TMZ NBC Shakeup -- Jay Leno Comes Out on Top
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.
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.
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NBC says committed to improving Leno performance
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – General Electric Co's NBC Universal said on Thursday it would try to improve the performance of Jay Leno's prime-time show after an Internet report said the network was planning to yank the program.
"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," NBC Universal said in response to the report on website FTVLive.
FTVLive said NBC was going to pull the plug on "The Jay Leno Show," which has drawn lackluster ratings and upset local affiliates since it debuted in September following the network's controversial decision to move Leno to prime time.
Celebrity news website TMZ.com reported separately that NBC was planning to move Leno back to his 11:30 p.m. late-night slot, possibly splitting the hour with his successor Conan O'Brien or entirely replacing O'Brien.
Privately, NBC executives denied the reports. The network in a statement admitted there have been challenges but said it was working to shore up the beleaguered host's performance.
"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," NBC said.
Leno has averaged a little over 5 million viewers in the 10 p.m. slot nightly, compared with the 6.8 million viewers for that slot before his move, according to Nielsen.
NBC has said the show was a commercial success because its ratings, though lower, are in line with what advertisers were promised and the show is cheaper to make than scripted dramas.
But it has hurt NBC's affiliates, whose local newscasts had counted on a bigger "lead-in" audience before the switch.
NBC's overhaul has had major ratings consequences for the network as well. It lost its No. 1 ranking at the 11:30 p.m. hour as Leno's longtime rival, David Letterman on CBS Corp's CBS, beat out his new late-night competitor O'Brien in ratings.
Letterman's show has gone from trailing his NBC competition by 20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, to commanding a 65 percent lead in the fourth quarter 2009.
Nevertheless, Robert Thompson, professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, said he'd be surprised if NBC threw in the towel so fast. "They'd have to find five hours of prime-time programing. It's not like they have that stuff sitting around on the bench," he said.
Thompson noted that while the Leno show may not pan out, the idea of running a prime-time show five days a week seemed viable.
"It's less expensive, and when you do have a hit, you get one five days week," he said.
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EW: NBC denies that Jay Leno is being yanked; says 'show has performed exactly as we anticipated'
NBC took the unusual step of responding to an internet report about the future of The Jay Leno Show and whether the network is on the verge of cancelling it. In the statement, NBC reiterated its commitment to the primetime talk show by saying “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 performance.” In fact, the network’s annual affiliates meeting is reportedly set for later this month, during which Leno is sure to dominate the discussions. In the meantime, an NBC insider attempted to quash additional press reports about Leno moving back to The Tonight Show chair by insisting his show will not be cancelled at 10 p.m.
Concerns about the future of the fledgling talk show hit a fever pitch in November when Leno, of all people, told Broadcasting & Cable: “Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure.” His sentiment was no doubt colored by the show’s declining ratings. Though his talk show debuted at 18.4 million, it dropped to 4.3 million in just seven weeks (nowadays, Leno is averaging 5.32 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49). Meanwhile, ratings are down for the post-Leno local newscasts in several of the network’s top 10 markets, while Conan O’ Brien is routinely trounced by David Letterman a half hour later.
NBC has continued to maintain that it’s still cheaper to make a talk show than an hour-long drama, and even Leno admitted that his threshold for success is low. “I’m told if we can keep a 1.5 [rating], they make $300 million a year; this is what they say,” he told B&C. “So we’re a little above the 1.5, but we’re doing OK.” NBC affiliates have tried to stay optimistic. “Do we want higher ratings? Sure,” NBC affiliates board chairman Michael Fiorile told EW in November. “However much time has to pass … be it four to six months … if we’re not seeing any improvement, then we’ll start asking questions.”
the poor recipent, she goes "what's the emergency sir" and he rambled on and on about that~ and the 99cent store crap, and the eBay all funny!