Update: Amy Ozols Named Producer of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"

[JamesG]

Sources: NBC Honchos Considering Jimmy Fallon To Take Over Coveted "Tonight Show" Gig after Jay Leno's Contract Expires in 2014
by Don Kaplan - NY Daily News
Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012



Somewhere Conan O’Brien is probably smiling.

There’s word that NBC brass are ruminating over Jay Leno’s future — which would involve finally giving their current late-late guy comic, Jimmy Fallon, the coveted job as the host of "The Tonight Show".



The latest rumblings about Leno come from various talent agents who admit they have quietly been contacted by NBC officials hoping to find a new late-late host who will eventually take over Fallon’s 12:35 a.m. time slot.

Leno’s current $15 million a year deal expires in 2014, and came about after he “volunteered” to take a 50% pay cut earlier this year, a move that helped NBC slash "The Tonight Show’s" $100 million budget by about 20%.



But my money is on how NBC brass are betting it’s high time they cash in on a generational shift toward younger viewers that has been going on in late-night television for some time.

ABC will be the first to capitalize on the shift next month when their own late-late guy, Jimmy Kimmel, moves his show to 11:35 p.m., switching places with “Nightline” in a bid to boost the network’s percentage of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 — a group prized by advertisers.

It doesn’t hurt at all that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is an entertainment program headed by a star 20 years younger than his new time slot rivals, Letterman and Leno.







Meanwhile, at CBS, Leno’s nemesis, David Letterman, is also under contract until 2014, and there has been a long unsaid understanding throughout the TV industry that Leno won’t step down until Dave does.

Of course, as these rumblings may prove, Jay could always be pushed — but he’s proven over the years that he’s harder to kill than Dracula.



Take the September 2009 fiasco when then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker carved out a 10 p.m. time slot for "The Jay Leno Show” because Jay reportedly insisted that he didn’t want to leave the network.

Up until that moment, there had been a long-planned transition in the works for Leno to step down from “Tonight” and pass the torch to O’Brien.



But Jay didn’t go away.

Instead his prime-time show turned out to be a flop, and worse, it shifted the spotlight away from O’Brien’s debut and cannibalized “Tonight Show" viewers.

By January, Leno was back on "The Tonight Show" and O’Brien was out of a job — although he was paid millions to leave the network — eventually landing another late-night talk show on TBS.



Maybe this time Leno will just quietly go away.

I’m betting he won’t.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1220267

[AKA]

"This will work out well," said everyone who remembers 2010.

[tvfreak1987]

Leno stepping down? Ha! I'll believe it when I see it. They'll have to pry it from his cold, dead hands.

[ryan423]

Leno isn't the worst interviewer, but otherwise, his show has become quite a bore. Fallon is broader than Conan, and I think he'll have a much better shot finding a larger audience at 11:35. I wouldn't mind Leno sticking around elsewhere. Maybe a prime time show on CNN a la Larry King? He'd probably be good at something like that. Even when NBC finally shows him the door, I imagine he'll host another show elsewhere, potentially on cable, or at least be asked to do specials of some sort.

[JamesG]

Sources: NBC Discussing Jay Leno Exit Plan
3/1/2013
by Kim Masters


Is NBC preparing to announce Jay Leno's departure from "The Tonight Show"?

The network says categorically no, but two high-level industry sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that NBC is moving toward a May announcement that the 2013-14 television season will be the last for Leno as host of the long-running late-night show.

Sources expect the network to move Jimmy Fallon from his "Late Night" spot into the coveted 11:35 time slot with a soft launch during the summer of 2014 before a formal fall kickoff.





A Leno rep says, "We do not speculate on rumor."

Whether the network finally executes the "Tonight" transition plan remains to be seen. Anyone with even a passing sense of Leno’s personality knows that the hardworking comic would be reluctant to leave his perch, especially before his rival at CBS, David Letterman, announces his retirement.

Leno and Letterman are both signed through 2014.





Sources believe the network will bring in Fallon partly out of concern about the competition on ABC, which moved younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel to the 11:35 time slot in January.

“The more time Jimmy Kimmel is in that slot, the more the young audience goes that way, the harder it is for Jimmy Fallon to keep that audience,” says a source familiar with the network’s thinking.





Leno's "Tonight" still performs well for NBC, regularly besting his late-night rivals. But Kimmel is competitive in the 18-49 demo.

"Kimmel has done extremely well," a network veteran says, adding that he is unaware of any contemplated Leno move. "Jay wins overall, but on any given night, it's neck-and-neck in 18-49. I understand where they might have fear and also feel that they own the solution in Fallon."

Comcast, which owns NBC, in August imposed layoffs at "Tonight". At the time, Leno took a big pay-cut from his reported $30 million salary.





NBC could also be concerned that if Letterman does retire in 2014, CBS would be looking for a replacement, potentially opening the door to a bare-knuckles battle for Fallon that could mirror a previous tussle involving Conan O’Brien.

In 2004, then-NBC head Jeff Zucker promised the then-"Late Night" host he would inherit "The Tonight Show" in 2009 as part of his deal to re-up with the network. But when NBC installed O'Brien at "Tonight" and moved Leno to 10 p.m., the strategy backfired, leading to an embarrassing feud and a costly 2010 settlement with O'Brien, who now hosts a show on TBS.

If NBC elects to announce the Leno-Fallon transition at or before the May upfronts, one observer adds, the network would “get the benefit of selling Jay’s last year -- again.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...ay-leno-425669

[catlover79]

Here we go again!!!!

[70s show watcher]

now is not the time for nbc to screw up again i think jimmy should get the tonight show someday but nbc cant afford to make any changes in late night until prime time is at least stable and showing some signs of life beyond 2 or the marginally rated shows

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Brad

"This will work out well," said everyone who remembers 2010.

BINGO!!

[70s show watcher]

i ment 2 or 3 marginally rated shows

[catlover79]

I totally agree!!!

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by JamesG

Sources: NBC Honchos Considering Jimmy Fallon To Take Over Coveted "Tonight Show" Gig after Jay Leno's Contract Expires in 2014
by Don Kaplan - NY Daily News
Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012



Somewhere Conan O’Brien is probably smiling.

There’s word that NBC brass are ruminating over Jay Leno’s future — which would involve finally giving their current late-late guy comic, Jimmy Fallon, the coveted job as the host of "The Tonight Show".



The latest rumblings about Leno come from various talent agents who admit they have quietly been contacted by NBC officials hoping to find a new late-late host who will eventually take over Fallon’s 12:35 a.m. time slot.

Leno’s current $15 million a year deal expires in 2014, and came about after he “volunteered” to take a 50% pay cut earlier this year, a move that helped NBC slash "The Tonight Show’s" $100 million budget by about 20%.



But my money is on how NBC brass are betting it’s high time they cash in on a generational shift toward younger viewers that has been going on in late-night television for some time.

ABC will be the first to capitalize on the shift next month when their own late-late guy, Jimmy Kimmel, moves his show to 11:35 p.m., switching places with “Nightline” in a bid to boost the network’s percentage of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 — a group prized by advertisers.

It doesn’t hurt at all that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is an entertainment program headed by a star 20 years younger than his new time slot rivals, Letterman and Leno.







Meanwhile, at CBS, Leno’s nemesis, David Letterman, is also under contract until 2014, and there has been a long unsaid understanding throughout the TV industry that Leno won’t step down until Dave does.

Of course, as these rumblings may prove, Jay could always be pushed — but he’s proven over the years that he’s harder to kill than Dracula.



Take the September 2009 fiasco when then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker carved out a 10 p.m. time slot for "The Jay Leno Show” because Jay reportedly insisted that he didn’t want to leave the network.

Up until that moment, there had been a long-planned transition in the works for Leno to step down from “Tonight” and pass the torch to O’Brien.



But Jay didn’t go away.

Instead his prime-time show turned out to be a flop, and worse, it shifted the spotlight away from O’Brien’s debut and cannibalized “Tonight Show" viewers.

By January, Leno was back on "The Tonight Show" and O’Brien was out of a job — although he was paid millions to leave the network — eventually landing another late-night talk show on TBS.



Maybe this time Leno will just quietly go away.

I’m betting he won’t.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1220267

It maybe time for him to go because Jay is just not funny like he was in 2002

[tvfreak1987]

Even if Leno does leave, after 2010, who will actually believe it's for real? I sure as hell won't. Maybe after, say 10-15 years go by and he still hasn't forced his way back on. Then I might believe it.

Advice to Jimmy: Watch your back. At. All. Times.

[Mr. Television]

If he does leave, he needs to leave totally NBC. That's where NBC blew it with Conan. You can't replace Leno and then have him on prime-time every night leading into the local news.

[robyrob]

put him on the Today Show

[TVFactFan]

This was a clear sign it was time for Jay Leno to go the other day

"Masturbation Jokes"


He said........"If would have been the best student if he had the opportunity to take Masturbation classes???