Jay Leno is going back to his 11:30 PM time slot, and it's looking like Conan O'Brien is the odd man out ... sources tell TMZ.
Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien
We've learned Jay's 10:00 PM show will go on hiatus February 1. After the Olympics, Jay will take back his 11:30 PM time slot. What has not been decided -- whether Jay's show will be a half hour, followed by Conan, or whether Jay's show will be an hour and NBC says sayonara to Mr. O'Brien.
We're told Jay and Conan have both been told of the changes. As for Jay, interestingly, he'll get what he always wanted -- his 11:30 PM time slot.
UPDATE: A rep for NBC tells TMZ: "Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today. As we have said all along, Jay's show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. It has, however, presented some issues for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve the performance."
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
If NBC does this they will lose all their late night fans. There's been to many changes already. Just fire leno already. He's neither funny or entertaining. His fans shouldn't be watching TV.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
honestly, as much as i love conan and hate leno, leno was perfect for the tonight show. he was corny, safer, catered to an older audience, etc. conan was perfect for late night, as it was more irreverent, unsafe, etc.
i watched conan's tonight show maybe a total of 10 times, and disliked pretty much all of it. it was like the sell out version of his old show.
I think Conan is great as the host of the Tonight Show. NBC just has to let the old leno viewers realize what real entertainment and real comedy is. leno molested America every night for to long. It will take viewers time to recover and heal from all that abuse.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
I think Conan is great as the host of the Tonight Show. NBC just has to let the old leno viewers realize what real entertainment and real comedy is. leno molested America every night for to long. It will take viewers time to recover and heal from all that abuse.
Another option for late night viewers is to just go to bed at a decent hour and stop staying up all night to watch overpaid comedians trying to be funny.
"My friends have always been the best of me." -Doctor Who
"Well,whenever I'm confused,I just check my underwear. It holds most answers to life's questions." Abe Simpson
I can tell by the position of the sun in the sky, that is time for us to go. Until next time, I am Lothar of the Hill People!
It’s a done deal — Jay Leno is heading back to his “Tonight Show” time of 11:35 PM, Access Hollywood has confirmed.
Jay has signed off on the switch. NBC will be moving “The Jay Leno Show,” currently scheduled at 10 PM, into late night and cutting the show from an hour to 30 minutes, focusing mostly on his monologue.
The question is – will Conan O’Brien accept the move of his “Tonight Show” to the midnight slot?
His options include saying yes, and taking the midnight to 1 AM hour – or leaving the network. NBC could also bench the comedian, but would have to keep paying him.
The late night shuffle is expected to take place at the end of the Winter Olympics, airing on NBC in February.
*horrible leno joke deleted*
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
TheAssociated Press has picked up the Access Hollywood story, confirming that NBC is canceling the 10 pm show and moving Jay to 11:30 pm. The only thing left is to see if Conan puts up with this shit or if he bolts for another network.
I didn't. I acknowledged what you wrote and added that the AP was now confirming as fact what the gossip site you linked to had printed as rumor. Try and keep up.
"My goal is to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy as our late-night lineup," Gaspin said, adding later that they "have the weekend to think about it" and discussions with them will resume Monday.
....
Gaspin said that despite lower ratings for NBC at 10 p.m. compared to last year, the network was making money off the show.
But affiliates were upset that it was leading fewer viewers into their late news programs, costing them significant advertising revenue. Some affiliates told NBC in December they would go public soon about their complaints if a change wasn't made, or even take Leno's show off the air.
Gaspin said about one-third of the affiliates were really hurt by the Leno show, although he wasn't clear on how many said they might pre-empt his show.
"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.
....
Asked if O'Brien and Fallon expressed anger at his proposal, Gaspin said both men were professional and understanding when they talked. "Beyond that, it was a private conversation," Gaspin said.
O'Brien reportedly has a contract that guarantees him a multimillion-dollar payment if "Tonight" is moved later than 12:05 a.m. EST.
But Gaspin, asked if a contractual penalty weighed into the decision to bump O'Brien's show a half-hour rather than a full hour, replied, "No, not at all."
As for reports that Fox may be considering courting O'Brien for a late-night program, Gaspin repeated his desire to keep him, Leno and Fallon at NBC.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
Seems to me that Conan has every reason to jump ship. NBC has demonstrated that it's more loyal to Jay than to him and, therefore, he has no basis to believe they won't eventually squeeze him out of the Tonight Show all together.
They don't want him going to the competition and taking all the humorless viewers (like Lothar) with him.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
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.
Good. Hopefully there's a clause in Conan's contract that'll give him a huge payout when NBC decides to finish fucking him over. Or, as unlikely as it seems with NBC, the network will pull their heads out of their asses and leave him alone and give the kiss off to Leno.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
I hate the way NBC is treating this. They need to get over their love affair with leno and move on. If they dick over Conan again I will lose interest in watching anything on that network.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
That is how you properly bitch slap a network that is fucking you over.
No doubt. I am of the mind you have to be mentally retarded to run NBC. Get out, Conan. Let them destroy themselves. The next generation will pick up the ashes and move on...
That is how you properly bitch slap a network that is fucking you over.
Originally Posted By: thedoctor
Good. Hopefully there's a clause in Conan's contract that'll give him a huge payout when NBC decides to finish fucking him over. Or, as unlikely as it seems with NBC, the network will pull their heads out of their asses and leave him alone and give the kiss off to Leno.
NBC is already trying to claim they haven't breached Conan's contract.
big_pimp_tim-made it cool to roll in the first damn place! Mon Jun 11 2007 09:27 PM-harley finally rolled with me "I'm working with him...he's young but, there is much potential. He can apprentice with me and then he's yours for final training. He will remember the face of his father...
Some day, Knutreturns just may be the greatest of us all...."-THE bastard
