NBC Shakeup - Conan "Out" - Jay Back In

[azumanga]

I disagree. I think NBC would get big ratings with St. Elsewhere 2010 - only now, Dr. Fiscus (his character) is head of surgery. They could make Mandel's real-life germ-o-phobia into some interesting plot lines. And Dr. Ehrlich (Ed Begley Jr.) could lecture patients and staff about the importance or recycling.

The suicide rate among patients (and staff) would be very high.

And best of all, the show may end up on Fox, as they own the MTM library.

 

[johnnya2k6]

Looking at the most recent Canadian TV ratings (December 21-27, 2009), CBC's "The National" has been killing Leno on CityTV. Just so you know.

 

[Biffstunt]

NBC expects Jay and Conan to do what they say. But...AH!!! Maybe Jay is working with Conan to ditch NBC altogether and really screw NBC right back!!!

Should Jay go back to a half hour at 11:35, does he get a desk? Do they redo the set and get rid of that #10 on the stage? Does Stuttering John become the announcer again?

Wouldn't that be great? Leno at 11 and Conan at 12 on FOX. NBC would be left with a Jimmy Fallon/Carson Daly late night combo. I know this would likely never happen, but boy would it be hilarious!

 

[firepoint525]

I think NBC should take a break from anything Howie Mandel.

I disagree. I think NBC would get big ratings with St. Elsewhere 2010 - only now, Dr. Fiscus (his character) is head of surgery. They could make Mandel's real-life germ-o-phobia into some interesting plot lines. And Dr. Ehrlich (Ed Begley Jr.) could lecture patients and staff about the importance or recycling.
The suicide rate among patients (and staff) would be very high.

I guffawed when I read all that! And don't forget, they've already driven Dr. Westphall to an early grave!

 

[bpatrick]

I think that the 48 year empire of The Tonight Show is finally fixing to come to an end.

You mean "58-year empire" -- don't forget Steve Allen, Ernie Kovacs and Jack Paar.

I meant The Tonight Show when they started calling it that in 1962 after Jack Paar left and others took over until Johnny Carson came along. Steve Allen and Jack Paar's shows were called "The Steve Allen Show" and "The Jack Paar Show". They weren't listed on TV grids as The Tonight Show but as Steve Allen or Jack Paar.

According to Brooks & March, Steve Allen's show was called "Tonight" when it debuted as a local show in New York in 1953 and kept that title during his 1954-57 network gig (with Ernie Kovacs doing the show two nights a week in 1956 after Allen's Sunday-night show started).

Format two: "Tonight! America After Dark" was an attempt at a nighttime version of the "Today" show and lasted from January-July 1957.

Format three: they don't say when the show officially became "The Jack Paar Show" but I have seen a picture of Paar with two of his favorite guests, comedienne Dody Goodman and singer Genevieve; in the background is a sign reading, "Jack Paar Show, Monday-Friday 11:15 PM, Channel 4." (Channel 4 is, of course, Channel 4 in New York.)

Format four: "The Tonight Show"--the six-month interim in 1962 between Paar's departure and Carson's arrival.

Format five: "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," although they don't say if that was the title from the start.

Format six: "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

I don't have an edition (if one has even come out) with Conan as host of "The Tonight Show."

And yes, TV Guide listed the show as "Jack Paar," "Johnny Carson," and "Jay Leno." I don't have any from the Allen era, so I don't know if they listed it as "Steve Allen" or reserved that for his Sunday-night show.

So the "Tonight" name has been in use for 57 years.

 

[RALfan]

Jay should have just walked away for good in '09 and saved NBC millions in the process. He doesn't necessarily need the money anymore, so why did he agree to the 10 o'clock experiment in the first place?

Then again, what am I saying? This is Hollywood; people over there are not very good at taking the easy route.

 

[WPPCProductions]

I was thinking,Can NBC dump Conan from the Tonight show without having a big deal with Conan's contract and slip Jay back into the drivers seat at the Tonight Show.I know Conan might defect from NBC to where ever,if he does not like whats NBC have up their sleaves for his show.I would be pssst off too.if I was in his shoes.
I see NBC is in the hole now,They don't need any more bullcrap to burn the rest of their bridges down in the long run,with this big mistake.If the winter games don't bring in the bacon,NBC will be in the same dept as UPN,WB and DuMont nets.

 

[TheRover]

I was thinking,Can NBC dump Conan from the Tonight show without having a big deal with Conan's contract and slip Jay back into the drivers seat at the Tonight Show.I know Conan might defect from NBC to where ever,if he does not like whats NBC have up their sleaves for his show.I would be pssst off too.if I was in his shoes.
I see NBC is in the hole now,They don't need any more bullcrap to burn the rest of their bridges down in the long run,with this big mistake.If the winter games don't bring in the bacon,NBC will be in the same dept as UPN,WB and DuMont nets.

Conan said several night ago that NBC said they expected to lose $200 Million on the Olympics. No Joke.

 

[FilmCritic3K]

NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker Threatens To Ice Conan: "I'll Keep You Off The Air For 3 1/2 Years"

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/j...onan-ill-keep-you-off-the-air-for-3-12-years/

 

[MarcB]

NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker Threatens To Ice Conan: "I'll Keep You Off The Air For 3 1/2 Years"

LOSER

 

[pabsungenis]

Regarding "The Jack Paar Show," that was never the official name. When Paar came on, it was renamed "The Tonight Show," eventually with "starring Jack Paar" added on. A lot of people referred to it "The Jack Paar Show" the same way they called "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" as "Johnny Carson."

 

[Ultimajock]

Regarding "The Jack Paar Show," that was never the official name. When Paar came on, it was renamed "The Tonight Show," eventually with "starring Jack Paar" added on. A lot of people referred to it "The Jack Paar Show" the same way they called "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" as "Johnny Carson."

...then why, on the clip of Carson pinch-hitting for Paar in 1958 on the DVD set for The Johnny Carson Show (the 1955-56 CBS variety show), is there artwork specifically identifying the show as The Jack Paar Show?...

 

[WPPCProductions]

Will Conan take his walking papers for 30 million?Any Jay will slip back into the drivers seat at Tonight show.We will see.

 

[JeeperOne]

All I got to say on the matter is this.....

Memo To NBC - TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

Translation - DUMP LENO & BE DONE WITH IT (He's so washed up that what's left of his so-called "Humor" is dry & the so-called "Jokes" spewed forth by the aforementioned attempt at "Humor" aren't even funny anymore)

Just my opinion.....

Cheers

 

[LKellerIII]

All I got to say on the matter is this.....

Memo To NBC - TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

Translation - DUMP LENO & BE DONE WITH IT (He's so washed up that what's left of his so-called "Humor" is dry & the so-called "Jokes" spewed forth by the aforementioned attempt at "Humor" aren't even funny anymore)

Just my opinion.....

Cheers

My opinion, too. There not going to be able to make lemonade out of these lemons. They'd be better off getting an entirely new host for the Tonight Show.

 

[bpatrick]

NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker Threatens To Ice Conan: "I'll Keep You Off The Air For 3 1/2 Years"

LOSER

At what point does NBC give Zucker his walking papers? Fred Silverman got three years (1978-81)
before the powers that be finally decided "enough already" with NBC still lodged in third.
We know the outcome: the Tinker/Tartikoff era, when NBC became number one and many of its
programs were being considered the cream of the crop in the '80s and into the '90s.

Is there another Les Moonves out there?

 

[Markxxx]

Two wrongs don't make a right, but often two wrongs cancel each other out.

If Leno leaves you still have the problem that Conan can't deliver. You can't write off ratings like Conan got to bad lead ins. The show wasn't up to snuff.

It's like "A Different World," after "Cosby" left the air and the show bombed completely. There is not better example of a time slot hit.

Look at "Famly Ties," the show previously to occupy the slot behind "Cosby," it went to Sundays and it's ratings dropped a lot, but it still held enough of the audience to compete on another night.

You can't be beaten as badly as Conan was an expect to stay on, at least not at that price.

Remember when "Friends" came out and it was considered a clone of "Seinfeld." Well it got great numbers and surprise the cast threatened to walk out, claiming high numbers justify big salaries. Well the reverse works just as well.

In a "normal" business, you have to perform. If I was selling meeting space in a hotel and my competitor sells 75% of his hotel and I can only sell 33% of my hotel, I can't say "It's the weak economy" and get away with that excuse.

The same way Conan can't say "My low ratings are due to Jay Leno at Nine." There are too many markets, like Chicago, where the NBC station didn't suffer all that much yet Conan's ratings collapsed even behind the Simpsons on WFLD.

It's just business people. Those who produce get rewarded, if you can't you're out. It matter the reason even if justified. I find it odd in this horrible economy people are so passionate about a bunch of spoiled millionaires all upset because they can't do exactly as they please.

 

[TheRover]

Will Conan take his walking papers for 30 million?Any Jay will slip back into the drivers seat at Tonight show.We will see.

More like $40 Million according to Deadline.com

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/anti-nbc-frenzy-continues-over-conan-firing/

 

[benwolf]

All I got to say on the matter is this.....

Memo To NBC - TWO WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT

Translation - DUMP LENO & BE DONE WITH IT (He's so washed up that what's left of his so-called "Humor" is dry & the so-called "Jokes" spewed forth by the aforementioned attempt at "Humor" aren't even funny anymore)

Just my opinion.....

Cheers

Just to remind you, Leno was #1 in late nights. He's not my cup of tea either, but you can't argue with that success...one of NBC's few #1 shows, and they screwed it up. Putting him back where he ruled and saying goodbye to Conan (no, he never was going to catch on) is NBC's first smart decision in years.

BTW, EXCELLENT article in the New York Times...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/business/media/17nbc.html?scp=2&sq=nbc&st=cse

 

[stdjsb25]

At what point does NBC give Zucker his walking papers? Fred Silverman got three years (1978-81)
before the powers that be finally decided "enough already" with NBC still lodged in third.
We know the outcome: the Tinker/Tartikoff era, when NBC became number one and many of its
programs were being considered the cream of the crop in the '80s and into the '90s.

Is there another Les Moonves out there?

Speaking of old Freddie, TMZ published an email sent to Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman allegedly sent by Freddie that says that he provided the inspiration for Leno @10PM.

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/17/conan-obrien-jay-leno-tonight-show-fred-silverman/

And this, from the man who brought us "Hello, Larry", "BJ and the Bear", and "Supertrain". We must remember that Silverman himself nearly drove Johnny Carson out and was the butt of many late night jokes. John Belushi as Silverman was the funniest, and Al Franken on Weekend Update with "Limo for the Lame-o" was among the best jabs at Silverman during his run.

If the old-style RCA management were still there, Zucker would have been dumped long ago....