I like CNN.com's version of the story better: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/18/showbiz/tonight-show-cuts/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn
"...The actions were taken as NBC seeks to move the show to a cost structure typical of late-night programming, as opposed to prime-time shows, according to the source. Leno replaced the legendary Johnny Carson as host of "The Tonight Show" in 1992, a job he held for 17 years when he left in 2009 to helm "The Jay Leno Show" with a 10 p.m. start time. But a few months later, in January 2010, NBC announced the comedian would once again move to his old 11:35 p.m. time slot. The Massachusetts-raised comic's venture into prime time three years ago was pitched as an attempt by the network to parlay his proven popularity into a commercially successful show. But lagging ratings prompted NBC executives to change course within a few months. That move ultimately led to fellow talk show host Conan O'Brien's departure from the network. O'Brien now hosts a show, "Conan," on TBS that, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner." First, it correctly reports Leno's move back to the Tonight Show as being a function of the poor ratings for his primetime show, not Conan's ratings. Second, it implies that when Leno went back to the Tonight Show it was staffed at the level (or the payscale) of his previous primetime show. I would like to know more about this. Did Leno actually hire more people when he went to 10:00 than he had had at Tonight? If so, when he returned to Tonight, did he keep all or most of the extra, and is it this extra that basically got cut on Friday? It doesn't seem possible that he would really have had that many more people working in primetime. -- 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
