Disaster at NBC: Can They Lose Conan But Save Their Primetime?
by S.T. Karnick
NBC CEO Jeff Zucker
In a move that bodes well to strengthen TV programming overall in both primetime and late night, NBC has confirmed that Jay Leno will be moved back to his original 11:30 slot and his 10 p.m. show canceled on February 11, as rumored over the past week. USA Today reports:
Under the new plan, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon would move from 12:35 a.m. to 1:05. (Carson Daly’s talk show, which now follows Fallon, would be canceled, though Daly would remain under contract at the network.).
O’Brien, however, decided not to agree to the changes, in a public statement:
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.
Thus Leno will return to the Tonight Show in its usual time slot, and O’Brien will move on to presumably greener pastures.
The new 10 p.m. schedule will likely include a return to scripted dramas. Insiders argue that cost-cutting moves at NBC instituted by CEO Jeff Zucker denuded the primetime schedule of quality shows and helped make way for the disastrous Leno-O’Brien moves. That allowed a big increase in audience numbers on cable/sat stations in particular, while also helping NBC’s broadcast competitors. NBC is now playing catch-up, but analysts consider the move good both for the network and primetime TV in general:
To replace Leno at 10 starting March 1, Gaspin said, NBC is likely to add two more hours of scripted dramas (it can use repeats of Friday Night Lights and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which now first air on other networks), along with an expanded Dateline NBC. Other current series, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, could shift to later slots.
For fall, NBC ordered seven drama pilots Sunday as potential replacements, including series from high-profile producers David E. Kelley, Jerry Bruckheimer and J.J. Abrams and remakes of Prime Suspect and Rockford Files.
Gaspin said NBC is spending 30% to 35% more on new-program development than in recent seasons and promises viewers will see “high-quality, more traditional NBC programming” next fall with “smart, sophisticated and fun content.” After years of audience erosion, “I think we have a shot at actually going up.”
Jonathan Littman, who heads Bruckheimer’s TV division, welcomed the Leno news.
“Any time you can get more scripted programs on the air, the better,” he said, noting that a typical drama employs 200 workers.
“A lot of people really saw this as having a pretty negative impact on our business,” said CBS programming chief Nina Tassler, who called Leno’s move to prime time “an experiment that obviously did not work.”
The analysts are correct: a stronger, more competitive NBC will make for better programming at the other broadcast and cable/sat networks as they compete more aggressively for viewers.
The flattening of the audience disparity between broadcast and cable/sat outlet has been highly salutary for TV audiences, creating more variety and more options as networks such as USA, TNT, Lifetime, and A&E, but the process was reaching the point where weaker networks such as NBC, CW, and MY TV were in serious danger of insolvency. The cutbacks in original scripted programming at NBC and MY TV were reducing variety and competitiveness in the TV industry.
NBC’s addition of at least some original scripted programming will help stabilize the network and increase the amount of choice for TV viewers. Thus it can be a good thing for all parties—provided NBC plays it smart and schedules programs intended to please audiences, not transform them into political progressives. The current reworking of the schedule is Gaspin’s first big move since taking over as NBC Universal chairman, and it’s a smart and tough choice on his part. Perhaps NBC is headed for an upswing under his tutelage.With the increased amount of competition already provided by stronger cable/sat channels, any arrogance toward the audience NBC covets will be quickly and severely punished by the audiences themselves.
That’s what brought on the network’s current travails, and it will happen again if they don’t learn the right lessons from all of this. The same applies to the other networks as well: competition makes for better products, and the customer is always right.
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86 Comments
I miss Brandon Tartikoff.
Technologies have made late night takies irrelevant for me. Can always catch a video clip of a good joke if/when its told.
I just don't care
I think this is the epitome of a tempest in a teapot.
I must say O'Brien has some intestinal fortitude, that is quite the risky move. Hooray for principal.
and remakes of the Rockford Files? Yeah, that worked out well with Knight Rider and Bionic Woman (same network as I recall).
While we're at it, let's remake Seinfeld, Cheers, Columbo, Twilight Zone (oh wait, they've tried and failed at that, what, three times?), I Love Lucy (they'd probably cast Kathy Griffin), etc.
we wish we cared more about this…
But Jay Leno is a great, one of a kind guy. May he return to head to head against the scrawny pervert on CBS and hand himhis rear end.
And may Conan go back to FOX where he produced 'The Simpsons' for years and bring the young hip audience with him. Rupert Murdoch will treat him FAR better than the clueless nitwits at NBC.
This is actually fairly possible…
Gee, I wonder what we can look forward to at 10 PM – Law & Order – the tea party chronicles, Tingle, starring Chris Matthews, or the Keith Olbermann comedy hour? NBC's spectacular fall into the sewer and self implosion shows what happens when a clunkly corporation – GE – tries to be clever. They made a concious effort to appeal to the left, and now they can enjoy the loyalty.
What was that sound? Oh yeah, it was NBC circling the bowl. Zucker – nice job destroying the network. When you go belly up would you please make sure the Newsers get blacklisted so we don't have to listen to their leftist drivel elsewhere?
I used to love Conan. Then he started bashing Bush constantly, along with Right Wing stereotypes. Too boring and predictable.
I will only watch Conan on Fox … if he bashes Obama and his left-wing loons. Remember Conan, you were a writer for The Simpsons. You should make everyone on the planet angry — the Homer Simpson Doctrine.
NBC has been on my boycott list because I find Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE, the parent company, so politically smarmy. He's the poster boy for crony capitalism. He's had every chance including feedback from angry shareholders at the annual meeting where dissenter's microphones were turned off by the way to stop shilling for the Democrats.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/0...
Less eyeballs, the lower the ratings, and the faster NBC will disappear.
NBC has expanded the progressive propaganda throughout. I hope people will refuse to watch those programs that includes Law and Order, and now NCIS. I'm sure the new Chuck will also be used for idelogical purposes intended to overthrow American. The water is getting hotter and the frogs are stuck in front a the TV escaping from life.
I don't think I've ever watched "The Tonight Show" even with Johnny Carson. If I did, it was an accident. I don't like the format: A desk with a host kissing up to some celebrity who deigns to visit. Like a poster above, I can catch the good stuff on You Tube, like Joaquin Phoenix's whateveritwas that left Letterman wordless (thank God for small favors). Late Night TV is just one more arm of Propaganda TV, the American equivalent of Soviet Television — there for one purpose — to destroy "counterrevolutionaries" (Republicans). The clips of Letterman's weird obsession with Sarah Palin to the point that he'attacks her underage daughter are repulsive. I'd support O'Brien's moving to Fox and venting his spleen on the Lefties, but otherwise, late night TV won't be on my TIVO.
"The same applies to the other networks as well: competition makes for better products, and the customer is always right."
I agree with the competition part but I'm not entirely sure about the customer always being right part, at least when it comes to television. I think everyone who posts here has at least one favorite TV show that was cancelled prematurely because not enough customers were right: everything from Brisco County Jr. to Police Squad.
And there are no doubt several shows that would've been cancelled had it not been for some network exec who took a chance (see: Tartikoff, Brandon and Seinfeld). Besides, if the customer is always right, how did we get Jersey Shore?
I am trying to understand this soap opera and what actually happened. Anyone please reply with some insight if you are able. First, didn't Jay Leno announce 5 years in advance that he would leave the Tonight Show? Was this his idea or did NBC push him out to make room for Conan? Later, the Jay Leno show was created for the 10pm slot. Was this Jay's idea or NBCs?
If this is all Jay's proposal and making, then why doesn't he simply accept that the prime time experiment didn't work and move on. If this all of NBCs doing, then why don't they offer Jay his original slot back and have Conan do the NBC Nightly News? It could compete with the Daily Show and be much more accurate, entertaining, and provocative than their current program.
How did you get Jersey Shore? Have you looked at the MTV demographics lately? Fits perfectly.
It's just the first show that came to mind. And re: MTV's demographics, I agree!
Holy crap! That's Homer Simpson !
Conan's best bet at Fox would be if they start his show at 11 p.m Eastern/10 Central, since Fox only does two hours of prime-time programming a night and most of their affiliates go with a 10 E/9 C late local newscast. That would give him a half-hour jump start on Leno and Letterman (Fox might also consider moving O'Brien's show back to New York and find a suitable midtown location, since the quirkiness of his show fits the NYC surroundings more than it does Los Angeles).
As far as NBC, you'd think Comcast's officials, coming in and seeing the train wreck they bought into, would be far more open to canning Zucker and doing something to fix the low ratings, both on the network and its cable news affiliate. They didn't create the problem, so they have no vested interest in pretending it's all working according to plan. But we'll see if they're willing to fight the established ideology that only lays the most gentle of raps on NBC's execs and Imhelt, especially compared to the attacks 30 years ago on Fred Silverman and his bosses at RCA over NBC's ratings problems.
Jeff Zucker zucked up NBC!
I always wanted to say that. Heheheh.
Boy, I miss the days of Johnny & Ed.
I became partial to Conan during college, and I still think he's the funniest of the bunch. I was an avid Letterman fan since his early days, but became completely disenchanted when he went on an anti-Bush agenda and politicized his show. His treatment of guests like Bill O'Reily has done zero to bring me back.
I like Jay just fine, personally, but never cared for his Tonight Show. Can't say why, exactly. I absolutely loved his old stand up stuff.
Anyhoo, I'd like to see Conan stay, but maybe audiences expect "The Tonight Show" to be more mature. I don't know. But it seems clear that the Leno experiment isn't working, unfortunately. I would much rather watch dramas in that timeslot as well.
Zucker is rearranging the deck chairs on the NBC Titannic.
The pravda msm is spending too much time, effort and money covering this story, while ignoring what 0bumbles is doing to our beloved country. Who really cares what is going on w/NBC programming?
"Disaster at NBC: Can They Lose Conan But Save Their Primetime?"
Hum? Do I care?
Don't forget My Mother the Car. Another classic.
Johnny, Ed and Doc made the late night format look soooooooooo easy! Then again, they were really funny and entertaining.
Ditto, Jack Paar and Steve Allen in earlier incarnations.
Yes, he did announce that, and while NBC was pushing him to agree to the deadline, Leno reportedly went along with it without any complaints at the time. It was only during the last year or two that he became openly reluctant to leave. Once NBC realized that he wanted to stay in the game, and might to that end go to another network if he couldn't find a spot at the Peacock Network, the executives gave him the 10 p.m. slot. So it was really a combination of both.
In his defense, Leno is now said to be equally furious at NBC for the way they've treated Conan, even if he did have a hand in it, and is reportedly considering leaving the network as well. The only thing I can say for certain about the future is that Zucker and Co. will be rueing this fiasco for a long time. Even if one or both hosts don't leave and take their audiences elsewhere, their trust in the network execs has been destroyed, which is almost as bad.
NBC was apparently trying to run its business by political methods instead of free-market ones. When stakeholders tell you that a decision you've made is going to hurt your brand, the last thing you should be doing is tell them "shut up or else." In politics that may work. In real life it's a big mistake that will come back to bite you.
It seems to me that the beginning of this problem was in trying to use shortcuts to keep talent from going elsewhere–first O'Brien, then Leno–and they messed up everything else in the process. Now they're losing at least one talent anyway.
(By the way, the original Rockford Files is airing on a local station and is still very smart and entertaining. No remake needed.)
Not to take issue, Buckwheat–it is a tempest in a teapot to us (after all, it's not like this is the only thing going on in the world), but that's not how it looks to the people caught up in the drama. Don't forget, Conan wasn't the only one to relocate from New York to L.A., he brought practically the entire "Late Night" staff and their families with him, under the assumption that their lives wouldn't suffer further disruption for some time after the move. According to Fox News, Conan was in tears talking to his staff Tuesday over the entire mess, because if things don't work out, what are they going to do? I agree, he had to make a very difficult decision, and in his statement seemed to display a lot more loyalty to the legacy of the Tonight Show than NBC has up to now. I like both Jay and Conan, but if Conan does leave NBC and Jay gets the Tonight Show back, as it appears he might, I will be tuning to whatever network O'Brien goes to. He deserves better than this.
I keep waiting for the headline that screams "NBC FIRES ALL EMPLOYEES–EXCEPT JEFF ZUCKER". The man is a disaster but he keeps coming out not just on top, but in stronger and more important positions. He must really know where all the bodies are buried!
it is very important to thse involved. it always is. But for for me, someone who has no emotional investment, it seems over blown.
but then again that is how every issue on earth is.
I'm just hoping that the debacle won't hurt Conan with a show that runs opposite Leno and causes a repeat of the Leno/Letterman wars.
re: Chuck
Hey, but we've got Adam Baldwin keeping them honest!
if he goes to FOX they will be FAR more clever than that. We can see O'Brien taking on Saturday Night Live, for example…
If there was any justice in this world both Leno and Conan would walk out on NBC and find jobs on other networks. Leno could go to ABC bumping Kimmel to a Late Night show (in many markets Kimmel doesn't appear until 12:30 anyways) and Conan can go to Fox and attract a lot of the younger audiences that pull from American Idol, House, 24 as well bring along the young/middle age demographics from his old New York show. Zucker and all his NBC cronies (including the bloated SNL-30 Rock-NBC News circle) are a bunch of snarky liberals who think they can throw crap programming they wipe off and hand it to us as if it were potpourri, all the while mocking and ridiculing at least half of the country. For their arrogance and failure to manage real talent NBC deserves to go down the toilet along with all the crap they've dispensed over the last 10 years.
[...] reading: S.T. Karnick, Big Hollywood: Disaster at NBC: Can They Lose Conan But Save Their Primetime? and O’Brien Plays it Safe, Smart in ‘Tonight Show’ Debut John Nolte, Big Hollywood: If Jay [...]
Agree re: Chuck! If the first three episodes of this season are any indication, I think we'll be just fine.
And re: Joe's comment about NCIS, a bad episode written by a writer with an agenda doesn't necessarily signify a trend. It's still a good show.
There already is a Keith Olbermann comedy hour.
I would think Comcast's outlay to buy NBC must be shrinking…..
I avoid anything NBC whenever possible because of their politics and their crappy programming. Two exceptions are The Office and Southland. Oh yeah, how's that decision to cancel Southland (which was beginning to catch on in it's 10:00 PM slot and will no doubt be a hit for TNT) working for ya? And putting the Uberdouche on Sunday Night Football? Yecch. Another no go. I hope they crash and burn.Serves them right for blatantly sucking up to the Obama administration to garner points to allow GE to get all those "green" contracts.
The Fox play is interesting, but it seems most Fox affiliates show popular reruns during the post-local news slot. Is Conan a better choice than Seinfeld, The Office, or Fraiser? My guess is that the ratings for those syndicated shows are actually pretty good.
That being said, Fox has always wanting to play in the tonight show sandbox (Chevy, Sykes, etc.) so I'm sure they will reach out to a talent like Conan.
Now THAT would be awesome! I can't stand SNL in its current version. Used to LOVE it with Radner, Belushi, etc., when it was truly funny. If Conan (of whom I am not particularly fond) can come up with something opposite SNL , I'll watch it and get everyone I know to watch it JUST to increase its ratings over SNL in hopes that NBC will eventually either can SNL or revamp it back to the former glory days.
Isn't NBC the network that canceled Life? The best show in years, and it's not even given two full seasons. No wonder they are in trouble with that kind of short-sightedness.
Good point, but think of the mass exposure. Instead olf broadcasting to his mother, he may add the cousins and the alumna of Cornell. Funny guy – either him or informercials.
Conan! Come over to the dark side! Write for people with brains.
Ditch the Peacock. Trust me. I raise free-range chickens. Peacocks are high-maintenance beeatches….all fluff and no substance.
("Must See TV"? – lmao)
see- maybe a good idea is catching. And Conan knows skits…
life is not fair. better they learn that now, than later when standing in front of one of obama's death panels. i have little sympathy for people who think they are owed something in life.
GE owns NBC, right? and GE is in Obammy's hip pocket with this whole global warming hoax, right? so i say a pox on all of their houses!
I didn't care much for 'Life'…but 'Medium' was fun most of the time…for a Debbie Downer show anyway…
you are correct though on the short sightedness…..the suits at NBC are pros at making epic blunders
I think that they'd get better ratings with the Indian head test pattern. And then…Howdy Doody time!
I wish Conan would go back to The Simpsons. Those were some of that show's best seasons.
If cable channels were available a la cart, MTV would sink.
Who can stay up to watch a show that begins at 12:30? Insomniacs, meth addicts, slackers living with parents, & other Democrat constituencies.
I realize that even under Comcast ownership NBC's management method of Screw Up and Step Up is still in effect, but after CEO what is Zucker shooting for with this stunt? Obama Administration?
True that. I guess I do have a little more emotional investment, having watched both Jay and Conan for a long time. Personally, I think Conan was better at 12:30 anyway, but if he was promised the Tonight Show at 11:35, he should get it.
[...] original post here: Disaster at NBC: Can They Lose Conan But Save Their Primetime? This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
Well, one certainly can't argue with that sentiment, but as I said above, if NBC promised Conan he'd get the Tonight Show at 11:35, then he has every right to feel like they stabbed him in the back. There's a difference between feeling like you're owed something in life and expecting the other side in an agreement to keep their word–especially when you've uprooted not only your own family, but all your staff and their families clear across the continent in the expectation that NBC would keep its word. Sorry, but the more I think about this, the more I feel like Conan has the right to give the whole network the finger and move to FOX or someplace else.
Dang it, nolo! You beat me to it!
What's the ole' sayin?…….That's Showbiz!
Jimmy Fallon sure knows how to lay low and keep a lid on it.
There are too many White Males on late night talk, I think a light-skinned Black Male who didn't use a Negro Dialect might do well.
Exactly. I won't support something I wholeheartedly disapprove of – NBC is not in my channel lineup.
Somebody call Skynet tech-support, we got a 'bot out of place here…
We don't watch television in real time anymore, so it doesn't matter what time a program is shown (or how many commercials they show), we watch the content when we want it. I believe there are millions more like us. Pretty soon someone in the business will have to notice that and there will be a revolution in television programming.
I also have little sympathy for the "world owes me a living" folks, but I don't think that applies here. There a difference between those who want to live on government (i.e., taxpayer) largesse and those who make an agreement that is then rescinded by one of the parties. If Conan and NBC had a deal, or even an understanding, with NBC that he would stick with them until Jay's run ended at which point he would get The Tonight Show, then it is owed to him. He very likely turned down other opportunities in anticipation of the show. There was probably something in the contract to allow NBC to do this, and as a business they have a need to do what's best for the company, but that doesn't mean that anything a company does in its own best interest is something that is right or justified.
sure it does. if you uproot your family and move cross-country, it's always a risk. if you decide it's worth taking, then fine. if not, don't move. but if the risk turns out bad, don't go crying to me for sympathy. i've moved cross country twice in my life without a job awaiting me at the other end. somebody like Conan will have a contract and the network will honor it after they fire him. he has the luxury of a huge bank account balance to allow him to stand on his principles. but make no mistake… those people who followed him from NY to LA are not being let down by NBC. they are being let down by Conan. if he moved to 12:05PM, they'd all still have their jobs. but he won't, so they won't. it might not be fair to the poor schlub who operates the camera or builds the sets for the show, but that's life. it's not fair. and in a year where our national debt has swollen to $12 TRILLION and i'm about to be taxed for not having personal healthcare insurance as a self-employed small businessman, i have little sympathy for unionized workers getting paid salaries and benefits well beyond what a free and fair market would support.
"Is Conan a better choice than Seinfeld, The Office, or Fraiser? My guess is that the ratings for those syndicated shows are actually pretty good."
I'd be shocked if they were. Generally speaking, original programming beats out reruns. Especially when you can pull in audiences with your guest "stars".
Thank goodness for Torrents so that I may pick and choose what I want to watch when I want to watch it. And I still hate ABC for cancelling Invasion and NBC for cancelling Surface as well as CBS for cancelling Threshold, ALL IN THE SAME SEASON, yer sorrry bass turds, arggggh.
certainly better than the silly schizo left wing nonsense since they went HD…
Arsenio Hall is God
I just hope the hole in the schedule means good things for Chuck. Why not keep a somewhat low-rated but critically acclaimed show that has a rabid fan base rather than roll the dice on some unknown property? I want to see Adam talking about killing commies some more!
Let Adam's character get his own show. Then I'd watch it even if it's on NBC. Chuck is a spastic jerk.
Please don't make the mistake of thinking that Fox broadcasting is of the same political leanings of Fox News Channel. That's the group that hired that unfunny Wanda Skyes to do a saturday night late night show.
Conan used to be a writer for SNL back in the day(when it was funny).
I hate to stick up for Bathtub Boy but here goes nothing….the dude (Olberperson) has a background in sports, via ESPN, so it works for him to be on the sunday night football program, vile as he may be….would I prefer that mutant from Minnesota Craig Kilborn? But of course ! Alas, NBC gets a two-fer with 'Tub-boy: moonbat show on msnbc, pregame and halftime toolbag on the football program
Sorry: Untermensch decided mere sportscasting wasn't good enough for a pretend Ivy-Leguer like him: he needed to be a "serious" smear merchant and sanctimonious douchebag. His decision, let him stick to it.. Sports is better off without that insufferable femdom-bait.
I've already written Ebersol to tell him I WILL NOT watch NBC's pregame or halftime shows so long as that pompous, bigoted a$$hole is on them.
Good for you. Funny.
Ditto
All three of these were great shows, and deserved some time to find their audiences, and more promotion from the networks.
However, the network that takes the gold ring for not sticking by the quirky, offbeat sci-fi-ish type shows just has to be Fox. Just off the top of my head I can name the following shows, all of which were cancelled way before their time: Firefly, Dark Angel, John Doe, Dollhouse, and Sarah Connor. Every one of these shows was shown no love by the network, constantly preempted and bumped, taken off for weeks at a time because of Fox's commitment to the baseball playoffs. I think every one of these was in the "death slot" for Fox–Friday evenings.
How it is that "24" managed to survive long enough to become a hit is beyond me. "Fringe" is another outlier–I think it managed to survive for a second year only because JJ Abrams has such a huge cache these days, and because it's not on Friday nights.
Hey Fox, the next time you develop another "niche" type show, try something new: Give it a two season commitment and a better time slot–you might be surprised by the results.
Even though "The Unit" wasn't on Fox, it had the same fate constantly pre-empted and bumped as well as frequent the time and date changes.
Hello,
Jeff Zucker has now proven to be the stupidest man to ever destroy a network TV station. The once great peacock has now gotten feathers that are all messed up. Has anybody gotten tired of this crap as of yet. I sure am, and I hardly even watch anything on the peacock network anymore.
Thanks,
Larry D. Crumbley
jay leno is not funny. how is asking nitwits stupid questions on the street funny? wait!! let's do funny newspaper clips! hilarious. i am not saying leno isn't talented, but his show is a joke. it's treacle at it's very worst.
jaywalking! so funny! oh my god… who finds this funny? nobody. well… somebody finds it funny.
conan is doomed
The way I understood it is this: 5 years before Leno left, he thought he would be ready in five years to call it quits and spend more time doing other things. That was when the job was offered to Conan. They didn't want it to be a big competition like it was between Letterman and Leno, so they just offered it to Conan. When the 5 year mark was coming up, Leno realized he wasn't ready to be done. So NBC developed this new show for him in Primetime. When I have watched it, it seems like they manipulate the show to be "green" everything. It makes me absolutely insane trying to sit trough one. From everything Leno says, to the skits, etc. they are liberal and green, start to finish. He doesn't seem to be himself anymore.
Exactly and when Leno does make even a mildly un-politically correct remark, he looks like a JHS kid hiding his Playboy magazine under his pillow.
He'd have so many viewers, the charts would explode if he really told it like it is, showed the video clips running around the internet and generally inform those who don't spend their time on line. Most people don't have the foggiest idea what's happening around them.
Clearly you do, because you took the time to reply.
[...] reading: PopEater: Conan O’Brien Rips NBC in Monologue S.T. Karnick, Big Hollywood: Disaster at NBC: Can They Lose Conan But Save Their Primetime? and O’Brien Plays it Safe, Smart in ‘Tonight Show’ Debut Jeffrey Jena, Big Hollywood: [...]
Superb website…
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