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

They probably think they're already getting a lot of free publicity. They seemed to be promoing a lot of shows which are already a lost cause (some of their Thursday night sitcoms; Heroes).

I really hope wiping out the entire Thursday night lineup is part of Comcast's plan. That stuff is complete and utter crap. And as much as I love 30 Rock, that show's gotta go too. If it is a "lost cause."

Aside from that mini-rant, free publicity is not enough. Especially BAD publicity.

I wonder if Conan's ratings increase might improve his chances of getting a show on another network.

That could be part of the plan. At the end of the day, most industry execs recognize how great and talented Conan is and how much of a failure NBC has become.

I don't think anyone blames him.

If Conan were to move to FOX, if I were Kevin Reilly, I would sweeten the deal by giving stations more local ad time, as though the show were syndicated(I think MyNetworkTV does this for local affiliates). Local stations could get up to six minutes of adtime with a deal like this, instead of two minutes.

I liked Julianna Margueiles's comment about CBS supporting 10 PM scripted programs. Since she wouldn't even have a big career if not for NBC and their 10 PM programming (ER), it was a good little jab at them.

Yep.

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by bellcurve

I didn't know Nancy had quit. I hope she finds a good job elsewhere.

Billy Bush is so pathetic and weasely. He's unwatchable TV. Failing upwards wins out once again.

Nancy's statement alluded to having secured another TV gig...but I'll believe that when I see it. Nancy is very good at what she does and is very well liked as well. While many of the Access, ET and Extra people hate each other openly, Nancy has always been gracious and diplomatic. I hope she lands on her Manolo's somewhere nice. E! would be a good fit for her.

Billy Bush is just the WORST. UGH.

With all due respect to the both of you, since when has someone "being right" for the job stopped NBC from giving someone a chance? Look at crap like The Office and Heroes. Repeatedly circling the vortex of suckage after its first season, yet they continue to renew these shows because of the cult buzz, instead of the ratings.

Doesn't matter if Conan wasn't performing or if it's a different time today than it was back then, where you could give someone over two years to git-r-done. They should have stuck by him. I'm a fan of Nightline, but I used to love his show back in the day. He deserved the shot.

And Jay is a proven ratings winner, absolutely. But will viewers follow him back, especially considering the negative publicity that he will never be able to shake in an age of the internet and word of mouth AND the fact that NBC(barring putting To Catch a Predator on the lineup three nights a week) will be able to get back some of lost 10PM audience(that trickles down from the local news to The Tonight Show)?

Precisely and yes. My points proven.

Conan isn't a cult on The Tonight Show. Nor would he ever achieve that status. Like I said:

1. They should have never given him a chance.

2. Now finally they see the stupidity in their own decision.

In other news (The HR):

Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" dream is over.

NBC brass certainly are praying that the same can be said for the PR nightmare that the late-night debacle has caused the network.

On Sunday, attorneys from both sides were putting the final touches on a financial settlement that ends O'Brien's seven-month stint as "Tonight" host.

The payoff to O'Brien is said to be close to $40 million.

The pact also includes sizable severance packages for O'Brien's longtime executive producer Jeff Ross and the rest of the "Tonight" staff, some of it possibly coming out of O'Brien's settlement paycheck.

O'Brien is expected to tape his last "Tonight Show" on Friday. Jay Leno will return to the "Tonight" desk March 1.

The settlement caps a week of tense negotiations and public salvos from both sides, including O'Brien's open letter defying NBC's plan to move his "Tonight" to 12:05 a.m. to make room for a Leno-hosted half-hour show at 11:35 p.m. and NBC's sports chief Dick Ebersol's slam of "gutless" O'Brien.

The quick resolution would be welcomed by NBC and Leno, who have found themselves under siege for the past week, blasted by late-night comedians for pushing O'Brien out.

In addition to gaining momentum in the PR war with NBC, O'Brien also saw his sluggish "Tonight" ratings -- a big reason for his ouster -- surge last week.

Under the settlement with NBC, O'Brien is expected to be free to join another network, possibly right away and by the fall at the latest.

News Corp. has been the most inviting company, with the toppers of two of its networks -- Fox's Kevin Reilly and FX's John Landgraf -- expressing strong interest in bringing O'Brien into the fold.

Shedding O'Brien and putting Leno back in charge of "Tonight" gives NBC the opportunity to get its schedule back on track, but it comes at a very high cost. The network's pilot development last year was derailed with the vanishing of its 10 p.m. dramas that made room for "The Jay Leno Show," which was canceled last week.

The network also spent millions on new sets and the launch of both "Tonight" and "Jay Leno" and then had to face ratings down spiral both at 10 p.m. and 11:35 p.m., which led to revenue loss.

(Leno, at least for the time being, is expected to stay put in the studio that housed his primetime show.)

Additionally, the NBC and "Tonight Show" brands arguably have been tarnished.

The network, in particular, has been painted as clumsy at best and villainous at worst in its handling of the issue.

And then there is NBC's loss of O'Brien -- a star at the network whose passionate fans were planning to stage a support rally today outside NBC Universal studios -- with an excellent chance of him becoming a competitor to boot.

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by Sylph

I know you don't mean that to come across as if Joan is in a gutter where she belongs but I want to make it clear that I think Joan Rivers has blazed a trail for women in comedy as well as a trail for anyone who is 'different'.

No, I didn't say she deserves to be in the gutter.

But apparently — she is. Fashion show? Really? The bottom of the bottom of a barrel.

No, I didn't say she deserves to be in the gutter.

But apparently — she is. Fashion show? Really? The bottom of the bottom of a barrel.

She's done that off and on for 15 years now. It was a lot of fun to watch.

She's done that off and on for 15 years now. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Precisely.

I know.

She deserves something better.

But now it might be too late.

I think the specials sort of opened a second career for her. They got her on TV at a time when many of the avenues for older female comedians, like game shows, were no longer around, and when she wasn't getting as much play on talk shows. And they gave her the double act with Melissa, which she's used ever since.

I remember when they got rid of her and replaced her on the red carpet with that awful Starr Jones.

No, I didn't say she deserves to be in the gutter.

But apparently — she is. Fashion show? Really? The bottom of the bottom of a barrel.

I look at it very differently than you do. I don't see her fashion commentary as bottom of the barrel at all, she INVENTED that sort of work. Before Joan, nobody did fashion commentary on the red carpet. She coined "Who Are You Wearing"...I call that innovative.

I think the specials sort of opened a second career for her. They got her on TV at a time when many of the avenues for older female comedians, like game shows, were no longer around, and when she wasn't getting as much play on talk shows. And they gave her the double act with Melissa, which she's used ever since.

I remember when they got rid of her and replaced her on the red carpet with that awful Starr Jones.

That's how I see it. It was an avenue that exposed her to a whole other demographic, notably a young demographic. Joan has traction in her career because of the fashion stuff. She is not a snob in her work, when a door opens for her in the business, she walks thru it.

3RD UPDATE: Comcast Execs Privately Call NBC "A Mess"; Jeff Zucker Receiving "Death Threats"; Late Night Announcement Today? Now Leno Speaks Out Seriously; Anti-NBC Frenzy Continues Over Conan

3RD UPDATE: Comcast Execs Privately Call NBC "A Mess"; Jeff Zucker Receiving "Death Threats"; Late Night Announcement Today? Now Leno Speaks Out Seriously; Anti-NBC Frenzy Continues Over Conan

Jay Leno needs to sit his ass down.

I doubt those death threats are coming from fans as much as they are coming from GE or Comcast shareholders.

Edited January 20, 201015 yr by bellcurve

Is this thing over yet? Just make decision...make a deal...hurry up!

I doubt those death threats are coming from fans as much as they are coming from GE or Comcast shareholders.

LOL So true.

Is this thing over yet? Just make decision...make a deal...hurry up!

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a "shocking twist"!

More "drama" in this story. This type from the New York Post who claims Leno's buyout is $150 Million dollars.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/conan_leap_for_joy_Xem23v4HiRTwOPWPs3HKiL#ixzz0dA8QSiFI

More "drama" in this story. This type from the New York Post who claims Leno's buyout is $150 Million dollars.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/conan_leap_for_joy_Xem23v4HiRTwOPWPs3HKiL#ixzz0dA8QSiFI

HOLY SH!T!! I need to get hired and fired by NBC. Please, NBC, come kill my dream, I beg of you!

HOLY SH!T!! I need to get hired and fired by NBC. Please, NBC, come kill my dream, I beg of you!

Honest to god really. This is why while replacing Leno when he was still at the top was stupid, I'll never buy his aww golly shucks good guy schtick. No one gets to the top and stays there as he has without being smart, tenacious, and willing to put yourself ahead of everything else.