno" or going public with complaints.

"I asked them [the affiliates] how many are they talking about, because I could have lived with one or two. But I got the sense that it was more than one or two," he said.

Comedy legend -- and close Leno pal -- Jerry Seinfeld took the side of NBC and Leno.

"What did the network do to Conan? I don't think anyone's preventing people from watching Conan," he said during an appearance to hype his new NBC show, "The Marriage Ref."

Gaspin pledged that the network was going "back to basics" and would fill the 10 p.m. hour with dramas, including a new version of "Law & Order," set in LA.

[notonyourradar]

The Tonight Show Screw-Job. Just goes goes to show one Screwjob gets smoothed over, a new one rises.

[Just Jay]

And here's Jerry Seinfeld defending the NBC Screwjob.

erry Seinfeld Defends NBC's Shakeup of Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien
NBC to End Leno Show Feb. 12 but But Leno-O'Brien-Fallon Reboot Not 'a Done Deal'
By SHEILA MARIKAR, DAVID ALPERT and BRIAN ROONEY

Jan. 11, 2010 —

At least one prominent comic is defending NBC's controversial shakeup of its late-night stars, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon: Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld, whose iconic sitcom aired on the network during the '90s and '00s, praised NBC's vision in moving Leno to prime time, even if the gamble didn't quite work out as planned.

"This was the right idea at the wrong time," Seinfeld said while promoting his new reality show, "The Marriage Ref," in Los Angeles on Sunday. "I'm proud that NBC had the guts to try something."

Seinfeld also said O'Brien, who would be bumped from his current time slot at 11:35 p.m. ET, will emerge from the wreckage unscathed.

"What did the network do to him?" Seinfeld asked. "I don't think anyone's preventing people from watching Conan. Once they give you the cameras, it's on you. I can't blame NBC for having to move things around. I hope Conan stays, I think he's terrific. But there's no rules in show business, there's no refs."

It remains to be seen if O'Brien will stay with the network that made him a star of if he'll fly the coop. He could potentially move his schtick to a competing network or leave the late-night game altogether. According to The Wall Street Journal, O'Brien is exploring his options with Fox.

NBC Pulls Plug on Leno's Primetime Experiment

Amid sinking ratings and worried affiliates, NBC announced Sunday that the Jay Leno prime-time experiment will end Feb. 12.

NBC confirmed it will yank the comic's 10 p.m. nightly hour once the Winter Olympics begin, and it hopes he will accept a half-hour version of his show at his old time -- 11:35 p.m. -- instead.

"While it was performing at acceptable levels for the network, it did not meet our affiliates' needs and we realized we had to make a change," NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said at the NBC winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday.

"What happened starting in November [was] the affiliates called, saying, 'Wow, wow, our local news is being affected more than we expected,'" Gaspin said.

NBC has spoken to Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon about moving their shows to later start times, Gaspin said. Under the proposal, O'Brien, the man who replaced Leno as host of "The Tonight Show," would move to 12:05 a.m., and Fallon to 1:05 a.m.

"My goal right now is to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy as part of our late-night lineup," Gaspin said. "As much as I would like to tell you we have a done deal, we know that's not true. The talks are still ongoing."

NBC said its stars were given the weekend to think about it. The network doesn't know whether O'Brien will accept a half-hour demotion or bolt to another network.

"What we're hearing from inside the Conan camp is they're kind of 50-50 right now with what they're going to do," said Mike Schneider, TV editor for Variety. "I mean, this obviously is a big smack in the face."

Last week, amid a firestorm of speculation that NBC might can O'Brien altogether, the network released a statement this week declaring its loyalty to the late-night comic.

"We remain committed to keeping Conan O'Brien on NBC," the network said in a statement Thursday evening. "He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years, and is one of the most respected entertainers on television."

'Leno Effect' Leaves Networks Grumbling

The network set the bar low for Leno's prime time 10 p.m. show. After an initial strong showing during his debut week, "The Jay Leno Show" shed viewers faster than you can say David Letterman.

His Sept. 14 debut attracted 18.4 million viewers. By the second week, however, the number of viewers had dipped as low as 5.1 million.

A fall repeat of CBS's "CSI-Miami" topped Leno on a Monday night; not a good sign because Leno vowed this summer to beat the competing networks whenever they aired reruns. Before that, the FX series "Sons of Anarchy" was the first cable show to beat Leno.

Then there's the so-called Leno effect that has some of NBC's more than 200 affiliates grumbling that the show's weak lead-in is eroding audiences for their 11 p.m. newscasts. O'Brien's and Fallon's numbers for their late-night shows are also down, ostensibly because of a weaker Leno. Leno made it clear in a 2009 interview with Broadcasting & Cable magazine that he wasn't ready to concede the fight.

"I enjoy being the underdog," Leno said. "Do I enjoy the battle? Yes, I get a certain amount of satisfaction from pounding my head against the wall.

"Emotionally, I can take body shots all day long and that doesn't really bother me," he added.

But in the end, bowing out of the 10 p.m. race wasn't a choice left up to him.

ABC News' Luchina Fisher and Michael S. James contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
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In my honest opinion, I feel that Jerry is 100% wrong. They gave Leno more than enough time when he was getting beat by Letterman when he took over for Carson, and now that Conan's at the helm and ratings are down, they all of the sudden have to look for a quick fix. There is no "right thing to do at the wrong time" here. The right thing to do now is to release Jay Leno from their contract, and stop whatever bleeding they've caused by keeping Leno at NBC. From a business standpoint, its only a matter of time before people sour on Leno or get tired of him constantly being in the lime light. Why would anyone want the Tonight Show if Leno's the current holder? What's to say he won't pull this again?

What needs to happen here is NBC needs to wake up and realize that Leno is really more trouble than he's worth. They've losing a hell of a lot of money by paying out Conan's contract. They'd probably save more if they just released Jay.