In a shocking twist to the late night TV talk wars, they won't be so late night anymore come fall 2009 when Jay Leno will actually host a NBC weeknight 10PM eastern show 5 nights a week.......what more can be said???? go ahead!

My thread came minutes after Pav's announcement otherwise would have contributed to his....

SOURCE?!!!!

Ok, just read it on Google.com. Def an interesting move. Cutting down on hours of programming might help the struggling network!

NBC is expected to announce Tuesday that it has signed its late-night star Jay Leno to a new contract that will keep him at the network in a new format that will give him the 10 p.m. time period each weeknight for a show similar to the one he has done on NBC’s “Tonight Show” show since 1993.

Five years ago NBC announced that it would give the job of host of that franchise late-night show to Conan O’Brien in May 2010. Since then the network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be the late-night ratings leader, at the network in some capacity, fearing that he could leave and start a new late-night show on a competitor.

Mr. Leno was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox network and the Sony television studio. The new show is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. O’Brien will move the “Tonight” show to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal City, Calif.

No broadcast network has ever before offered the same show in prime time five nights a week. Such so-called “stripped shows” have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a new weeknight show for Mr. Leno at 10 p.m., an idea that NBC executives said Monday came from the NBC chief executive, Jeff Zucker, not only allows NBC to retain Mr. Leno’s services, but also means the network may be able to greatly reduce costs of developing and producing other prime-time shows.

Only Monday Mr. Zucker appeared at a UBS lunch in New York and suggested that in the future networks might have to cut back on the hours of prime time they program. The daily program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut back the number of hours NBC needed to fill each week from 22 to 17.

Mr. Leno had no comment. NBC executives also declined to comment.

But the network is expected to announce the new deal with Mr. Leno at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday.



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html

The only false info by the Times there is that Conan doesn't start in May 2010. He starts THIS May...2009. So Leno would probably start next fall, fall 2009.

I just realized that.

BTW, Perez has said it. Probably true now, lmao.

I think it's a good idea. I don't think there is anyone that stays up past 11pm any more and they certainly don't watch the late night shows, they only watch the guest apperences on YouTube these days. Late night TV is some what of a lost art and when people DO watch late night TV, it's usually Adult Swim, which rakes in the numbers.

I throught Jay Leno wukk give The Tonight Show in June 2009 so what Happens from June 2009 until May 2010 with The 10:35 pm CT Time Slot

I thought he was quitting talk shows next year?.

Aaron, read today's blog please.

I will s soon as you post it my friend I wait until 3:00 pm CT because I am not sure what Time you post on your Blog

This should be very exciting. I've loved Jay since I was in 10th grade. :D

I wonder how The Ratings will be.