O'Brien out, Leno back in?

[Timby]

For the record, Conan cannot appear on television or give any interviews (radio, print, etc.) for the next three months, and he cannot host a television program until September 1. So he's basically muzzled while NBC and Leno get the next three months to spin the fuck out of this, like I said earlier.

 

[FreezeC77]

I wonder does that silence agreement extend to all of Conan's staff? He did negotiate a bigger settlement for his crew are they under those terms?

 

[Squiggy]

For the record, Conan cannot appear on television or give any interviews (radio, print, etc.) for the next three months, and he cannot host a television program until September 1. So he's basically muzzled while NBC and Leno get the next three months to spin the fuck out of this.

Then on April 23 he should whore himself out on every single show.

 

[shivkala]

I was wondering that and the feasibility (even though it was a joke) of Andy getting a show and Conan being a sidekick. And what about the internet? Similar to what happened with Martin Sargent from TechTV (though hopefully more successful) and Tom Green, could Conan host a web based show? Do the terms apply only to television or do they also encompass the internet?

If they don't I think that would be the best bet for Conan, to keep in (some of) the public eye. I wonder if people (Team CoCo notwithstanding) will care in three months about the whole ordeal enough to tune in to a show they don't watch just to see what Conan has to say. I'm sure that Conan would be a great guest for Letterman, Ferguson, or Kimmel to interview now, but in April (almost May), probably not so much. The whole ordeal will be old news and Leno will have been back on the Tonight Show for almost two months at that point. To further that, most guests are on to promote something and any show Conan would host would be at least 4 months in the future at that time.

I think Conan's best bet would be to go viral, if the terms of the agreement let him (and I still get the impression that some of the networks, like NBC haven't quite understood the power of the viral message).

 

[FreezeC77]

I'm hoping that he comes to terms quickly with Fox so as soon as possible he can start releasing bits or things, whatever is possible through the internet to keep interest alive for his next show.

I'd also then love to see him appear a guest star on Glee as a teacher in charge of a rival schools club

 

[wamdue]

For the record, Conan cannot appear on television or give any interviews (radio, print, etc.) for the next three months, and he cannot host a television program until September 1. So he's basically muzzled while NBC and Leno get the next three months to spin the fuck out of this, like I said earlier.

can he upload a video to You Tube?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Could say, Fox give him a show....lets say a sitcom, where he plays a talkshow host?

 

[wamdue]

this whole thing would have been a good plot for Studio 60 form the Sunset Strip.

 

[T'Baio]

I miss that show. I really liked it.

 

[wamdue]

I liked it as well.

 

[Data Holmes]

I've liked every show that Sorkin has done.

 

[Emher]

I didn't see all of Studio 60 until it was long over. Not quite the home run that The West Wing is, but a very nice series in it's own right.

 

[gblews]

For anyone to think that Leno didn't play a role in this whole thing that's ludicris, he may not have orchestrated it,but he certanely didn't stop it.

I doubt there's anything he *could* have done to stop it. He goes where NBC says. NBC's the villain here, not him.

Nope, Jay gets his share of the blame too. He could simply have chosen to walk after being notified his 10:00 show would be cancelled. Instead, he agrees to take an 11:30 show which would last 30 minutes. Does anyone believe that Jay (and NBC) didn't believe this ridiculous and demeaning situation would not cause Conan to bolt? Of course Jay knew this would happen.

And now Jay comes whining because people see him for what he is - a weasel. I'm reminded of that shot of him in "The Late Shift" skulking in that closet eavesdropping on the NBC executives' meeting back when they were trying to choose between him and Dave.

Difference between Jay, and Conan, Dave, and Johnny; Jay would have taken the Tonight Show at 12:05.

 

[shivkala]

this whole thing would have been a good plot for Studio 60 form the Sunset Strip.

It would really have fit in nicely, seeing as how Danny Tripp and Matt Albie worked for them once, were let go, and then asked back, this time to replace the previous producers who ran the show into the ground.

Anyway, I too miss that show. What network did it air on again?





Oh, that's right. Damn you NBC!

 

[Hoser]

Really, I don't see how Leno, NBC or The Tonight Show is going to come out of this looking good.

Like others have said, they have three months to help everyone who wasn't really paying attention forget. If Conan tries to bring it up by then, he'll seem petty. He'll do a lot for the laughs though, like Letterman did.

All Jay needs is another Hugh Grant.

 

[ALF]

I've been pondering over this, and let me know what you think.

Fact: Conan was canceled mainly because of his ratings. They were less than half of what Leno was getting and NBC wanted to put a stop to it.

Fact: Conan has a younger audience and Leno has an older audience.

I think reasoning behind the uproar and circus is that Leno's fans are seemingly passive about him. He's good, or he's just alright. He's nothing to froth at the mouth over. They spell out the majority of the ratings systems or whatever, but I think those viewers don't get too excited about anything. There are lots of his fans out there. I can't, for the life of me, think of any of my friends or family who are "fans". The people I know that watch Leno watch him because he's on. They don't turn on the TV knowing that he's on.

Conan's fans are rabid. You can hear it at the top of every show, Conan has to beg to get them to shut up so he can start the show. They need heavy sedation. Plus I remember living with lots of roommates and we'd know when Conan was coming on. "It's 12:35! Conan started already! Turn on the TV." I think it's fantastic that Conan and co. actually had an appearance at the water-sogged display of affection for him (was anyone of this board in attendance?) and then got them all pizza! That's terrific. I just don't see the same situation occurring for Leno....

This situation will work out better in the end. Fox will be a better fit for everyone. It just means we have to go Conan-less for 7 more months.

 

[TemporalFlux]

This situation will work out better in the end. Fox will be a better fit for everyone. It just means we have to go Conan-less for 7 more months.

I've been wondering if this isn't an opportunity for an interesting experiment. After all, wasn't Conan's agreement that he had to stay off television for 7 months? What about being internet exclusive in the meantime?

As you noted, Conan's fans are more engaged and younger; it would be the perfect time to try a scaled back internet series while Fox prepares Conan's television series for the fall. At the very least, allowing Conan some kind of presence would allow the momentum to carry until he can return to true late night.

 

[Timby]

Fact: Conan was canceled mainly because of his ratings. They were less than half of what Leno was getting and NBC wanted to put a stop to it.

That's an incredibly simplistic view of the situation, and you're ignoring all the context. Conan's ratings were low because A) he was re-building an audience, just as Leno had to do when he took over The Tonight Show (as has been said many times, he never beat Letterman until he lucked into Hugh Grant), and B) his lead-in was non-existent due to no one watching Leno's show, and the carryover audience to local news being completely eroded as a result.

I've seen people say, "You know, Conan didn't get higher ratings than The Jay Leno Show until this whole thing started! It was time to bump Conan!"

The Jay Leno Show was in primetime. It's supposed to get higher ratings than anything in the late-night field, which is a completely different animal when it comes to viewership. That it was getting only marginally higher ratings than Conan's Tonight Show is evidence that no one really gives a shit about Jay Leno anymore.

This entire situation could have been avoided if NBC had grown a spine last year, and when Leno started making noise about going to another network, said, "Cool, see you later." Instead, NBC wanted to have its cake and eat it, too. It's incredibly short-sighted: Jay Leno is 60 years old. How much longer is he going to do The Tonight Show? He won't do it forever. So when he hangs it up in three or four years, what's NBC going to do? Promote Jimmy Fallon?

 

[Harvey]

To be fair, I think Leno is going to be host for a long, long time, assuming the ratings hold. He doesn't seem to be interested in retirement, whatever his age.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Leno's fans are seemingly passive about him. He's good, or he's just alright. He's nothing to froth at the mouth over.

That's probably a good way to describe it. Leno is not the kind of host who inspires fanaticism. I don't mean this as a slam against his style (which I have always liked), it's just that he's the most 'normal' in style of any current late night host. He doesn't push the envelope, he doesn't really take risks. That's why I like him.