Commentary by Erika Blake
Admin The Entertainment Hotline:
Conan O’Brien officially threw the gauntlet down to NBC to get their act together about the late night mess. Speaking as a die-hard fan of Conan, I fully believe that NBC is being unfair to him. They made a prime time gamble that didn’t pay off. So instead of paying Jay out of his contract they’re trying to do some ridiculous juggling around with their late night schedule that Conan himself points out as being ludicrous and defeats the point of his program.
Jay Leno failed at 10PM because his style had gotten old, just like David Letterman. Letterman is only #1 still because CBS is the number 1 network. No one under the age of 35 routinely watches Letterman. He’s completely out of touch with knowing who ½ of his guests are, he doesn’t bother to do any research before they come on, and generally sounds like an idiot when talking to them. Conan is quirky, he’s weird, BUT he’s one of the best interviewers on television because he’s educated and truly loves his job. He researches each of his guests before they come on and he always makes for lively conversations with them. This past month Sam Worthington was nervous as hell to be on the show because it was “the biggest show in America.” Sure there are folks who don’t like Conan, but there are A LOT who do. Having Andy back as a sidekick harkens back to the Johnny Carson days. What will NBC do? I have no idea – but here’s Conan’s official letter that was just printed in the New York Times today.
What it shows me is that Conan has class, that he cares about the legacy that’s been handed to him and the fact that Jay Leno would even consider NBC allowing this to happen shows that he himself has little respect for the show that he left. The question is, if people weren’t watching Jay at 10, why in the hell would NBC think that they watch him at 11?
What I can tell you is this, rumors are floating that FOX is salivating to get their hands on Conan. If NBC fires him and Fox picks up Conan, this one time avid NBC Latenight viewer, will NEVER watch their late night programming again. Wherever Conan goes, I will follow, because frankly, I’d rather watch the future of late night than the past.
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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