Official announcement is coming soon, but NBC has announced starting next fall (most likely) they will NOT program in the 10pm hour, instead they will keep Jay Leno and air him weeknights at 10pm ET/PT. Looks like NBC Entertainment is losing money and this would be cost saving for them...but Leno in primetime 5-days a week? Will it work against CBS and ABC dramas? Here is some details:

Jay Leno Taking Over 10 P.M. On NBC
Jeff Zucker keeps Leno and O'Brien with Leno strip

In a surprise move, Jay Leno is taking over the 10 p.m. slot on weeknights on the network.

The move is a huge coup for NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who has long said he wanted to keep both Leno and his replacement, Conan O’Brien, in the NBC family.

The move would be a cost-effective manner in which to essentially cut down the amount of hours it must program with fare from the entertainment division. Jeff Zucker foreshadowed the move at a UBS media conference Monday, saying that NBC has to look at options including programming less primetime hours.

It would be a much-needed victory for struggling NBC in the wake of a massive round of layoffs and a re-organization of the entire way the network and studio are structured as the network continues to languish in fourth place.

The move would also bring to an end a potentially messy transition in the coming year that had industry speculation centered on Leno potentially moving to ABC, which would set up a three-way brawl for the dwindling late-night dollars between Leno, O’Brien and CBS’s David Letterman.

Leno’s start date is undecided, but expected to be by next fall.

WOW!! That's a twist I wasn't expecting.

It's good for Leno indeed, but NBC is basically giving up the 10pm hour now. Cost-cutting. No word yet if they will even count Leno in their primetime ratings. I personally thought he was coming to ABC with him appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live twice already. He and Jimmy are friends and would have made a great 1-2 punch. At least this assures Jimmy will be kept for sure on ABC and Nightline will likely live on!

Wow...I mean, I'll def. be tuning in. Just, wow. NBC must be struggling.

Pav, think this means the network will be cutting loads of shows and/or changing the look of the network next year?

You will see a lot of shows get cut. They will only program two-hours on weekdays, so obviously many shows will not make it. Law & Order and Medium could even not make the cut.

You will see a lot of shows get cut. They will only program two-hours on weekdays, so obviously many shows will not make it. Law & Order and Medium could even not make the cut.

LAW AND ORDER?!

No way. Do you mean all or the original?!

I think Deal or No Deal has a good shot of getting the axe.

PLEASE DONT SAY CHUCK:[

My predictions:

Heroes
Friday Night Lights
Deal or No Deal
Kath & Kim
Biggest Loser
Life

My predictions that they could potentially can: Kath & Kim, My Name is Earl, Knight Rider, Life, Friday Night Lights. And any new midseason 2009 series that does below normal: Kings, Philanthropist, etc
Chuck, Medium, and the original Law & Order series could also be in danger here. I don't see how Heroes would get cut, unless they want to cut it for cost cutting measures. Biggest Loser is safe. It's cheap programming. Deal or No Deal would likely air Fridays I bet...also cheap to produce.
Already canned: Lipstick Jungle and Crusoe

Not Chuck:[ It's starting to settle in and although not doing better than Heroes, NBC is so confident in this show (creatively) and it must be somewhat cheaper to produce.

I think Chuck deserves the pick-up. I know I'm jumping the gun, but Heores, creatively, hasn't been great since season one.

I could see Chuck on Thursdays if two comedies are cut!

I could see them keeping Chuck. I'm just saying, it could go either way. It is not a sure bet.

LOL ^^ Sorry. Just dont have much confidence in the network that cancelled the brilliant "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". It was a low rated show but truely was amazing!

LOL ^^ Sorry. Just dont have much confidence in the network that cancelled the brilliant "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". It was a low rated show but truely was amazing!
Those geniuses at NBC also cancelled one of my all-time favorite shows, Providence. :mad: I still haven't forgiven them for that.

Those geniuses at NBC also cancelled one of my all-time favorite shows, Providence. :mad: I still haven't forgiven them for that.
My grandmother loved it. Kathy Hammond was on that right?

It was Melina Kanakaredes (CSI: NY) and Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H).

great news so now i don't have to cry in june-lol

great news so now i don't have to cry in june-lol
That makes two of us, Sol!! :dance: party: :bouncers

NBC is in poor shape. I only watch Chuck and SVU on it anymore and once they're gone I'm probably done with that network.

NBC is in poor shape. I only watch Chuck and SVU on it anymore and once they're gone I'm probably done with that network.
They got to 4th place the good old fashioned way - they earned it!! Think they'd give Fred Silverman a try again? :eek: :rofl:

They got to 4th place the good old fashioned way - they earned it!! Think they'd give Fred Silverman a try again? :eek: :rofl:
I should feel sorry for them but I don't. All those bad Friends clones they tried to shove down our throats in the '90's and those awful Reality shows, they're shoving down our throats now.....NBC deserves a slow death. :lol:

I should feel sorry for them but I don't. All those bad Friends clones they tried to shove down our throats in the '90's and those awful Reality shows, they're shoving down our throats now.....NBC deserves a slow death. :lol:
Not arguing!! :nod:

Interesting strategy--Leno has more family friendly appeal for a primetime run. Also I heard NBC may give up programming Saturday night altogether and hand the time back to the affiliates! The face of network TV is really evolving.

JAY LENO COMES TO PRIMETIME ON NBC

The Jay Leno Show Will Air Five Nights a Week at 10/9 CT

First-Ever Primetime Stripped Entertainment Program On Broadcast Network Television

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., December 9, 2008 - Jay Leno will host a new comedy/talk show on NBC five nights a week in primetime, beginning in the fall of 2009. The show will originate from Burbank, Calif., and will air Monday through Friday, 10-11 p.m./9-10 p.m. CT. The announcement was made today by Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, Co-Chairmen, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. This show will be the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television.

"As broadcast television continues to change, success demands a new paradigm," said Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal. "For the past few years, we've been very vocal about two things: Transforming broadcast television for today's media landscape, and keeping Jay at NBC. In this one announcement we have done both. It's great for NBC, for our viewers, and for our advertisers."

"Jay has played a major role in defining NBC's brand of high-quality entertainment," said Silverman. "The 10 o'clock hour will bring Jay a whole new audience and provide a great lead-in both for our local affiliates and for Conan O'Brien, the next great host of The Tonight Show."

"Clearly, today's viewers have an appetite for live, topical programming, and that's what we're bringing to primetime," said Graboff. "This innovative deal plays to NBC's strengths as the late-night leader for more than 14 years. The network will be home to three of the biggest names in TV: Jay, Conan and Jimmy."

"This is the greatest all-star comedy lineup in the history of television," said Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. "And it happened because topical comedy is in the DNA of NBC and has been for decades."

Leno will sign off as host of The Tonight Show on May 29, 2009. His new show will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years. Signature elements will include his opening monologue and well-known comedy segments "Headlines," "Jaywalking" and "Battle of the Jaywalking All-Stars."

As previously announced, Conan O'Brien will take over The Tonight Show hosting duties on June 1, 2009, broadcasting from the state-of-the-art studio currently under construction on the Universal lot. O'Brien will continue an unmatched late-night legacy that includes Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and, for the last 16 years, Jay Leno. Jimmy Fallon will assume the role of host of Late Night on March 2, 2009.

Since becoming host of The Tonight Show on May 25, 1992, Leno has experienced numerous highlights, including winning the 1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy, Variety or Music Series. Most recently, Leno was nominated for an Emmy in 2008 for his popular internet show "Jay Leno's Garage," which allows fans a peak into his famous garage by logging on to http://www.jaylenosgarage.com. Prior to becoming host of Tonight, Jay had been the exclusive guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson since September 1987. He first appeared as a guest on the show March 2, 1977, and he made numerous additional appearances on Tonight as well as on NBC's former program Late Night with David Letterman.

One of the country's premier comedians, Jay has performed thousands of comedy shows around the United States for the past 20 years. He remains passionate about performing in front of live audiences and appears regularly in Las Vegas, on college campuses around the United States, and in other venues.

Jay has authored two New York Times best-selling children's books and has published four versions of Headlines, the compilation of books and desk calendars featuring his favorite funny newspaper headlines, and Police Blotter, a book with more humorous newspaper clips involving police stories (book proceeds go to various charities).

Jay was represented by his long-time attorney, Ken Ziffren. The show will be produced by Big Dog Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Debbie Vickers will serve as executive producer.

Even more must not see TV on NBC.

Definitely great for Leno - I think he's stupid for not going with ABC (they would have treated him like a king), but still glad to see he's got at least 5 more years doing what he does best.

For NBC - shows like Kath and Kim and Knight Rider should be canned immediately. I think Chuck and Medium will make it to another season. Law and Order could be introuble - its in its 19th season with a very low demo. Heroes, too, has a huge, huge budget, and its audience is dwindling faster than NBC's payroll. It could be introuble as well.

Definitely great for Leno - I think he's stupid for not going with ABC (they would have treated him like a king), but still glad to see he's got at least 5 more years doing what he does best.

For NBC - shows like Kath and Kim and Knight Rider should be canned immediately. I think Chuck and Medium will make it to another season. Law and Order could be introuble - its in its 19th season with a very low demo. Heroes, too, has a huge, huge budget, and its audience is dwindling faster than NBC's payroll. It could be introuble as well.


Any show in it's 19th season should be on it's way out the door-lol Damm, that's enough, time for something new

Looks like NBC got to have thier cake and eat it too.

They keep Leno who was ratings gold for them all these years but who was still going to be forced out of the Tonight Show job.

But it also means that NBC is giving up on more hours of scripted programs.

I wonder how Conan O'Brien feels about this. He's no longer going to be the "main" guy at NBC, and he's going to have to compete for L.A.-based guests with Jay Leno now.

This is definitely a peculiar move (one that may work), as it not only cuts NBC's prime-time hours from 22 to 17, but also devalues The Tonight Show.

....a talk show host, it was Jack Paar. He wanted to leave what had been "THE TONIGHT SHOW" in March 1962 {it was known as "THE JACK PAAR SHOW" for most of its run}, but the network wanted him to stick around, lest a rival network use him to blunt the impact of Johnny Carson, when he took over "TONIGHT" that October. So NBC offered Jack a prime-time slot, anything he wanted to do, his choice of evening and time. Paar agreed, choosing Friday nights at 10pm(et), hosting an earlier variation of his late-night show, "THE JACK PAAR PROGRAM". However, it was a somewhat different show [he and his guests sat face-to-face in swivel chairs, floor mikes in front of them- no "desk and sofa" during the interviews] in that Jack often featured more of his "home movies" [he traveled EVERYWHERE with his family; you never knew where he vacationed next], more emphasis on spotlighting new comedy talent [Bill Cosby and Woody Allen among them], and "theme shows" (he once devoted an entire show, in April 1964, to "sampling" what British TV viewers watched, presenting a condensed 20 minute episode of the BBC's "STEPTOE & SON", later "Americanized" as "SANFORD & SON"). Paar did this prime-time series for three years before finally deciding once again, "I'm tired". He did his last prime-time show in June 1965 {repeats filled in until that September}, and continued to appear in specials for NBC until 1970.

If Jay Leno can last that long doing a nightly prime-time edition of his "TONIGHT SHOW" at 10pm, he'll be lucky...and it wouldn't hurt him to watch some of Jack's kinescopes from his Friday night show for "inspiration".

:tv:

I was thinking Jay's new primetime show would be more akin to Ed Sullivan-showcasing various singers, comics, sketches, as well as interviews. Not that different from what he has now, but more geared to a primetime audience.

The move is a huge coup for NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who has long said he wanted to keep both Leno and his replacement, Conan O’Brien, in the NBC family.

Conan O'Brian sucks and I never liked him from the start and he will kill the tonight show, what is NBC thinking anyway ???

those awful Reality shows, they're shoving down our throats now

IMHO it is out of control in the reality show world and it needs to stop as I am afraid to turn on my tv, fearing a new reality show will be advertised or on the air.

Conan O'Brian sucks and I never liked him from the start and he will kill the tonight show, what is NBC thinking anyway ???



IMHO it is out of control in the reality show world and it needs to stop as I am afraid to turn on my tv, fearing a new reality show will be advertised or on the air.
I agree - I hate reality shows with a passion!! :mad:

I feel bad for all the creators and producers (as in those who DO NOT produce so-called "reality" shows) who will now never see their shows in the future on NBC. I think it sux that they are giving up 5 prime time hours a week for Jay Leno - he really isn't that funny in my opinion. Also, NBC is giving up potential millions in rerun revenue for any potential future hit shows just to save one guy from jumping ship. That, to me, is just like firing 75% of the workers in your company just so that the CEO can keep making his ultra-high salary. Bad move, guys.