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Atlantic Magazine has published its first annual "Brave Thinkers" issue naming 27 "most provocative thinkers" who "had the courage to step outside the consoling persuading flow of tradition and ask fundamental questions about why things are the way they are, and how they might be instead". There's Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios, as well as Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park. But also Jeff Zucker. That's right -- Jeff Zucker. As the magazine says, "Some of them may prove to be wrong, and others wrong-headed. But all of them embody the kind of courage that stirs the spirit and inspires us to think for ourselves." Here's why the magazine says the NBC Universal topper was chosen:
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So here’s an idea for NBC’s schedule:
Jimmy Fallon: M-F, 8P
Conan O’Brian: M-F, 9P
Jay Leno: M-F, 10P
News: 11P
Conan O’Brian: M-F, 11/30P
Jimmy Fallon: M-F, 12/30P
Hey, brave isn’t the same as smart.
So the only sure way to declare defeat would have been for NBC to stay the number one network, like it was before Zucker took over and promptly moved it to last place?
The only sure way to declare defeat would have been to keep Jay Leno on at 11:30 collecting more than twice the viewership that Conan now does?
I think the only sure way to declare defeat would have been for Zucker to keep his full head of hair like he had in college. Okay, high school.
His business model isn’t working. Give it time he’ll looking for another job or fade away.
He’s saving the network money so he can pay himself more. Why should he look for another job when this is all over and he has paid for his retirement many times over?
He surrendered to ABC and CBS:
Rather that develop quality shows and compete with ABC and CBS, he decide to surrendered half his networks audience and just produce a cheaper show that “might” make money with half the audience. He seems to have forgotten about the NBC affiliates that are now losing the 11:00pm news audience.
That wasn’t brave or smart.
He made the decision based on fear:
Fearing Jay Leno would go to ABC and steal Conan’s audience, he decided to keep both Conan and Jay.
That wasn’t brave.
I love Jay Leno, but I wouldn’t watch my local NBC affiliate unless they paid me. When will NBC’s shareholders say “Enough” and rid themselves of Zucker and all of his screw ups?
There’s a thin line between being brave and stupid. If he jumped off the Manhattan Bridge….??
Zucker is so out of his depth in this job. He has no ability to take a good look at himself. He blames the creatives for his mistakes. NBC was such a great network. Jeff will not allow anyone to protect Jeff from Jeff.
Christ, Bernake is on that list too. This list is not as laugh-worthy as it is scary.
you have no clue what you’re talking about. choose entertainment or finance and keep your misinformed remarks to one arena.
I thought NBC’s financials a few days ago weren’t that bad?
In any event, granted Zucker may have stumbled a bit, but I imagine its been a tough couple of years for all network. Writer’s strike, protracted SAG negotiations, near-depression recession, cable and than new media roaring ahead and causing uncertainty, worldwide addictions to Internet BS, etc.
His Leno @ 10pm move might turn out to be a smart move. Moreover, hulu.com is changing the landscape quite a bit and he had his hand in it. I’m not defending his performance, but I’d give him a year to two before counting him out.
Oh, poor misguided Splinter. I guess you aren’t aware that Zucker was in charge of NBC when it took the unprecedented fall from #1 to #4 in overall network ratings back in the 2004-2005 season and has stayed there ever since. The only top 30 hit created during his tenure, “Heroes,” has been on a slide in viewers and creativity since its first season, and as for the rest of the schedule, the network seems content if anything outside of football finishes in third place, including its deadly end-of-night combo of stale Leno, awkward Conan and out-of-place Fallon. Zucker is “brave” only for managing to stay on top for so long with so little to show for it, and to have idiots try to promote his image as some sort of maverick. Yeah, right.
if brave means colossal failure, then im with you.
if NBC is Zucker’s baby, it’s quite possible he suffers from Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy.
Zucker on Zucker: A Man and His Dream
Mid-season 2011. Check your local listing.
There’s a strange thing that goes on outside of Hollywood, where people think the industry, and its executives especially, are some kind of brilliant, too-brilliant, bunch. They have to be right, because their asinine movies and their asinine non-strategies make billions of dollar every year. (That is, until whatever actual smart wave they’ve caught and are riding drops out from underneath them and their crap bombs.)
But, apparently, calling out an obviously asinine strategy makes them look uncool, as if they don’t “get” the industry, I guess…?
Instead the general manager of the NBC affiliate in Boston should’ve made this list. Remember him? Antsin? He’s the guy who said Leno wouldn’t work and wasn’t going to air him. Then NBC threatened him with legal retaliation.
Boston’s late news is down 17% as a result of the Leno move. others are down 30%. Is Zucker the only guy in TV who didn’t realize that local news is huge for these stations? Apparently…
he’s also got Blago and his mob goons on Celebrity Apprentice @ 7
I watch The Jay Leno Show and DVR it in case I happen to miss an episode. Some people, bloggers, and/or message boarders simply do not like Jeff Zucker, NBC, and Jay Leno and it shows up in the writings of opinions and/or comments.
Maybe perhaps it is a generational thing with certain age groupings either liking Jay Leno or not. Jay Leno has his secure and loyal following and he is doing fine despite the questionable ratings scheme of Neilsens, which, by the way has come under alot of scrutiny lately for their flawed and inaccurate system.
Time and patience will win out over the skeptics and naysayers.
NBC and Jay Leno will prevail in the long run of it!
Sorry LindaT No 1, you’re not going to win this one. It’s being reported everywhere that affiliates are losing BIG on their late newscasts. This dooms Jay. Not to mention the fact the new show has absolutely nothing going for it. But you’re right about one thing, Jay appeals to “certain age groupings.” But networks aren’t too concerned about that 80-90 demo.
Sorry “you’re annoying”, but I am in my 30’s and I happen to love Jay Leno as do most of my peers. I don’t know many 80 – 90 year olds like you apparently do, but the ones I do know are fast asleep by 10:00 p.m.
Leno has to accept some of the blame for this whole debacle. His loyalty to NBC is honorable, but it was not in the best interests of Leno’s career to accept Zucker’s ill-motivated offer and remain at the network.
I’m sorry that Jay Leno isn’t doing well in his prime time slot but I guess this was the only way for NBC to keep him.
DONT HATE…..JAY LENO SHOW ISNT THAT BAD. THINK IT’S MUCH BETTER THEN BEFORE..
The Jay Leno Show is neither cheap nor easy to produce five nights a week in primetime, especially when you factor in that it’s going up again 2 x CSIs, Numbers, the Mentalist, and Cold Case on CBS, and Private Practice, Brothers & Sisters, and Castle on ABC, and then factor in that Leno’s lead-ins are Biggest Loser, a double run of Trauma, and Dateline, and you have to wonder what third-grade class was hired to put together this schedule.
The Leno Show ain’t cheap to produce. Okay, it doesn’t cost as much as a CSI episode, but it brings in 1/3 the ad revenue, and it’s a horrible lead-in for local affiliate news, which means NBC could find itself losing potentially dozens of affiliates. Add into the equation of having to quickly develop and order FIVE one-hour dramas to replace this turkey and you’re adding tens of million more to the ultimate pricetag of this decision.
Look at this schedule and lo and behold, GE is suddenly floating the idea of selling or spinning off NUTS!
In terms of loss of shareholder value, the cost to the affiliates, and the damage to the Peacock brand, the cost of the filling five hours on the schedule, the Jay Leno Show may in fact be the most expensive tv show ever aired.
It looks like they only added Zucker because someone in the art department spent time on a bad clip-art Robert Picardo head and they didn’t want it to go to waste.
Jay Leno is the Walmart of entertainment. He may be popular, but that doesn’t mean he offers anything close to quality.
I love that it takes a midwest affiliate of all places Kansas City to give a nice public interview saying: Leno is KILLING us for our nightly news, which used to be #1 in our market, and is now #3.
NBC can talk up Leno doing “OK” etc, cheap to make, “eh” ratings, but so what, the cost is so low.. except for this: local affiliates find one of their top advertising draws, late night news, is in the absolute dumpster. Think they appreciate that?
I’m waiting for NBC affiliates to consider syndicated content in that timespot. They’d be better off running that then this drek.
Exactly. Zucker doesn’t have the balls to cancel Leno so the affiliates will do it for him.
Zucker being mentioned makes me wonder if this magazine was around in 1876, would they have given the “bravery” honor to General Custer too?
I wouldn’t want any of these commenters running a business.
Zucker isn’t there to meet your esthetic standards or make marginally profitable shows (that you all will bitch about anyway; you do already). He’s there to make money for the shareholders, period, full stop. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you’ll stop being wannabes and start being employed creative talents.
Ah, another NBC shill trying to marginalize his detractors. Your affiliates are getting ready to head for the exit, bub, and once they do there won’t be any more shareholders.
Sir, if Zucker’s move loses the network its affliates (which lowers its ratings even more) or gets the network sued for breach of contract which they could do considering that he has admitted that he programs for the margins and not for success, Zucker is not going to be making money for the shareholders. Leno is already pulling in less in advertising money then Zucker budgeted (advertisers balked at primetime rates for late night fare). Conan O’Brian has tanked in the Tonight Show, so those revenues are down. Becoming the network with less affliates then the CW will not make this any better. This could become so bad that he will in fact he will be destroying the tentpole that holds up the entire broadcast and cable entity of NBC Universal. You do get that don’t you?
And if you get that next you should get that successful shows for NBC produced by NBC Universal make money today, next month, next year, next decade making the stockholders more money then the one showing of the cheap Leno show can make. (Yeah, that’s right they are going to make more on any Law and Order then Leno over time.)
But you keep telling yourself that Zucker is meeting his fiduciary responsibilities to the stockholders.
The article couldn’t be more misguided. I doubt even Zucker agrees with it. His bold moves weren’t based on a position of strength but of desperation. He is able to rationalize moving Leno to 10 p.m. – but really it was just to keep him from thumping NBC at 11:30 p.m. at another network.
How can you describe a guy as “brave” when his network kills a show it has paid for because it suddenly decided it was “too dark” for 9 p.m.?
He’s like the kid who tries to declare victory in a game of checkers by saying the rules should be the first person to lose all their checkers “wins.”
Zucker can never admit defeat in order to go down like a great American President. This means if Leno bombs at ten, then the show should grow into neighboring slots, forcing those shows stars to appear on the new 9:00 or 9:30 Leno, captive like in a real life King of Comedy. Probably could grow into an entire Leno network.
Leno 22 hours per week, I love it. LindaTNO1 would be overjoyed.
Zucker’s decisions have a historical precedent: the guy who rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic.
“Zucker isn’t there to meet your esthetic standards or make marginally profitable shows (that you all will bitch about anyway; you do already).”
Well, he’s certainly succeeding in not doing that…:)
“He’s there to make money for the shareholders, period, full stop.”
That…not hardly. Unless you think years of programming dud-to-bomb shows, helping tank GE’s share price, and peeving off affiliates with the Leno disaster means making major cash flow. dee
What’s astonishing to me is how many media types bought into the pronouncement “So long as Leno scores over a 1.5 demo it’s a success.” That is, and always was, complete bullshit. NBC was hoping for MUCH BETTER numbers from Leno, and this is a huge disappointment to them.
Funny thing is, IMO a decent comedy-variety show at 10 might work. But this show is devoid of humor.
I wonder how many of the demo statisticians are counting those of us with DVRs who simply record Leno at 10 and play him back at 11:35 so we will have other options? Recording Leno for 11:35 p.m. viewing sure as hell beats watching Conan “I Suck” O’Brien or David “I Love My Female Staff” Letterman.