So… Conan O’Brien has decided to go to TBS. Like him or not, get his comedy or not, Conan immediately brings a “hip” factor to TBS where it currently has none. Whether that will be enough to truly take the network to another level is…
It’s the end of an era. When “Seinfeld” went off the air in 1998 (!!) there was no bigger star in television who wielded more influence than Jerry Seinfeld. Senior creative executives from every major studio were falling all over themselves to get the next…
Well, that didn’t take long. There will be lots of “I’m With Coco” and David Letterman supporters that will say “It was expected…”, “Everyone was just curious about the switch…”, “Jay has all those Olympians on the show…” Whatever. I write this not as a…
Love him or hate him, there is a reason Jay Leno has been #1 and will soon be #1 again in the late night wars. He will book anyone necessary to get ratings – as evidenced by the top guest on his second night back…
The Billion Dollar Question is – WHY? If I were to talk directly to Jeff Zucker’s current boss (Jeffrey Immelt) and future boss (Brian Roberts), I would quote my new hero, Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer, and say “Are you stoopid?” Even if we all…
As Tiger Woods slowly reemerges from hiding and Team-Tiger Damage Control goes full throttle, there is an interesting parallel to be made between the Tiger/Elin Woods drama and the NBC/Conan O’Brien drama (which cost all of us a few months out of our lives). Imagine…
The Conan exit deal is done – probably the largest payout in television history for someone averaging a 2.5 rating. It is presumed he will go to Fox and get a 2.0 rating at 11:00 (my guess is reruns of The Simpsons on local affiliates…
OK. So Conan is gone. Jay is back at 11:35. What’s next? Damage control. Over the next few weeks, we can expect to see NBC Universal’s ‘A Team’ of publicists begin the seemingly impossible task of resuscitating the images of Jay Leno, The Tonight Show…
Done deal. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 11:35 – 12:35. Conan O’Brien: SOL. Jill Kennedy – OnMedea
So… the top brass at NBC Universal just waited and waited just to see how things would play out – and now the shareholders of GE and Comcast (of which I am one) have a major Zucker problem on their hands. There is really only…