That's the rumor and according to this and TMZ, it's happening right after the Olympics.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2010/01/is_nbc_moving_jay_leno_back_to.html

TMZ Drop

http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/07/jay-leno-nbc-conan-obrien-tonight-show/

Edited January 8, 201015 yr by JaneAusten

What made Arsenio successful was the fact that he wasn't trying to put his mark on a long-standing, beloved, time-honored, (stuffy, safe, boring!) television "legacy." That's why Conan kinda annoys me. He's all about wanting "The Tonight Show." If he wants to do his comedy, reach people, inspire young comics, etc, he should be content to do that on any show, whether it's "Tonight," "Today," or "Yesterday Afternoon." No, he seems hung up on wanting to follow in someone else's footsteps and being put in the same company as Carson, Allen, etc. That's all fine and dandy, but when Carson took over in '62, he didn't inherit a "legacy" that he had to "keep going" blah blah blah. He just did his comedy. Just do your damn comedy, and stop being pretentious.

I side with Conan on this one. I get why he's pissed, because the one thing I will shoot a person for is going back on their word. Do not tell a person A and then do B without a valid explanation. That's why I won't boo-hoo over Jay being "forced out." He agreed to the deal knowing the terms. No one screwed him over. If he didn't like their deal, he could have left, but he stayed.

It's been widely reported that NBC wanted Conan to tone down his comedy for the 11:30 hour. Part of that may have been Conan trying to be "classy" for The Tonight Show, but alot of it definitely had to do with NBC telling him what to do. He should have fought them every step of the way though.

Meanwhile, I found THIS article someone at Nikki Finke posted. I read somewhere that Dave was offered The Tonight Show by NBC and that Leno would be moved back an hour(a counteroffer from CBS' intial 16 Million Dollars). And Leno is acting much in the same way Conan did. Someone should send this to Leno.

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/23/arts/jay-leno-criticizes-nbc-on-tonight-cliffhanger.html

Jay Leno Criticizes NBC On 'Tonight' Cliffhanger

By BILL CARTER

Published: December 23, 1992

Jay Leno, expressing what he called "surprise and disappointment" with NBC executives, said yesterday that he believed his performance as the host of the "Tonight" show should have more than satisfied the network and that he did not deserve to be threatened with losing the leading show in late-night television to David Letterman.

"Am I crazy?" Mr. Leno said in a telephone interview. "The ratings are going up, the advertisers are happy and so are the affiliates." And yet Mr. Leno said he had not received any assurances from NBC executives in New York that he would not be dropped in favor of Mr. Letterman by Jan. 15. That is the deadline NBC is facing to match a CBS offer to give Mr. Letterman about $16 million to star in a nightly talk show at 11:30, the same time as the "Tonight" show.

"I am disappointed," Mr. Leno said. "I feel like a guy who has bought a car from somebody, painted it, fixed it up and made it look nice and then the guy comes back and says he promised to sell the car to his brother-in-law." Go Elsewhere? 'Of Course'

Mr. Leno said he would "obviously leave NBC immediately" if the network decided to give the "Tonight" show to Mr. Letterman. He said he would absolutely refuse to do a show in the 12:30 A.M. spot now occupied by Mr. Letterman's show, "Late Night," and would indeed consider creating the same problem for NBC that Mr. Letterman's proposed deal with CBS caused.

"Would I go to CBS if they asked me?" Mr. Leno said. "Of course. I'm not going to do some little happy hour from Omaha at 12:30."

In the last week, factions inside NBC have been taking sides between Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman. "NBC's West Coast executives have said everything is O.K.," Mr. Leno said of Warren Littlefield, the president of NBC Entertainment, and John Agoglia, the president of NBC Enterprises.

"But the East Coast people won't say that," he added. Specifically, Mr. Leno said he had heard from Robert C. Wright, the president of NBC, to whom both West Coast executives report. "He said they don't know what they're doing yet," Mr. Leno said. "I appreciate the candor, but it does disappoint me."

The comedian became the host of the "Tonight" show in May after Johnny Carson retired after 30 years on the show. At the time, NBC chose Mr. Leno over Mr. Letterman for the position. 'A Guy With Two Girlfriends'

Now it faces the same choice, but the stakes are much higher. Beyond the $16 million to Mr. Letterman, NBC would have to pay Mr. Leno about $10 million if it breaks its commitment to him to be the host of "Tonight." NBC now pays Mr. Leno $3 million a year as the host of "Tonight."

"NBC is like a guy with two girlfriends who doesn't know which one he's going to marry on Jan. 15," Mr. Leno said. "And the longer you wait, the madder they both get."

He said NBC's indecision was hurting him even if he survived the Letterman threat, because the network executives were letting it be known publicly that they have some doubts about him, doubts, he said, that are unjustified. 'This Isn't About Dave'

To compound the emotional aspect of the conflict, Mr. Leno acknowledged his own debt to Mr. Letterman. "I would not have this job if not for Dave," he said. Mr. Letterman had Mr. Leno on his own show as his most frequent guest in the early 1980's. "This isn't about Dave. Dave is worth whatever somebody wants to pay him. Anything I can do toward keeping him at NBC, I'd do." Short of giving up his own show, that is.

"It's a tricky situation," Mr. Leno said. "Dave is truly a star and terrific, and this is a terrible position NBC is in. But fragging your own soldier doesn't make any sense to me."

He argued that he ought to have satisfied NBC by now because his ratings have shown growth in recent weeks, after a period of turmoil when Mr. Leno's former manager and the show's former producer, Helen G. Kushnick, enraged NBC executives with her tactics in booking guests. 'We Have Great Morale'

NBC fired her. Since then, Mr. Leno said, the show has been running smoothly. "We have great morale," he said. "Everybody is having fun, except for some long faces when we read all these bad things about the show in the newspapers."

Mr. Leno reached about a 4.9 national rating in recent weeks, which is up from a low of about 4.2 in the summer. (Each rating point represents 931,000 homes.)

"I've always said, 'Just judge me by my performance,' " he said. "I've done stand-up comedy for a lot of years. When I go out and see a full house of 3,000 people, I know I'm making money for somebody. If I see only 1,200 people and the house is half-full, I know I've got to do another show to make it up to the guy. But the affiliates, the advertisers, they're all happy."

Mr. Leno said he would not be reluctant to have to face-off against Mr. Letterman at 11:30 each night. "In the comedy clubs I used to say, put me on after Richard Pryor," Mr. Leno said. "Competition is really the only way you get better."

Despite the indecision in New York, Mr. Leno said he did not believe that NBC would force him out. "I don't think it will happen," he said. But he added, "I'm not sure, and that's the annoying part."

It's been widely reported that NBC wanted Conan to tone down his comedy for the 11:30 hour. Part of that may have been Conan trying to be "classy" for The Tonight Show, but alot of it definitely had to do with NBC telling him what to do. He should have fought them every step of the way though.

Wait. They wanted him to tone down the comedy in a comedy show? And Conan wanted to be classy by doing more comedy?

Someone should send this to Leno.

Why? So that Leno can understand Conan? Has he spoken about this today or yesterday?

Wait. They wanted him to tone down the comedy in a comedy show? And Conan wanted to be classy by doing more comedy?

Oh come on! You know what I meant! His CRUDE comedy...his Masturbating Bear bit and stuff similar to it.

Why? So that Leno can understand Conan? Has he spoken about this today or yesterday?

Has Big Jaw spoken out about what NBC tried to do to him around the time Letterman wanted to go to CBS, you mean? I don't think so. I know he is taking credit for Conan's ratings surge.

http://www.thewrap.com/article/breaking-nbc-pay-conan-30m-13048

It's Over! NBC to Pay Conan $30M

Deal brokered by Universal COO Ron Meyer after all-night negotiations

By Sharon Waxman

Published: January 15, 2010

NBC has its way out of the Conan Crisis.

The network has agreed to pay O'Brien $30 million to vacate the 11:35 p.m. "Tonight Show," sources involved in the negotiations have told TheWrap.

The deal, which still has to be formally signed, will be announced later Friday.

NBCU President and CEO Jeff Zucker, NBCU Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and Co-Chairman NBC Entertainment and NBC Televison Studio Marc Graboff were involved in the final all-night negotiations. The deal was brokered by Universal COO Ron Meyer, who was brought in on Tuesday, after talks had reached an impasse.

more to come...

I wonder what's going to happen to the crew...

And whether Conan will get a show on FOX...

Howard Stern

"It's finally dawned on Conan that Jay Leno had it in for him the whole time. Crapped all over him. ... [Leno] is an evil devil. He's a horrible, horrible guy. I've told you this for years. ... And everybody hates Jay now — which is great. I'm all for hating Jay."

What is it about Jay Leno that inspires this kind of talk? I'm firmly on "Team Coco" in this situation, but why do people refer to Leno as evil?

What is it about Jay Leno that inspires this kind of talk? I'm firmly on "Team Coco" in this situation, but why do people refer to Leno as evil?

Leno's a total bastard, everyone in the business knows it. The people who go on his show do it simply because he gets the viewers and doesn't do hardball interviews or put anyone on their toes. Not many people in the business actually like Leno. He doesn't interact, socially, in Hollywood very much at all. In recent years his image has deteriorated behind closed doors quite substantially.

Howard Stern, who I am a big fan of, has hated Leno since he started and he's called this situation exactly right.

Edited January 16, 201015 yr by DaytimeFan

That's interesting, as ABC News is trying to start a pity party for Jay.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jay-lenos-villian-conan-obrien-tonight-show-fiasco/story?id=9554686

Ken Tucker at EW says it won't work.

http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/01/16/attacking-jay-leno-david-letterman-conan-obrien/

Zucker used the most interesting turn of phrase in a NYT article:

“We live in a society today that loves a soap opera,” Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, said in an interview in his office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York on Friday. “Three months ago it was David Letterman, six weeks ago it was Tiger Woods’ problems. Today it’s NBC’s problems.”

Society loves soap operas, eh?

Is that why NBC has only one, which it has threatened with cancellation (at its last renewal)?

If society loves a soap opera, why not capitalize on the love?

Oh...I see...you're using "soap opera" in a disparaging way...equating it to some kind of tabloid foibles.

Zucker used the most interesting turn of phrase in a NYT article:

Society loves soap operas, eh?

Is that why NBC has only one, which it has threatened with cancellation (at its last renewal)?

If society loves a soap opera, why not capitalize on the love?

Oh...I see...you're using "soap opera" in a disparaging way...equating it to some kind of tabloid foibles.

Awww, Mark. That's a cute attempt.

But a bullsh!t one too. As I'm sure you're very well aware of. He could put 78 soaps in daytime and no one would watch. People, in fact, gave up on soaps, and no matter how well produced and written, they really wouldn't stand a chance. Unless they want a million viewers or two per soap.

People love soapiness, but not soap operas in daytime anymore. The numbers show it nicely. They've been giving up on them ever since their creation.

Awww, Mark. That's a cute attempt.

But a bullsh!t one too. As I'm sure you're very well aware of. He could put 78 soaps in daytime and no one would watch. People, in fact, gave up on soaps, and no matter how well produced and written, they really wouldn't stand a chance. Unless they want a million viewers or two per soap.

People love soapiness, but not soap operas in daytime anymore. The numbers show it nicely. They've been giving up on them ever since their creation.

Well, at least I tried. And yes, I have the graphs to show it,

CarlD2 posted about Ebersol on the previous page, I believe. First, Ebersol needs to shut up.

If I'm remembering right, didn't he used to be head of the Sports division at NBC? He should have stayed there. That kind of statement is NOT something I'd expect to hear from a top executive at a network. that's damned unprofessional.

Leno's a total bastard, everyone in the business knows it. The people who go on his show do it simply because he gets the viewers and doesn't do hardball interviews or put anyone on their toes. Not many people in the business actually like Leno. He doesn't interact, socially, in Hollywood very much at all. In recent years his image has deteriorated behind closed doors quite substantially.

I've heard those stories for years as well. I've never been a huge watcher of late night talk since Aresnio Hall and Joan Rivers left the air. I don't enjoy Leno OR Conan for a completely shallow reason, I simply can't stand their physical appearance. They're both so STRANGE looking, Leno with that chin that is the size of Texas, and Conan... I don't know, kind of reminds me of a praying mantis or something. It's a tacky reason not to watch a show, but I can't help it. I don't mind Jimmy Fallon at all, but I find him quite attractive. Material wise, I think Kilborn really has a good sense of humor, and I find him the funniest of the lot. And he, like Carson, is a normal looking guy with an affable personality and a great sense of timing. At this point, NBC could air repeats of Carson (they already so that with SNL, don't they?) and they'd Probably pull better numbers in that 10PM slot.

Edited January 16, 201015 yr by alphanguy74

As I'm sure you're very well aware of. He could put 78 soaps in daytime and no one would watch.

Isn't DAYS one of the only NBC shows to have a ratings increase over the past year (with a decreased budget no less)?

Edited January 16, 201015 yr by CarlD2

If I'm remembering right, didn't he used to be head of the Sports division at NBC? He should have stayed there. That kind of statement is NOT something I'd expect to hear from a top executive at a network. that's damned unprofessional.

He's doing that as a proxy to Zucker. They're pals.

This type of behavior isn't a surprise, given his SNL run.