On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 11:20 AM, PGage<[email protected]> wrote: > > On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 7:58 AM, Steve Timko<[email protected]> wrote: >> >> On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 7:02 AM, Joe Coughlin<[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I ask you, More teeny tiny table tops....what does this mean for The Jay >>> Leno Show long-term? >>> >> Leno's back at 11:35 p.m. by Easter? > > > I don't know anything about this, but it does focus a question I have > been wondering about. > > It is possible "The Jay Leno Show" becomes an institution and > continues for decades; it may even become a tradition to cycle the > current Tonight Show host down to the 10:00 slot whenever they are > ready to step down. This is possible - but I doubt it - it would > certainly violate every thing that has ever happened in network prime > time programming. More likely, ,at some point (this year, in two > years, in five years) the Leno show will get canceled - or Leno > himself will decide to stop doing it, at least every night. Whenever > that happens, whether this season before Easter or in 5 years from > now, how does NBC get ready to replace it? What is their "exit > strategy"? > > I have been assuming that a big part of the savings for the network in > this move is not having to commission a lot of one hour drama pilots, > but if that is really true, then NBC would have nothing on the back > burner to put on whenever Leno does leave. They would be stuck with > Law and Order repeats and more editions of Dateline, at least for a > year or so. Are they still ordering up pilots of 60 minute shows (in > which case, they are saving less money than I thought with Leno) or > would they cannibalize their various cable outlets, so that, in the > event, this April we might see "Caprica" "Burn Notie" and "In Plain > Sight" on the 10:00 pm NBC line-up?
In terms of business generally, I have to wonder if NBC really had any long-term plans. Giving Leno the 10 PM slot always seemed to me like a band aid, a way to keep the Conan succession going and also keep Leno. The problem is that 5 day a week talk shows aren't like hour scripted shows, in that by canceling one you have to replace 5 hours of programming and you leave a host out in the wild to become a competitor at another network. This is a thought I've kept to myself until now, but it seems obvious: if a late night talk show is such a good idea at 10 PM, why hasn't anyone done it? Maybe there's some show from the '50s and so I would have to say nobody came up with the idea in the current market structure. As for Leno going back to 11:35 by Easter, we don't know what's in Conan's contract. Let's assume that NBC has some way to replace him, but it would have to include a prohibitively expensive buyout. And the idea of Conan going back to 12:35 is unrealistic. So to put Leno back at 12:35 they'd have to buy out Conan and see him go to Fox or ABC to do an 11:35 show. Actually, ABC is probably happy with its tabloidy Nightline so it would be Fox. Regarding talk shows, NBC is screwed if they don't keep to their current schedule. Tom --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
