>From the marginally more reputable Wall Street Journal. The big question: if NBC drops or moves Leno, where is it going to get an additional five hours of programming that could provide equal or better ratings without shifting existing shows and wreaking havoc with their schedule?
=============== NBC Universal Re-Evaluates Jay Leno's TV Show By SAM SCHECHNER And SHIRA OVIDE NBC Universal is re-evaluating the future of "The Jay Leno Show," according to people familiar with the matter, in a bid to assuage television stations worried about low ratings for the comedy-and-talk series. One scenario under consideration involves moving Mr. Leno back to his 11:30 p.m. time slot and potentially shortening his show to 30 minutes, said one of the people. That change could take place as soon as after the Olympics in February, the person said. It's unclear what would happen under that scenario to Conan O'Brien, whose "Tonight Show" currently occupies that slot. Mr. O'Brien could either stay at NBC or jump to another network. Both Messrs. Leno and O'Brien had conversations with NBC Universal on Thursday, but it was unclear whether any decision has been made about their future, said a person familiar with the situation. NBC Universal declined to comment on the ultimate fate of Mr. Leno's show. Earlier it denied a report that the show had been cancelled, and said that Mr. Leno and the show are "committed" to working with local stations to find ways to "improve the performance." TMZ earlier reported that Mr. Leno would move back to his 11:30 pm time slot. NBC Universal launched the new series hosted by Mr. Leno last September, replacing five hours of prime time programming each week with a less costly show. If NBC decides to move Mr. Leno's show, it faces some thorny questions. Mr. O'Brien could end up being a potent competitor on a rival network. Part of the rationale of putting Mr. Leno at 10 p.m. in the first place was to keep a rival from poaching him. Asked whether Mr. Leno's show might be canceled soon or in the future, an NBC spokesman declined to comment beyond denying that there has already been a decision to cancel the show. He said to comment further would be "speculation." NBC Universal had said it expected ratings for "The Jay Leno Show" to be smaller than those for typical 10 p.m. network shows, but people close to the company say the cost savings more than enough offset lower advertising revenue. Still, the audience for Mr. Leno's show has been shrinking, prompting complaints from local NBC stations, some of whom have seen their ratings drop for late local news programs following Mr. Leno's show. Last month, Comcast Corp. clinched a deal to buy a majority interest in NBC Universal from GE. The overall lackluster primetime ratings for the NBC broadcast network is among challenges Comcast will have to address if the deal passes regulatory approval, which is expected to take months. Regards, KGB ----- Kevin G. Barkes Email: [email protected] KGB Report: http://www.kgbreport.com Commentwear by KGB: http://www.commentwear.com National Temperature Index: http://nationaltemperatureindex.com DCL Dialogue on line: http://www.dcldialogue.com Random Quotations Generator: http://www.goodquotations.com Over 13,000 searchable quotations.
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World News Now Discussion List" 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/wnndl?hl=en.
