I've kept reasonably quiet (to the extent I can ever shut up) about this, mostly throwing in comments I found by others on the internet. I've sent e-mails to friends and former coworkers in both the Leno and O'Brien camps, and nobody is talking about this. I can't be the only one to notice that nobody in the crews of either show has spoken out, on or off the record. I can't be the only person to find that odd. When Tom Snyder was getting offered the CBS deal and I was interning on his CNBC show, I was getting calls from "Access Hollywood" and "Entertainment Tonight" offering me money to confirm the offer. I cant believe that, 15-years-later, the tabloid TV shows (in addition to countless tabloid blogs) are no longer in the practice of doing this, which means there is another reason (or reasons) why nobody on the inside is talking. Which means there is more to this story than what we're seeing.
I think when the dust clears, this will be about more than just the host of a late night talk show. I think we're watching the disassembly of one of the big three networks. I think that while we're watching the right hand slap Conan and Jay around, we're ignoring what the left hand is doing. When the concept of Jay at 10pm was announced, nearly everyone in this group drew the analogy of the war in Iraq, inasmuch as there didn't seem to be a viable exit strategy should the plan fail. But what if failure was the plan? What if somebody benefits from NBC being devalued? Maybe Comcast gets damaged goods for a lesser price, or maybe the sale falls through, which means somebody else can pick it up. I don't know what specifically is up, but the more I see and read about this story, the more it seems to be about something else. But, at the risk of really being labelled a conspiracy theorist, here's one more thing I'd like to suggest: Whatever is going on, Leno has known about it from the start. It would explain why his demeanor has been so blasé about the move to 10pm (and now about the move back to 11:35). What is taking place now doesn't seem to be shocking Leno at all. Not a big leap for me to suggest he then approached his crew and, without divulging details, told them to keep their collective mouths shut and their jobs would be secure. As for why the Conan camp is also quiet, I think it must be a condition of the nearly unprecedented severance packages that keep getting talked about. I'm sure I'll be called paranoid and whoever does so might be right, but the whole way this story unfolded has been odd, and it continues to be odd. But, more than anything, it feels contrived. -- Kevin M. (RPCV)
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