Leno and NBC: Back to bowling -- live from Queens!
NBC is one of the most poorly programmed networks on television, but you have to give management this: They are willing to shake things up and explode major pieces of the old TV business model like no one else in the industry.
That's what they did with the announcement today that comedian Jay Leno will host a new prime-time talk show five nights a week starting in September -- three months after he steps down as host of The Tonight Show.
His new one-hour show will air at 10 p.m., and it will be the first talk show to air five nights a week in prime time. It marks a daring shift away from scripted programming. Heck, it's a radical departure from reality TV.
Just when you thought network prime-time TV could not get cheaper, NBC found a way no one imagined. Prime-time programming hasn't been done this cheaply since the dawn of television as a mass medium in the late 1940s when polka parties from Milwaukee and bowling nights live from Rego Park Lanes in Queens were considered worthy of prime-time network real estate.
How much is NBC going to save by going to late-night talk in prime time? The best indication came from this exchange today between Erin Burnett, of cable channel CNBC, and NBC CEO Jeff Zucker, the executive who is bringing Leno to prime time:
Burnett: Joining us now...President & CEO of NBC Universal Mr. Jeff Zucker. So the numbers that I have seen are that your 10 o’clock slot, if you were to put in a scripted drama for example, was going to cost you $15 million a week. Jay Leno's show is going to cost you less than $2 million a week . Is it really lucky 13 for you - that big of a savings?So, 10 p.m. is the new 11 p.m. -- right.
Zucker: Well I don't know that it's one-for-one like that. The point is well taken that obviously there is a cost benefit to doing this. But that really was not the real driver. The real driver of this decision was that Jay Leno was available and, he's a unique talent who decided that he wanted to continue to work. And so that was really critical to everything. If we didn't find a place for him with Conan O'Brien taking over the Tonight Show in June, a decision that we made five years ago and that we are as supportive of today as we've ever been, if we didn't find a place for Jay he would have ended up on the competition and that was something that we didn't want to see.
So we were looking for something for Jay to do. The fact is, the viewing habits of prime time viewers today are different than they've been in the past. They're looking for something different. 10 o'clock has not been that successful a time period for us in recent years. So you couple all of that with the fact that obviously there is a cost savings involved and I think it all adds up to a good decision.
But Burnett's figures are essentially correct, and that's what makes Zucker's move look so appealing to the bottom-line gang. It does cost a minimum of $15 million for five hours of scripted drama. The networks thought they were doing well when they knocked that figure down to as low as $5 million for five hours of reality TV -- and attracted younger viewers to boot.
But $2 million is pure genius in network-think these days.
Unless you are an NBC affiliate like WBAL in Baltimore that is now going to have the absolute worst lead-in to your late local news at 11 p.m. just about anywhere in network TV. And most of your revenue comes from that 11 p.m. newscast.
Will ABC rush in and try to sign someone like Jon Stewart to go against Leno at 10, as some analysts are speculating?
I don't think so. I think the industry will let NBC be the pilot fish next fall, and see how it does -- and how loudly the affiliates howl.
(Photo AP)
Comments
The real question should be, how will Conan O'Brien affect ratings when he fills in the Late Night slot in 2010? My generation grew up with Leno, so who knows, maybe kids of my generation will tune out.
And yet, the same could've been said in 1992 when the great Johnny Carson left. I guess we'll have to wait and see next year. But also, you mentioned about what would happen if ABC created some competition, that would be interesting.
Posted by: Blue Collar Artist | December 9, 2008 8:21 PM
Perhaps i'm unaware of the importance of late night hosts in view of ratings, but in response to the first comment i feel that most late-night shows are fairly similar. 1.) The host must be a comedian 2.) most importantly, they must showcase celebrities (who promote their new movies or music, etc.) I admit that i find leno really enjoyable as a host, but i don't think there will be much of a change in ratings when Conan takes his place considering they all have the same format anyways. is there really much difference...
Posted by: Anonymous | December 10, 2008 4:46 AM
David,
The scheduling of Leno 5 nights per week may be a new idea,but moving a show like that to prime time has been done before. After Jack Paar left the Tonight Show, he set up shop on NBC Friday nights at ten. As I remember, the program was very similar to his Tonight format, and he hosted guests as diverse as Oscar Levant and Bobby Kennedy.
Posted by: Paul Schatz | December 11, 2008 9:15 AM
I was sad to see such a great and intellectual comedian in Jay Leno step down from the tonight show. It was a great move by NBC to try and enhance ratings by giving Leno a talk show at an earlier time, where supporters can tune into Leno. But what are the chances that this new time slot will enhance NBC's ratings? I simply do not see an increase in ratings.
Posted by: chris herting | December 13, 2008 6:55 PM