> The choice where there is some > question is, 3b; Once they decide in January of 2010 to cancel Leno in > primetime, could they have: 1) severed ties with Leno (eating a substantial > penalty to him) and keeping Conan at Tonight Show; 2) severed ties with > Conan (eating a substantial penalty to him) and reinstated Leno at Tonight > Show or 3) tried to keep both Leno and Conan in late night and avoid paying > either the substantial payment. I think you can make a case for either #1 or > #2, but #3 is clearly a mistake, both in human, moral terms, and in > practical, programming success terms.
Actually, in the (unlikely) event NBC could have made it work, #3 where they return to the status quo ante is the best option. It's just no easier to get both hosts to agree now than it was with Dave and Jay 17 years ago. > If forced to choose between Leno and Conan it is hard to see how Leno is the > right choice if you are thinking anything but short term. But NBC is in so > much trouble right now, they may be happy to take the short term gain and > worry about the future another day. As many have pointed out, long-term oriented decisions usually help a TV executive's successors. > A more skillful set of managers may have been able to either structure the > original deal with Conan more flexibly, so that he took over TS not in 5 > years, but in 5 - 8 years, and whenever Leno decided to retire. If Conan had > refused that, he would have looked more like an asshole. That was the point where Conan's contract was expiring and he was at least making noises about testing the 11:30 waters. I'll give the geniuses at NBC credit there for keeping things together AND having a reasonable succession plan for the Tonight Show. > ... So the tough choice facing NBC last week (Leno, Conan or the > abomination of trying to have both) was largely a function of their own > failure. Absolutely.
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