"The Tonight Show with Chelsea Handler" has a nice ring to it. And it helps that she is (was?) dating the boss.
On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 11:34, Jason Carpio <[email protected]> wrote: > And Comcast wants to buy this network? Oy, good luck to them. > > On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 1:00 AM, M-D November <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> *shakes head in disbelief* >> >> Every time - EVERY TIME - NBC executives are quoted in this context, >> it makes the network look worse and worse and makes Conan look like >> the working-class hero (huge settlement not withstanding). >> >> What I find especially surprising is that back in '92, Ebersol was >> firmly on "Team Dave". Do you suppose he's toting the company line >> because he wants to be on the 'winning side' of this one? Or is he >> singing Zucker's song because of the dismal losses predicted for the >> Olympics coverage next month, and this is just a huge stinkin' ball of >> CYA? >> >> On Jan 15, 1:10 am, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: >> > Wow. NBC has decided to go to the mattresses. Bill Carter has a killer >> > story >> > in tomorrow's >> > NYT.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/business/media/15conan.html?partner... >> > >> > Zuck appears to have appointed Ebersol as his button man, and they have >> > put >> > a contract out on Conan. I paste some of the action quotes below. >> > >> > The two that stick out (in addition to the one in the subject header) >> > are >> > that "[Conan] was just stubborn about not being willing to broaden the >> > appeal of his show.” and "“we bet on the wrong guy.". >> > >> > If anyone had any lingering doubts as to the truth of the rumors that >> > Conan >> > is history at NBC and Leno is taking back the Tonight Show, this will >> > eradicate them. This is the narrative that NBC has chosen to go with - >> > not >> > that the Leno Experiment was a failure, not that they handled the end >> > game >> > like asshole hacks, but that they had no choice but to bring Leno back >> > from >> > primetime to save the flagship late night slot from Conan's astounding >> > and >> > stubborn failure. >> > >> > I love the logic behind this too - Conan's problem was that he was too >> > smart, too funny, too hip for the central time zone (and I thought >> > everything was up to date in Kansas City). Unlike Leno, Conan refused to >> > "broaden his appeal" (which can only be read here as "dumb down his >> > show"). >> > >> > I have seen about 75% of Conan's Tonight Show episodes - he remains the >> > worst interviewer in late night television (something we are still >> > seeing >> > this week, as evidence nicely by his awkward set with Gervais) and he >> > has >> > never seemed real comfortable with his Los Angeles setting (small >> > illustration, one night he had both LA icon Magic Johnson and Boston >> > icon >> > Larry Bird on to promote a great book they wrote together; Conan >> > obviously >> > idolizes Bird and has an instinctive antipathy for Magic and the Lakers >> > - >> > something I can relate to, since I have it in the reverse. But rather >> > than >> > either pretend to be an LA guy, or just play his Boston passion for >> > exaggerated laughs, he was apologetic and tentative and awkward). His >> > best >> > work with SoCal was when the weather turned cold this winter and he was >> > able >> > to make fun of Anglinos for freaking out when the mercury dropped below >> > 65. >> > That is the persona he needed to develop to make things work - he is an >> > east >> > coaster and he will make fun of LA tropes - even as he grows spoiled and >> > self-congratulatory himself. Indeed that is the pattern of about half >> > the >> > people who live in LA - many of whom continue to wax nostalgic about >> > their >> > east coast roots and memories - typically while eating bar b que by >> > their >> > pool or driving to the beach the weekend after Thanksgiving. All of this >> > to >> > say that Conan's Tonight Show surely was a work in progress. But from >> > the >> > first week he had the funniest, most biting monologue on late night, and >> > some of his set pieces were hilarious (Conando, Twitter Tracker, the Wax >> > Figures, Triumph, etc). >> > >> > My 7th grade son could have figured out by Halloween that the Leno >> > Experiment was going horribly wrong for NBC. Their standard line, that >> > Leno >> > performed as they expected even though the low ratings were killing the >> > affiliates, was never coherent, and is nothing but an insult to all >> > concerned, as if they want to be believed, it would mean they >> > intentionally >> > put on 5 hours of programming that would about break even, knowing it >> > would >> > cost their affiliates millions of dollars. Meanwhile it was Leno who >> > never >> > figured out how to do a comedy/talk/variety show in primetime, and by >> > all >> > reports who stubbornly refused to tinker in any fundamental way with the >> > format of the program, long after it was obvious that the ratings were >> > terminal - not just for him, and for the affiliates, but for the Tonight >> > Show as well. >> > >> > The attack from NBC on Conan is shameful and disgusting, and pretty much >> > tells you all you need to know about the people running the show over >> > there. >> > That it might have been motivated by a perceived need to stroke Leno's >> > ego >> > might tell you what you need to know about him as well. >> > >> > ************** >> > (SNIP..."The executive, Dick >> > >> > Ebersol<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/dick_ebe...>, >> > chairman of NBC >> > >> > Universal<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nbc_universal/i...>Sports, >> > said the reason for Mr. Leno’s return to NBC’s late-night roster >> > after a short stint in prime time this season was a simple one: >> > disappointing ratings for Conan >> > >> > O’Brien<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/conan_ob...>’s >> > “Tonight Show.” >> > >> > Referring to the pointed jokes made this week by Mr. O’Brien and David >> > >> > Letterman<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/david_le...>of >> > >> > CBS<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/cbs_corporation...>, >> > Mr. Ebersol said it was “chicken-hearted and gutless to blame a guy you >> > couldn’t beat in the ratings.” >> > >> > He added that “what this is really all about is an astounding failure by >> > Conan.” Mr. Ebersol is a veteran at the network, with a longstanding >> > relationship with NBC Universal’s embattled chief executive, Jeff >> > >> > Zucker<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/z/jeff_zuc...>. >> > Mr. Ebersol also has a deep link to the network’s late-night history, >> > having >> > been a creator of “Saturday Night >> > >> > Live<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/saturd...>,” >> > and he has been frequently consulted on changes in NBC’s late-night >> > lineup. >> > >> > Ratings for Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” have dropped off sharply from >> > what >> > they had been under Mr. Leno. Mr. Leno himself experienced a prominent >> > failure when he moved to prime time with a show in September that >> > struggled >> > so much that NBC’s affiliated stations demanded change. >> > >> > Mr. Ebersol chided Mr. O’Brien for declining to take advice about how to >> > adjust his show to the 11:35 p.m. slot from the style he had used on >> > NBC’s >> > 12:35 a.m. “Late Night” show for 16 years. >> > >> > He said he had met personally with the host three weeks before he >> > stepped >> > behind the “Tonight” desk for the first time to urge him to take steps >> > to >> > expand the appeal he had built up in his “Late Night” years, saying that >> > NBC >> > hosts beginning with Johnny >> > >> > Carson<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/johnny_c...>had >> > recognized the importance of making the show appealing first and >> > foremost to cities in the central time zone like Chicago and Des Moines. >> > (SNIP) >> > >> > Mr. Ebersol labeled that a “specious argument,” saying that for much of >> > the >> > last five years, Mr. Leno had much lower lead-in audiences than Mr. >> > Letterman got at CBS and yet he always won in the ratings. >> > >> > “I like Conan enormously personally,” Mr. Ebersol said. “He was just >> > stubborn about not being willing to broaden the appeal of his show.” >> > “Jeff and I are big boys,” Mr. Ebersol said, referring to Mr. Zucker. >> > “When >> > we do something big in the public forum and it doesn’t succeed, we know >> > we’ll be the butt of criticism. But you don’t personally attack someone >> > who >> > hasn’t done anything.” In this case, he added, “we bet on the wrong >> > guy." >> > (SNIP) >> >> -- >> 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 > > > > -- > Jason Carpio > [email protected] > > Not sent from an iPhone > > > -- > 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 > -- David J. Lynch [email protected]
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