I consider my dad to be one of the smartest guys I know—probably the smartest. So when he talks I listen, even if it isn’t something I like to hear.
This past weekend, he shared with me his thoughts on NBC’s late night mess. We talked about people not understanding that Jay Leno did not ask for “The Tonight Show” back. We talked about how Conan O’Brien on “Tonight” had hurt the local news ratings as much as Jay’s show had.
But then, Dad offered this observation. “Jay’s not completely innocent in this.”
I’m not going to lie to you. As a die-hard member of Team Leno, that hurt. Mainly because he’s right.
I still maintain that Jay didn’t ask to bump Conan, but there’s no doubt that he dropped hints that he wouldn’t mind to. And even though Jay doesn’t have a manager, I still believe he had people working for him behind the scenes.
But you really don’t need any further evidence than the speech Jay made during Monday’s episode of “The Jay Leno Show.” The sentiment was there—that Jay wanted to keep his people working—but he didn’t drive it home nearly as hard as he should have. And it was pretty clear to me that Jay is getting what he wanted all along.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am still a card-carrying member of Team Leno and I still believe that he’s not getting a fair shake. I just wish that he had seized this opportunity a little better and really driven his point home.
This is where a manager would have really come in handy (If you’ve seen “The Late Shift” or read the book, you know why he doesn’t have one anymore.). Jay if you’re reading this, I want you to know I’m available...
Especially if you let my dad come work on your cars...
You can see what Jay said last night here…
Obviously, you have no idea what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteConan comes on after the local news...HOW IS HE AFFECTING THE LOCAL NEWS?? That makes absolutely no sense! Jay's poor performance at comedy (if you can call it that) dropped the ratings of local news, which dropped the ratings for the new and improved Tonight Show.
You fail to mention that Jay said he was retiring in 2004 and would spend more time with his wife. Then all the sudden, Jay starts making waves in 2006-07 about possibly getting a new job at ABC.
Now, Team Chin is making history up and claiming that he was forced into retirement.
Jay is not a victim and he is more than likely a perpetrator in this due to his tremendous ego. Just because someone calls himself a victim, it doesn't make it so.
“people not understanding that Jay Leno did not ask for “The Tonight Show” back.”
ReplyDeleteWhether he asked for it or not he could have said “no” or kept his word and retire like promised.
Everyone in Leno’s business is blaming him. Why do you think that is? It is because there is a social contract in Late Night that you don’t go stealing other people’s shows; you get your own show elsewhere.
Leno has stolen TTS twice now. Letterman had a chance to steal it back and didn’t. Letterman also had a chance to steal the 11:35 from Ted Koppel on ABC and said no to that too. Leno is just as capable of saying no and moving to another network (and keeping all of his people employed), but he doesn’t.
RE: Jay’s speech: This is what jay Leno does. He has done it to Letterman, to Carson, to Howard Stern, to Rosie O’Donell. He tries to pull one over everyone that things just happen to him and he has zero control. He takes zero responsibility in the decisions he makes. And hurts his colleagues along the way.
Remember that NBC was often dead last at 10 p.m. before "The Jay Leno Show" but the local newscasts were still okay and Jay was still #1. That means that it can't be completely the fault of the lead-in. I believe that without Jay to stay up for, some people are just turning off the TV and going to bed early.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't buy the "poor Jay is just doing what the Network asks him to" line, either. He went along with a bad choice (starting a new show at 10) and once it crashed he decided to crawl back to the safety of The Tonight Show, even if that meant kicking Conan and his staff to the curb.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction: unlike 1992, this time Jay looks like the bad guy (whether he is or not), and his ratings suffer as a result.
Look at what's happened since this story broke: Conan's ratings are through the roof, and there's a huge online support group springing up. Leno's ratings are the same, and no support group. Sounds like NBC's about to make yet another big mistake.
When Conan shows up on Fox in the fall, it'll be interesting to see how the ratings shake out. That'll be the final decider when it comes to how badly NBC has handled the Late Night situation.
Angela Henderson...
ReplyDeleteYou...Are...An...Idiot.
NBC was not only dead last...they were 50 percent worse than dead last under the cloud of the Chin.
ER. Law and Orders. All non-contenders?? Dead last? What kind of drugs are you on? They fared better than an unfunny hack.
Last year, My Worst Enemy faced CSI: Miami and Boston Legal on Monday. That may be a draw.
Law and Order SVU faced Without a trace and Eli Stone. Draw between NBC and CBS.
Lipstick Jungle did suck on Wednesdays.
ER crushed Eleventh Hour and Life on Mars on Thursday.
Even Life, which appeared the last two years at 10 on Fridays, had much better ratings than Leno - for the entire week against poopular shows CSI: NY and 20/20.
Get your facts straight before making stupid claims. It was all Jay's fault.