(TMZ) Leno and NBC Strike 1 Hour 'Tonight' Deal

[Starbucks Anarchist]

Source: TMZ

Jay Leno has made a new deal with NBC, which gives him "The Tonight Show" from 11:35 - 12:35 ... sources tell TMZ.

As we first reported, under the contract Jay had been working under, he was guaranteed the 10 PM hour. By moving him to 11:35, NBC was in breach of his contract and needed to negotiate a new deal. That is now done, sources tell TMZ.

So Conan O'Brien is out, and Jay is restored.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/14/jay-leno-conan-obrien-nbc-the-tonight-show/

---

I don't know how reliable this is, but TMZ were the first ones to report on Michael Jackson's death.

[gateley]

1. TMZ often is the first with entertainment news. I'm not sure, but I think they

pay for info.

[buff2]

2. That is good news

I prefer Jay over all the rest. :applause: :woohoo:

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. Says a great deal about you!

Cheers!

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. Leno is lowlife, piece of dogshit!

It would almost be worth it to stand outside the taping studio and hand out Conan O'Brien masks after Jay returns to the "Tonight Show". I know that I will never look at Leno the same again.

[hlthe2b]

8. Even those who might defend Leno (I'm agnostic on this whole biz)

will surely look on him very poorly after this... No matter how the whole thing started, he comes off looking really really bad.

[high density]

5. Leno is a douche of the greatest magnitude

Best of luck to Conan and his staff. I know they will find a home that appreciates them.

[Bitwit1234]

6. O BRIEN COULDN'T HOLD THE SPOT

Leno is no prize but Conan totally sucked. I could never ever ever stand his brand of humor. Of course anybody any interview anybody, but it is the other stuff that makes a show. He was too close to the 3 stooges type of humor, which appeals to some but .... .... .....

[Missy Vixen]

12. O'Brien's show was severely impacted

by the ratings dropoff from Leno's show. Why do you think the affiliates were screaming? It affects their ad rates, too.

Sorry to know you hate Conan O'Brien; I think he's hilarious. I might also mention that the demographics of his average viewer age were much more attractive to advertisers as well; he skews a full ten years younger than Leno.

[Raschel]

32. Yep, my 23 year old and her hubby are Team Conan. I am too. I think he

appeals to a wide range.

[Missy Vixen]

36. I'm 49, Team Conan

The average age of his viewers: 45

The average age of Leno viewers: 55

Advertisers' prime viewer demographics: 19-54.

NBC is taking a bath on this. Couldn't happen to a nicer network...

[Raschel]

44. Go Team Conan. I'm having fun with this. And I LOVE Dave's comments!

[fishwax]

50. Conan's ratings were falling long before Leno's show appeared in the fall

Conan had the ratings lead over Letterman for about a week. Leno's poor ratings at 9/10 didn't help, but they weren't primarily to blame.

Conan's audience certainly skews younger than Leno's in that they make up a larger share of his viewers; but in terms of pure numbers, Leno drew more 18-49 viewers in his last year than Conan has, so it's not like NBC is turning its back on that demographic. I suppose it's possible that they won't follow Leno back to the late night slot, though.

I don't watch either show, personally. (I watch Colbert instead of the Tonight Show.) And while I'm not really a fan, I'll admit that Conan has his moments. I also think he'll be better off at another network anyway. But I think it's ridiculously funny how bent out of shape people get about Leno, to the point of suggesting someone is a bad person if they like Leno :rofl:

[onehandle]

7. Conan will move to Fox and both of their ratings will be permanently crushed by Letterman.

NBC is run by losers.

On edit: Even if for some contractual reason Conan cannot get another show right away, Leno will fail soon.

[hlthe2b]

9. Actually, it is being reported that NBC may try to block him

from going anywhere (and may be able to do so, for anywhere from 1-3 years).... It is going to get even nastier from here on...ABC may take a look as well, which could mean Jimmy Kimmel could be the ultimate loser.

[Romulox]

11. NBC can't breach the contract then insist Conan sit home under its terms.

Unless Conan had some extremely poor representation...

[Missy Vixen]

14. There's actually some question about that

Evidently, Conan's representation was stupid enough to never stipulate any program hosted by him was carried from 11:35-12:35, so there's some question about his being able to collect the money he's owed.

Just in case it hasn't been said enough today, I'd call Leno a douchebag, but that would be an insult to douchebags everywhere.

[Romulox]

16. I would actually *love* to read it. Surely it said, "the Tonight Show"...

Any lawyer worth his salt will easily convince a jury that a post-Leno slot is not the premier gig Conana and NBC negotiated for--the name "the Tonight Show" really isn't ambiguous imho, even without the time slot listed.

Now matter how much (not if, but how much) NBC ends up paying off Conan, my prediction is:

a) We won't know the figure (confidentiality agreement); and
b) No way in hell is Conan going to be forced to sit home.

[Missy Vixen]

20. The scuttlebutt on places like defamer.com

state that Conan signed a non-compete. If that is true, if I were him today, I'd fire my representation.

IMHO.

[Romulox]

21. Right. But NBC can't materially breach on one hand, then try to enforce a non-compete clause on the

other... that was my original argument.

[Missy Vixen]

22. Obviously, I'm not a lawyer

If NBC was smart, they'd release him from the non-compete today, pay his salary, and be nice.

They're not smart. They've already made sure that anyone who watches Conan O'Brien will watch a test pattern before their network again. Let's face it, we live less than a hundred miles from Vancouver, BC; we're already wondering what kind of alternative arrangements we can make for viewing the Olympics, because NOTHING is carried here in real time. It's all tape-delayed for the East Coast.

What a mess.

MV

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

41. non-compete agreements are unenforceable in California

Should he work in California - he is in the clear.

[Missy Vixen]

47. And "The Tonight Show" tapes in California

Game, set and match to Conan.

I can't wait to see how the weasels at NBC handle this.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

48. depending on how vindictive they are

They could sue whoever hires him for tortious interference in another jurisdiction where such agreements are legal, on the grounds the new employer led him to breach his contract.

The firm I work for has been sued outside of California for hiring people with non-compete agreements, although it has never gone to trial. We tell them we aren't going to fire their ex-employee and they usually fuck off. It isn't worth it if they have to litigate.

This is of a slightly greater magnitude though,

[hlthe2b]

15. They'd have to pay out his contract...

Something they may be willing to do, in lieu of having him compete with Jay on another network... Apparently, Conan's people did not designate a timeslot for his show, so this may turn out to be a pretty serious error. :shrug:

[Romulox]

17. Yeah, that's what I predicted just downthread. NBC won't pay the whole thing, but a substantial

portion. I don't really think the contract would be ambiguous as to its subject matter if only named "the Tonight Show" by name.

[JackintheGreen]

19. But they did specify " The Tonight Show"

So whatever they give to Leno better not have that name, which sort sinks the whole thing.

[pokerfan]

42. Nope

NBC's position is that Conan is refusing to work so that frees up NBC to give the Tonight Show back to Jay.

It sucks but I guess the lawyers will sort it out. The end result is that Conan will probably get some some kind of settlement and then go elsewhere.

[marshall]

37. How is NBC breaching the contract?

A contingency plan that perhaps Conan thought wouldn't happen IS being enacted. It's his fault if he didn't read the fine print.

He will really be chewing up the scenery tonight!

[Romulox]

10. Sounds to me like NBC will have to pay a substantial portion of Conan's contract out here, too...

They've made it impossible for him to perform. They had some basis for arguing that if they offered him a slot 30 minutes later and he refused, that he was also in breach of contract (or, alternatively, that his damages should be reduced for a failure to cover.)

Now, NBC is clearly the breaching party, and they've made Conan's performance of his end of the contract impossible with their breach. He should be entitled to a substantial portion of his wages under the contract (or, more likely, liquidated damages in the amount specified in his contract...

[alstephenson]

13. Jay Leno thinks he's Brett Favre.

But his "comeback" will fail miserably. What a jerk.

[ClusterFreak]

18. Jay Leno is such a scumbag.

When you think about how he finagled his way to get the gig to replace Johnny, and now this. I have never cared for Conan's comedy but I have always thought he was a super nice person. I think Leno's reputation may be irretrievably harmed after this one.

[pokerfan]

45. Yeah, I rewatched The Late Shift last night just to refresh my memory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late_Shift

Eavesdropping on meetings, Jay? Really?

[The Stranger]

23. Leno's problem is that he is supposed to make people laugh, but he isn't funny.

There is nothing clever or witty in his monologue, and he lacks any real comic presence.

Worst of all, he lacks any sense of irony.

[peacebird]

30. Leno is no Johnny Carson, I used to like Carson and Ed McMahon.

Leno was a replacement I just could NOT understand.... He is boring, milquetoast, and NOT funny....
And this move - if it is being reported accurately - is too low to be believed.

[TrogL]

31. Leno's just plain creepy

I can't watch five minutes of him :scared:

[TheCML]

24. Sad.

Leno is not funny, but I guess to some they prefer safer watered down entertainment. His fan base usually doesn't mind that he steals bits. Conan on the other hand is more random and over the top, and has a tendency to do things that might offend. I miss the days of watching Letterman and then switching over to Conan. Hopefully Conan will go somewhere where he is appreciated.

[frebrd]

25. Two things I can't stand about Leno.......

1. He is dumber than a post.

2. He is a chameleon politically. His jokes go whichever way he thinks the wind is blowing.

(Since he is dumber than a post, he sometimes misjudges on #2.)

:)

[caveat_imperator]

26. So...

does that mean we'll be getting even more unfunny and antiquated Bill Clinton jokes?

I don't know if he still does it, but I remember Leno taking swipes at Clinton (and ignoring bush) well into 2004! I pretty much ignored him after that.

[librechik]

27. Like Conan said last night--he can live his dream--unless Jay Leno wants the same thing

said--watch Leno take the venerable Tonight Show down to oblivion with him. Obviously, nobody watches him unless they're already asleep on the couch.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

28. UPDATE: No new Jay Leno deal; Conan O'Brien 'still working'

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/01/no-new-jay-leno-deal-conan-obrien-still-working/1

NBC says no deal has been made with Jay Leno regarding a new contract for an hour-long Tonight Show at 11:35, reports USA TODAY's Gary Levin. (TMZ reported earlier today that a new contract had been negotiated.)

Of course, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if this happened. Back in November, Leno told Broadcasting & Cable, "sure," he'd take the 11:35 job back if it was what NBC wanted him to do.

As for a People.com report saying that Jan. 22 is "likely" Conan O'Brien's last day, NBC had no comment. O'Brien had months ago planned for the show to be on hiatus the week of Jan. 25, so he will be off then. As for whether he'll come back and do two more weeks is unclear.

O'Brien's personal publicist, Leslee Dart, tells TVGuide.com: "I know there's a rumor out there that next Friday is his last show, but we do not know that to be true. He is just moving ahead, day-to-day, doing the show, per his contract — still working." Dart said she did not have any update on O'Brien's plans or negotiations, but said there are "certainly conversations going on between his people and NBC." She added he plans to keep hosting The Tonight show "until somebody tells him not to."

[Missy Vixen]

38. I know USA Today is a more traditional source

I'm going with tmz.com; they seem to scoop everyone.

It'll be interesting if NBC allows Conan to serve out -- oops, do the last week of his shows. He shredded NBC last night in his monologue. I can only hope that he does an unscheduled guest appearance on Letterman, too.

[pundaint]

29. Ok, from now on, I will go back to ignoring Jay at 11:30 instead of ignoring

Conan at 11:30.

NBC programming and FOX News programming decisions have no relevancy to me. I just thank Letterman for Craig.

[saberjet22]

33. the late night skirmishes

Jesus! Who gives a crap? The only late night host worth watching is Craig Ferguson, anyway.

[wickerwoman]

34. Wow. Who could have seen this happening?

Thanks NBC for canceling half a dozen decent shows to give a one hour nightly slot to the most boring person on earth and then four months later, moving/canceling that show too.

Sooo sick of studio execs with their heads up their asses.

[Mopar151]

35. What is wrong with you folks?

Conan vs. Leno is a matter of taste, the type of humor you like, and whose writing team is better. But the levels of vitrol here lead me to ask who the f&^% whizzed in your cornflakes? Mavis Leno (the one and only Mrs. Jay) was one of the first celebs to speak out about oppression of women under the Taliban. I don't think Jay is all that political - more like he goes for the easy laugh.
Also, why does Jay's car hobby stir up such hate on here? He's legit hands-on, and conserves all sorts of cars. Letterman's car gig is definitely hands-off, skybox level stuff - but he likely spends more a year on it than Leno.

[jgraz]

39. Here's my take on this.

Oh wait... I don't care.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

40. You cared enough to open the thread.

:shrug:

[Jefferson23]

43. I watch Colbert at 11:30 pm, I have no interest in the NBC line-up, but

wasn't Leno told he had to go to 10 pm?

If so, how can Leno be considered a schmuck when his ratings at the time he left were higher than CBS and ABC?

[pokerfan]

46. Leno was told in 2004 that Conan would take over in 2009 per his contract

It was a case of NBC trying to prevent Conan from leaving for another network like Letterman did in 1993. The Jay Leno Show at 10pm was a case of NBC trying to program prime time on the cheap (talk shows cost a lot less than scripted shows). While it was probably cost effective for the network, it proved a disaster for affiliate stations who saw ratings for their 11pm news fall off 25% due to the weak lead in.

[Jefferson23]

49. Thank you for the info. I had no idea there was a contract stipulating that, which

makes the entire episode entirely different.

[alp227]

51. I hope that this scoop is just a rough leak that'll die...

As part of Team Conan, I do not wish to see Jay Leno host the Tonight Show anymore. Leno's had his time, now it's Conan's turn, UNDER A ING CONTRACT TOO. Conan better be a man instead of a puppy towards the Numbskulls Baiting Conan network. As I've said, we the fans should flood Numbskulls Baiting Conan with all our rage in emails, phone calls, and letters.

And The Wall Street Journal said:

Conan O'Brien, who currently hosts NBC's "The Tonight Show" at 11:35 p.m., earlier this week rejected NBC's proposal to shift his program back by half an hour to make room for a 30-minute show starring Mr. Leno. Mr. Leno had earlier agreed in principle to take over the full "Tonight" hour if Mr. O'Brien opted to leave NBC, according to a person familiar with the matter.

[Catherine Vincent]

52. Jay Leno sucks!