I must be missing something. The correct comparison is 18-49 for Leno at 11:35 and Conan at 11:35. I don't know what those numbers are, but no other comparison (e.g., 11:35 p.m. vs. 10 p.m.) is meaningful (just as comparing Jay's numbers for 11:35 and 10:00 p.m.) is "pointless." In other words, it may be true -- but one cannot conclude -- from the numbers below -- that "Conan was being hurt by his low-rated, non-traditional lead in." As I said, I must be missing something.
________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PGage Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 7:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TV orNotTV] Oprah/Jay Blow-by-Blow Actually, what Leno's boss, NBCU entertainment chief Jeff Gaspin, told us on Jan. 10 at TV critics' tour was that the 10 p.m. hour (9 Central) had declined 30 percent year-to-year. The 14 percent figure, obviously, is Leno comparing his old 11:35 numbers to his 10 o'clock numbers, which is pointless, and comparing total audience figures instead of the demo, which is doubly pointless. He also compares his old 11:35 numbers to Conan's 11:35 numbers, which would be acceptable except that, again, he is measuring the total audience figures for "The Tonight Show," which went from 5 million under Leno to 2.5 million under O'Brien. NBC has not used total audience figures in any meaningful way since the 1990s, when it began pushing aggressively for advertisers to rely on the 18-to-49 demographic. So this is a bogus comparison in several ways. The correct way to measure is 18-49, comparable time period, year to year. And as I wrote <http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/story/1691791.html> last week: Conan's "Tonight Show" rating among adults ages 18-49, a key group for advertisers, has declined by the same amount, 30 percent, as NBC's rating at 9 p.m. (10 Eastern), when "The Jay Leno Show" airs. In other words, Conan was being hurt by his low-rated, non-traditional lead-in ... the star of which was then asked to take Conan's place at 11:35. And people wonder why he's pissed. -- 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 -- 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
