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Conan is aboslutely hammering NBC

Saint J

By Saint J,
in Huddle Lounge

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Sultan33g Newbie

Sultan33g

Posted
Posted

conan's statement"

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

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Matt Foley Newbie

Matt Foley

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Conan, I like ya, but you're being a little bitch. Leno was printing money for NBC when he was up against Letterman. He tried prime time, they moved you into his old slot, and both of you were getting drilled. Quit taking it out on Jay and quit bitching about how you only got seven months. A lot of TV shows get one or two airings and they're pulled.

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hepcat Grand Master

hepcat

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Conan isn't taking it out on Jay. I'd feel slighted if I was Conan too. It's all NBC's fault. They thought Leno would want to leave around 2009 because he'd be pushing 60 and would probably be slowing down, but they made a mistake but still went through with the original deal. Conan is right that it takes time to build a following, but it's easier for struggling NBC to put Leno back on top and push Conan out the door. I understand why he is just trashing NBC because they basically opened the door for him to be the top dog, then pulled the curtain down on him. He should go to Fox. He is tailored for younger audiences so put him on Fox with a Simpsons rerun or something right afterward...he'd do great. And start him at 11pm, because all the people my age don't watch the local news.

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Matt Foley Newbie

Matt Foley

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Conan isn't taking it out on Jay. I'd feel slighted if I was Conan too. It's all NBC's fault. They thought Leno would want to leave around 2009 because he'd be pushing 60 and would probably be slowing down, but they made a mistake but still went through with the original deal. Conan is right that it takes time to build a following, but it's easier for struggling NBC to put Leno back on top and push Conan out the door. I understand why he is just trashing NBC because they basically opened the door for him to be the top dog, then pulled the curtain down on him. He should go to Fox. He is tailored for younger audiences so put him on Fox with a Simpsons rerun or something right afterward...he'd do great. And start him at 11pm, because all the people my age don't watch the local news.

Yeah, but they more than compensated him for it. My God.

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Scrumtrilescent Rookie

Scrumtrilescent

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Jay Leno = Brett Favre

Neither wants to retire and there will always be some sycophant exec who will do whatever he wants. Jay is the kind of guy that can't slow down performing or retire. He just hasn't realized his comedy is getting really dated, really fast. And the fact that his show tanked the rest of NBC's lineup and gets promoted for it, yeah that's completely asinine. It says something about how you are acting when your competition (Kimmel, Letterman, and Lopez) are all speaking out against you and publicly supporting Conan.

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