Broadcasting & Cable's editor Ben Grossman has a great and lengthy interview with Jay Leno up where Leno responds to negative press, ratings, and the relationship with affiliates.
Ben tried, tried, and tried again to get Leno to say something "Please, please, please move me back to 11:30pm, NBC!" but Leno's media training was way too good to fall prey to it. But he does clearly say he would've preferred to remain at 11:30 to begin with, though Leno says he isn't getting any satisfaction that Conan's numbers at 11:30 are trailing what his used to be.
Jay also talks about how he maintains relationships with the affiliates (something he did when he was on "Tonight Show" as well) and that unless they "are the greatest actors in the world" are, the ones he has spoken to are in it for the long haul.
I can't use all the good parts without posting almost the entire interview, but it is definitely recommended reading.
Are you surprised by the negative press coverage?
No, not surprised at all. You don't take it personally because there's really no fun in an upbeat story. The fun is, they did this and let's watch it fall. I enjoy being the underdog….Right now we've reached a level [and] we're not going below that. The numbers seem to tell us people [who] are watching the show are staying the whole hour; that's a good sign. I'm told if we can keep a 1.5 [rating], they make $300 million a year; this is what they say. So we're a little above the 1.5, we're doing OK.
This is our toughest period; we are the complete flip side of regular TV. Sweeps we'll do the worst, non-sweeps we'll do the best. When people realize that reruns are on for an extended period of time, we'll see how we do and how we pick up.
[...]
But last week you lost to reruns, and that was a story.
That's OK, that's fine. People stand there with their finger on the button; I get it. I do it in the monologue every night; something happens and I do a joke. Is it fair? No. But I need the joke. Is it fair? No. But it makes a good story.
[...]
But no one is writing about your politics. So is it more your show or the decision to move it to 10?
I think it's probably the decision. To me, there is more opportunity for dramas on television now than ever. USA cable shows like Burn Notice normally would have gone on the network. Some of these other channels do significantly better, so why isn't Burn Notice on NBC if it's a hit? I don't know; there is enough work out there, so people shouldn't necessarily be mad at me for taking the 10 o'clock spot.
[...]
Have you heard any talk anywhere from NBC that they are thinking about backtracking on this decision?
No, you'll never hear that. They'll never tell you that. What, are you kidding? It's NBC.
Just an FYI: I can’t figure out how to let you know otherwise. Hibberd is reporting that Southland has been officially picked up by TNT. http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/11/official-tnt-picks-up-southland.html
Great interview. Basically Leno admits he would accept to return at 11:30, which of course is pretty much the best option NBC has. But we all know NBC will stick with the Conan/Leno disaster as it is right now
Awesome interview! You gotta love Leno; he calls it like it is and certainly knows how to handle the media.
Who coined the term “lunatic fringe”?
jon, it seems to have been Teddy Roosevelt.
I think the best quote of the article was this…
“I find there’s a lot of anger at NBC. But it’s like I say to the people who write the dramas: If I weren’t doing this, it would be Dateline five nights a week or reality shows”
Jay’s taken a lot of heat for things that aren’t really his fault. The truth is he’s probably been screwed over by NBC’s bad decisions worse than anyone.
The really funny part is that NBC did all of this to hang on to Conan O’Brien (they were afraid of losing him 5 years ago which is why they made Jay commit to leaving when he did). I like Conan but if you think about the destructive chain reaction that one move set off I think even the biggest Conan fans would admit he isn’t worth it.
tom is exactly right…
the chain reaction of five years ago has been deadly…
and now, there is no way out.
Tom, NBC’s moves 5 years ago seemed pretty reasonable, but now with 100% hindsight, I think NBC should have just told Conan to be happy at 12:30 (or take a walk) until Jay wanted to retire.
Conan should see the writing on the wall and say it was a mistake and turn over the 11:30 slot to Leno and move back to 12:30. This would take the heat off of everybody else and make him look good,unstead of going down with the ship.
NBC is still making a large profit off Leno, Conan, and Fallon.
David, if CW’s ship hasn’t gone down, then NBC is far from sinking.
It’s amazing how many of you are so charmed by Jay Leno’s words, you think he was somehow screwed by NBC. I guess we see why Jay’s been so sucessful in this business, when his personal charm and charisma can easily override his contradictory actions. As opposed to Letterman, who generally comes off as an @$$hole. (except to interns of course)
If you read the article Steve, I think you will find that Leno makes no such assertion; he just accepts it as part of the business. Of course, in my line of work people tend to read things the way they want. I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
Jay Lenos right, NBC wouldnt say that ever
Speaking of Conan… he seems like such an odd fit on NBC. He would fit better over at FOX, where they seem to prefer his childish style of humor.
Jay made a good point in the interview comparing how they have done against repeats recently and how that will be different when the other networks go into extended repeats. He’s looking at the overall big picture. It’s still far too early to bring in the jury.
At this point John, some people want to bring in the executioner never mind the jury.
Jay Leno is in a bad situation not of his making. He is a class act.
I just can like Conan as a late night host. I so much love Leno. He is just so much more captivating.
Thanks bill, I thought it was Robert.
I’m old, but not so old I predate Teddy Roosevelt. “Speak softly but carry a big stick” wasn’t mine either. Nor “The buck stops here”.
It’s so odd that a network that owns USA could have such good programming on USA with Monk, Psych, White Collar, Burn Notice, and Royal Pains while having such a disastrous lineup on it full NBC network.