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LATE NIGHT - TIME TO LET THEM GO & CHANGE PROGRAMMING

J

joshzz

The truth is, Leno, Conan, Letterman, and the rest of the motley crew of late night hosts have past their time. Late Night Shows are just plain boring. The same old strained interviews with "Stars" that have nothing to say -other than to to plug their new movies/shows & share their lives of filthy wealth with us poor folk . Oh great, the rest of America is suffering tremendously-- the number of homeless has mmore than tripled in the last fews year, go ahead, famous Hollywood Stars, tell me about your wealth and all the expensive things you're buying for YOURSELF. You're so wonderful.
It's time that programming for late night be revamped completely.
1) A Live National TV, Call-In Sports Program will be appealing to many more people than the current fare.
2) HOw about a late night reality program--- not intense like Survivor but Positive, Bright and Lite.
3) A show that helps to improve your lives. Interviews with people making a difference and how u can too. How to make a career is solar energy, how to really start a business, getting a job as an elementary ed teacher- a degree won't do it- you need to run for school board first. Etc...
 
The truth is the shows still draw good numbers, so, no, it's not time for them to end. With all of the viewing options out there, if any of those ideas--or others--have merit, someone can do them. It's not like ABC/CBS/NBC are the only game in town.
 
I'd hate to see late night become a clone of prime time. I would say the shows are much better than strained interviews with stars...I really look forward to seeing Jimmy Kimmel, Dave Lettermen and Craig Ferguson each night. And the numbers for those shows have increased over the past year.
 
josh said:
The truth is, Leno, Conan, Letterman, and the rest of the motley crew of late night hosts have past their time. Late Night Shows are just plain boring. The same old strained interviews with "Stars" that have nothing to say -other than to to plug their new movies/shows & share their lives of filthy wealth with us poor folk . Oh great, the rest of America is suffering tremendously-- the number of homeless has mmore than tripled in the last fews year, go ahead, famous Hollywood Stars, tell me about your wealth and all the expensive things you're buying for YOURSELF. You're so wonderful.
It's time that programming for late night be revamped completely.
1) A Live National TV, Call-In Sports Program will be appealing to many more people than the current fare.
2) HOw about a late night reality program--- not intense like Survivor but Positive, Bright and Lite.
3) A show that helps to improve your lives. Interviews with people making a difference and how u can too. How to make a career is solar energy, how to really start a business, getting a job as an elementary ed teacher- a degree won't do it- you need to run for school board first. Etc...
Click to expand...

I haven't been a big late night viewerfor years, but I doubt any of these ideas would work. Most people I know are not big sports fans - I think only a small minority of people would enjoy a 5 night a week sports show. The highlights in the local 11:00 PM news are enough for most of us. If not, there's always ESPN.

As for reality programming - I realize these shows are cheaper to produce than prime time scripted shows, but I would think they are MORE expensive to produce than talk shows. As to late night "help" shows - most people are tired at that hour and want easily digestible entertainment....they don't want to think. Besides, in the era of DVRs, you can time-shift any regularly scheduled program to another time - so you CAN watch reality programs or self-help programs in late night hours if you choose to.

Same thing with "boring" talk shows. These days, I set my DVR to record a couple of these shows to watch the next day. I generally watch the monologues, and the guests I want to see - fast forwarding through the commercials and the guests I don't want to see. It generally takes me only 30 to 40 minutes to watch one of these shows.
 
josh said:
It's time that programming for late night be revamped completely.
1) A Live National TV, Call-In Sports Program will be appealing to many more people than the current fare.
2) HOw about a late night reality program--- not intense like Survivor but Positive, Bright and Lite.
3) A show that helps to improve your lives. Interviews with people making a difference and how u can too. How to make a career is solar energy, how to really start a business, getting a job as an elementary ed teacher- a degree won't do it- you need to run for school board first. Etc...
Click to expand...


These ideas would surely put me to bed early.
 
No one said, ratings translate into quality :)

I don't find it's the hosts so much as the quality of stars. They don't seem to me to have as much polishing as they used to. In the old days, when a star was on Dinah or Merv to promote things or to talk they seemed better prepared. It wasn't very common to see a celebrity who did horrible on an interview, now it's routine.
 
The interviews are terrible.

I haven't heard one interview worth listening too ..

It all pretty much starts the same way- the interviewer such as Letterman will bring up a petty topic that relates to the guest .. "oh I heard you having a baby".... the star that talks about how difficult it was picking the names and that she even consulted with one of her lowly peasant workers for advice... Letterman then throws in some comments about sex.... and then we watch the clip of her new movie..

The same thing gets repeated again all night every night.

that's why I don't watch these program anymore.
 
1) A Live National TV, Call-In Sports Program will be appealing to many more people than the current fare.

AARGH! More stupid questions to even bigger dumb millionaires. There is already WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much crap like this on the radio.
 
I tend to agree with the OP that late night needs some new ideas. However, re-invention of this daypart will not happen overnight. The late night drama the past few weeks has actually increased ratings. Eventually, it will die down, and it will be back in the same old rut. If and when this happens, then new ideas may take hold. But we are talking about 60 years of talk shows in late night, not just on NBC, but others as well. Dick Cavett, the Fox experiments, etc. The late night format is almost as old as the medium itself. It ain't going away anytime soon.
 
josh said:
1) A Live National TV, Call-In Sports Program will be appealing to many more people than the current fare.
Click to expand...

This is network TV, not a regional sports channel. Besides, that audience will already be watching SportsCenter. Your other two suggestions are too hokey for cable, let alone OTA.
 
And they've never died off completely, just had some up and down cycles. ABC managed to find some success with three of them this season.
 
A BETTER IDEA: TRY THIS>>>


An interactive talk program (not sports- just a variety type program) that allows viewers to talk to the guests instead of the current fare.

It's all about reality TV--- viewers don't want to be dumbed down.

josh
 
josh said:
A BETTER IDEA: TRY THIS>>>


An interactive talk program (not sports- just a variety type program) that allows viewers to talk to the guests instead of the current fare.

It's all about reality TV--- viewers don't want to be dumbed down.

josh
Click to expand...

I believe CNN has that already it's called LARRY KING.
It would be only live on the East Coast as well.
 
ok. how 'bout dis?
ABC/CBS/NBC are dying.
don't matter wha' dey do.
in the "mean time" (3 years)...
offer the same ole same ole.
Cable TV does it, too.
old folks are used to it, so SELL it!
have you seen the late night spots?
does a 28-year-old need Cialis?
however, on the resell market.....
 
turkeydance said:
ok. how 'bout dis?
ABC/CBS/NBC are dying.
don't matter wha' dey do.
in the "mean time" (3 years)...
offer the same ole same ole.
Cable TV does it, too.
old folks are used to it, so SELL it!
have you seen the late night spots?
does a 28-year-old need Cialis?
however, on the resell market.....
Click to expand...

CBS is certainly not "dying." Year after year they increase their overall audience, beeen doing so for about a decade. A good counter argument to that "broadcast TV is over in 3 years" b.s.
 
Larry King doesn't fit my vision for what an interactive call in live program should be.

First you need to have the sets laid out like any Late Night Program -- Bring on guests that have something to say including bands.

The host would do a very quick interview with the guests but it wouldn't be all about the "host".. that's the problem with Larry. Much to much about Larry... that's an interview show - this would be a variety program with callers.

josh
 
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