UPDATE pg 11, post 155, CONAN is COMING TO TBS!!

[bicker]

NBC (and Jay) screwed up big time. Oh well.

NBC took a risk. It didn't pay off this time. As I mentioned earlier, the reason why this situation came about is that NBC had an embarrassment of riches of talent, with Leno and O'Brien. If they only had one great star, then none of this would have occurred.

As it is, NBC still has a problem. Their television line-up is still too expensive, vis a vis that money they're going to be making from advertising. So either they need to come up with some other low-cost programming to present, for at least a few more hours per week than will be the case after Leno is gone from the 10PM slot, or they're going to have to play hard-ball with the cable companies and satellite services, regarding retransmission fees, so they get more money that way. However, the latter approach is problematic. Even though Fox just played that game and gained a bit, NBC may not be able to, due to commitments they're probably going to have to make to get the Comcast acquisition approved.

I think it may be time for NBC to seriously consider structuring prime time the same way Fox does, 8PM-10PM Eastern Time (instead of 8PM-11PM).

 

[bicker]

So Rosie O'Donnell is saying that Leno should step aside and let O'Brien have the Tonight Show.

Does that prompt any of the pro-Conan people to change their mind and support Leno instead?

 

[auntie]

According to TMZ, NBC has negotiated with Jay Leno to take the Tonight Show back, 11:35-12:35 and Conan is out.

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/14/jay-leno-conan-obrien-nbc-the-tonight-show/

I've always liked Jay Leno but always seemed to be doing something else at 10:00 to watch him then. I'm glad he's back to 11:35, if I'm up that late I watch his monologue before going to sleep. I never warmed up to Conan.

Me too. Hestitate to say it here..but I like Jay better for that time slot. I've watched Conan this week..only to hear the latest in the late night battle. Other than that, Don't think I'm not in the age demographic he's geared to. Okay..I'm old! Seriously, he seems nice enough..talented for sure. Yet for me, he appears overly animated. To the point of distraction. Sometimes the guests look a little baffled when he runs on and on. Yet, I guess that's also what makes him appealing to others. To each his own.
I think that 11;35 time slot is probably better suited to Leno. Us "old folks". are sleeping by the time he's off.
In any event, no one comes out of this looking good. NBC really screwed up.

 

[Por1968]

As it is, NBC still has a problem. Their television line-up is still too expensive, vis a vis that money they're going to be making from advertising. So either they need to come up with some other low-cost programming to present, for at least a few more hours per week than will be the case after Leno is gone from the 10PM slot, or they're going to have to play hard-ball with the cable companies and satellite services, regarding retransmission fees, so they get more money that way.

The other option is to develop shows that people watch. Prior to Leno moving to primetime they were not spending more than the other networks. However, there profits were less because they had less hits.

 

[Planogirl]

Ugh, low cost programming usually implies reality shows or maybe the endless news shows that the networks seem to show anyway. I wouldn't mind seeing something original personally.

I hope that Conan lands on his feet somewhere and gets a show of some kind. He's alright and doesn't deserve this.

 

[bicker]

The other option is to develop shows that people watch.

They do. It doesn't help, because there simply isn't enough money to be made any more. Advertisers are simply not willing to pay as much for our entertainment as they have in the past. As a result, there soon may no longer be a way to make the kind of profit that investors could make by taking their money and investing it in other types of productions, going forward. Every penny the networks spend competes against every other way that money can be invested. I know that I wouldn't want them investing my money in anything but the projects that provide me the very best return.

 

[babytrees]

Me too. Hestitate to say it here..but I like Jay better for that time slot. I've watched Conan this week..only to hear the latest in the late night battle. Other than that, Don't think I'm not in the age demographic he's geared to. Okay..I'm old! Seriously, he seems nice enough..talented for sure. Yet for me, he appears overly animated. To the point of distraction. Sometimes the guests look a little baffled when he runs on and on. Yet, I guess that's also what makes him appealing to others. To each his own.
I think that 11;35 time slot is probably better suited to Leno. Us "old folks". are sleeping by the time he's off.
In any event, no one comes out of this looking good. NBC really screwed up.

I am old too....and think the same thing!! but my oldest (17) said the exact same thing about Conan....she likes Jay's humor better.

 

[Por1968]

They do. It doesn't help, because there simply isn't enough money to be made any more. Advertisers are simply not willing to pay as much for our entertainment as they have in the past. As a result, there soon may no longer be a way to make the kind of profit that investors could make by taking their money and investing it in other types of productions, going forward. Every penny the networks spend competes against every other way that money can be invested. I know that I wouldn't want them investing my money in anything but the projects that provide me the very best return.

CBS television makes plenty of money.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/06/business/fi-ct-cbs6

Excluding football, CBS has at least 12 shows that gets higher ratings than any regular NBC show.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/za...1_num+,cdb_05_txt+&PageSize=50&Page=1&Query=*

 

[bicker]

CBS is doing well right now. They're lucky. When the stop being lucky, they'll be in the same situation as NBC and ABC.

Note also that CBS is much more closely-held than the other networks' owners. I can only invest it in NBC (GE) and ABC (Disney). That makes a difference, since CBS, being so closely-held, isn't as buffeted by the winds of its owners' demands for quarterly returns.

 

[GoodFairies]

From an article in June 2009:

Are viewers ditching Conan O'Brien for David Letterman?
BY Issie Lapowsky
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, June 11th 2009, 12:48 PM

<snip> According to Variety.com, O'Brien's overnight ratings have consistently dropped since he took over "The Tonight Show," while Letterman's "Late Show" has simultaneously attracted more viewers with its big name celebrity guests.

On Tuesday, the "Late Show" veteran finally surpassed O'Brien in ratings.

The possible cause? Many believe that O'Brien's comedic chops cater more to the younger set, so older fans of Jay Leno may be more inclined to enjoy some late night Letterman.

Still, NBC has been consistent in its belief that O'Brien's transition into the new time slot might not be smooth, and ought to be judged over a series of years, not weeks or months. </snip>

So much for that. He doesn't even get a year to prove himself.

The change-fearing old fogies switch over to Letterman in the summer and then Letterman gets himself a juicy sex scandal in the fall, meanwhile NBC moved an entire crew and their families across the country and isn't willing to give the programming time. The whole thing is BS, and I'm pretty disgusted by it all. Team Coco!

 

[krcit]

So Rosie O'Donnell is saying that Leno should step aside and let O'Brien have the Tonight Show.

Does that prompt any of the pro-Conan people to change their mind and support Leno instead?

Not me but only because my Leno hatred outweighs my Rosie hatred...just barely though!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axwO6BkCtIo

Kimmel rips on Leno on Leno's own show--OMG I was rolling!

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

I think Jay should do what he said he would do - retire and leave the show to Conan. He's worse than Brett Favre! I think Conan got robbed. They promised him the Tonight Show and I understand that Leno's new show didn't work, but they just ask him to leave and let Conan stay where he is. He left his old show and moved across the country... for what? I used to watch both of them. I will not ever watch Leno again. I will watch Conan wherever he goes. I hope he goes to Fox and does a show from 11 -12 and kicks Leno's butt. I admit Jimmy Fallon doesn't do it for me, but that doesn't mean Conan should have to bail that show out. The whole thing is messed up.

 

[amg35]

wooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyone watch Conan's monologue tonight??? If you're going down, go down in a BLAZE OF GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!


I don't care if Leno's ratings were better back then, we can argue why until the day is long. The point is Conan got screwed, big time.

I know this will all die down and Leno will come out of this unscathed, but hopefully Conan can come back in some form for those of us who appreciated his humor.

My ideal line-up would be Conan and then Craig Ferguson. They make me laugh and laugh...

 

[momrek06]

Conan O'Brien heads to TBS
by Lynette Rice

In a surprise announcement, TBS announced today that Conan O’Brien will headline an 11 p.m. late night show for the cable network in November. His program will serve as a lead-in to TBS’ fledging Lopez Tonight, which will shift to a midnight time slot. The network said O’Brien only began talking to execs there last week, and Lopez even called O’Brien himself. “I can’t think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as a lead-in,” Lopez said in a statement. Added O’Brien, “In three months I’ve gone from network TV to Twitter to performing live in theaters and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.”



http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/04/12/conan-obrien-heads-to-tbs/

 

[AshleyW]

Conan O'Brien heads to TBS
by Lynette Rice

In a surprise announcement, TBS announced today that Conan O’Brien will headline an 11 p.m. late night show for the cable network in November. His program will serve as a lead-in to TBS’ fledging Lopez Tonight, which will shift to a midnight time slot. The network said O’Brien only began talking to execs there last week, and Lopez even called O’Brien himself. “I can’t think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as a lead-in,” Lopez said in a statement. Added O’Brien, “In three months I’ve gone from network TV to Twitter to performing live in theaters and now I’m headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly.”



http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/04/12/conan-obrien-heads-to-tbs/

Booooo.

I don't have cable. Fox would have been better for him, I think.

 

[DebbieB]

I am surprised it's TBS and not FOX. It will be interesting to see what kind of audience numbers he will get there. I can't even tell you what channel # TBS is on my TV. Wonder if FOX turned him down?

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Booooo.

I don't have cable. Fox would have been better for him, I think.

I am really shocked...who would have predicted this? I'm happy for Conan, but at the same time, I'm upset because we are trying to cut back on bills and are thinking of getting basic cable only. Hopefully his show will be available to watch online somewhere.

Team COCO!

 

[momrek06]

I am surprised it's TBS and not FOX. It will be interesting to see what kind of audience numbers he will get there. I can't even tell you what channel # TBS is on my TV. Wonder if FOX turned him down?

They are going to have to do some mega advertising of this show. I have no idea what channel it is either.

 

[TheZue]

NOOOO we don't even get TBS in Canada!!! I'll be calling my cable company and pestering them when I get a chance!