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There’s big news on the late night TV battlefront today: The late-night ratings for Q2 – the first full quarter since Leno came back as host after Conan O’Brien was dumped – are in, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno posted its lowest-rated Q2 since the Late Show with David Letterman launched on CBS in 1993. Additionally, Late Show delivered its most competitive finish against The Tonight Show in viewers and key demographics since 1995. Still, Leno topped Letterman comfortably in the ratings during their first quarter in 9 months as late-night rivals, by 23% in both total viewers and adults 18-49. The Tonight Show averaged 4.0 million viewers and a 1.1/4 in adults 18-49, down 20% in viewers and 31% in adults 18-49 from last year’s second quarter, which was inflated by the big ratings for Leno’s sign-off and Conan O’Brien’s debut.
It was the lowest-rated second quarter for The Tonight Show in total viewers, adults 18-49, and adults 25-54 since 1993. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is now tracking at demo levels comparable to where the show was with O’Brien as host. Meanwhile, Late Show too had its smallest audience since 1993. It drew 3.3 million viewers and a 0.9/4 in 18-49, down 7% in viewers and even in 18-49. It was Late Show’s most competitive 2Q position against The Tonight Show in viewers (-746,000) and adults 18-49 (-0.2) since 1995.
So the old guard late-night hosts are losing ground, with Nightline (3.7 million, up 2%), once in danger of cancellation by ABC when the network was pursuing Letterman, comfortably ahead of the CBS host and closing in on Leno.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Since they screwed Conan, NBC has been on a pacemaker and will continue to stay that way until they can mature, like ABC and CBS has, and quit playing musical chairs with their late night talk show hosts and give Conan a formal apology. I, for one, have boycotted the network and will keep boycotting it until such events come to pass.
And balance is restored to the universe once again…
Wait, they still have to fire Jay, or murder him, which ever is easiest.
Only then will we have peace.
IM WITH COCO
I could not of said it better!
Yes, you could HAVE said it better.
you could have used “have” instead of “of”.
No kidding braniac
Yes, actually you could. You could have used an adverb instead of a preposition.
“could of said?”
MAYBE THE JOKES ARE TO NASTY ! ? GOT MILK ?My boyfriend and i both think so
…….. lol.i know him via ~~ M e e t M i l l i o n a i r e .{C00M}~~ a nice and free place has attracted millions of successful sing les as well as their admirers. . you don’t have to be a millionaire.but u can meet one.I think everyone need to meet some miracle. …@love it
??????
Spam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What does Jay expect?
He’s still on Bush jokes the last time I watched. When I see that, change goes the channel…
You’ve got to be kidding…….Letterman is the one who constantly rips on Bush….still. Bush, Palin, Cheney. Letterman never met a conservative he didn’t hate.
Well, there’s degrees of insufferable; Letterman is a scurrying sneering bitter old cockroach, while Leno is more or less tolerable, other than that he’s a spineless wuss who will compliantly deliver any and all insipid NBC-approved liberal-agenda material handed down from the hack “joke writers” whose topical meters and political perceptions are stuck in 2006.
And as for that prime-time flop of Leno’s, whoever was responsible for booking and format should have had their walking papers stapled to their duncecaps as they were unceremoniously booted out the door. I mean, they start off during the first week with “guests” like Kanye West, Bawney Fwank, and Michael Moore? Who can stand watching that? Way to get off on the worst possible footing.
NBC sucks hard, in general; but Letterman is a total twat.
I can’t watch any of it anymore. It’s tedious and lame. “Seinfeld” and “Malcolm in the Middle” reruns are far preferable.
Actually, no. There have been more than one independent studies that have shown that throughout the last election, Dave was more “fair” to both sides than Leno or O’Brien. The only reason it didn’t seem that way to many was because of the feud with Palin. The feud which she helped to create I might add. You don’t pick a verbal fight with Dave and expect him to remain silent.
Additionally, if you’ve been watching lately, Dave has been doing quite a few running Obama jokes. “One Termer” jokes, golfing during the oil spill, waiting too long to react to a crisis, and even a funny video of him staring blankly into the camera. Before Bush, he tore into Clinton. People have a short memory.
I can’t stand Letterman. Never watch him. He’s not even funny.
Letterman rips everyone. Don’t you remember how he was with Clinton? Now, things are turning on Obama. He’s been doing a lot of “one termer” jokes, jokes about him not reacting fast enough to a crisis, jokes about him playing golf while the oil spill continues… theres even a funny clip of him staring into the camera blankly, similar to one he used to show of Bush.
There have been several independent studies that have shown that Letterman was more “fair” during the last election than Leno or Obrien. It went unnoticed by many largely because of the Palin feud. The feud which she partly created I might add. Her constantly trying to pick a fight or respond to every joke just made it worse. Did she actually think Letterman would just stop when she was make comments about him? Of course not. If anything it just makes it worse.
“Letterman never met a conservative he didn’t hate.”
That’s funny, neither have I.
Same here. When he reverts to the Bush bashing and gives Obama a pass: *CLICK* goes the channel.
It seems they treat Barak with kid gloves…why?
Because you’re an idiot?
How did this become a political discussion? It’s all just trash that’s coming from bored, old writers who are tired of their jobs. Both of Leno and Letterman’s material is sh*t. Conan was the only one who was exploring a little. At this point, these shows exist solely to give loveless spouses across middle America a reason to not go to bed together. “Nah, you go ahead, I’m gonna stay up and watch Leno”. It’s all mindless trash.
The networks should realize that these shows are pretty worthless and, instead, use the 11:00 slot to try out some edgy narratives for the 18-35 year old audience. They’re the only thinking people that are up at that hour.
My sentiments exactly. I quit watching him before he left and Conan took over for the very same reason. I kept waiting for the Obama jokes, which I never heard; so I quit watching and never started watching when they put him back on. What goes around comes around….I say good riddance to Leno.
Right, but he is still beating Letterman while Conan was not.
Beating Letterman is irrelevant if Leno is hemorrhaging the 18-49 demo. The new Leno tonight show will be less profitable than Conan’s. And wasn’t that why they wanted to fire Conan in the first place?
Actually, they fired Conan because it cost less money than firing Leno.
In the short term.
Totally correct Ray!. WSJ reported at time that Leno had a $150M cancellation penalty in his “Jay Leno Show” contract, and he agreed to waive it if they gave him back 11:30 and ditched Conan.
Plus…remember, it was the crappy ratings of “The Jay Leno Show” that caused this whole mess in the first place….Leno killed the lead-in audience for the 11PM news (and the 11:30 Tonight Show), affiliates revolted, NBC had to take action, $110M cheaper to get rid of Conan. That was the whole story. Now comes the payback…
Letterman had a sex scandal that drew viewers. It’s doesn’t matter if Conan wasn’t beating Letterman if Leno is pulling the same ratings Conan had at the time anyway. The point of the Tonight Show isn’t simply to “beat Letterman.”
I never thought Conan was a good fit for the Tonight Show stage. His brand of humor does not follow in the current that Carson and Leno set forth. I’m happy to see Leno back where he belongs. Granted, I did like Conan and his old show. But when he moved to the Tonight Show it always seemed awkward on the Tonight Show stage. I’m sure it all boils down to some NBC exec trying to make a name for himself shifting things around. Well, I hope he/she is now fired.
Agreed about the brand of humor. The Tonight Show needs someone with a little homespun quality, and that is something that Harvard-educated Conan just doesn’t have. It was almost painful to watch Conan’s Tonight Show monologues.
I’m 30 and when I watch Leno’s monologue I have a hard time distinguishing which, if any of Jay’s comments are even intended to be humorous. Typically there is a sense of sympathy that arises when you see a hard-working comedian bomb on stage, but when I watch these monologues all I feel is disbelief that someone was actually paid to write them.
I’m 50 and I agree with you.
just look for the tie wiggle, thats how i know he just made a joke.
“It was almost painful to watch Conan’s Tonight Show monologues.
More like listening to fingernails drag across a chalk board.
I absolutely love how people say Conan’s ‘brand of humor’ wasn’t the same style as ‘Carson’s & Leno’s’ was. Ridiculous! If anything, Conan’s was more in the style of Carson than Leno ever was. Leno’s ‘brand of humor’ was simply finding funny acts that other people were doing and ripping them off…but in a less funny way (Hometown News, Stupid Human Tricks, etc.)
AMEN! How come nobody ever points this out. People need to go back and watch some of the crazy things Carson did. The skits he did were very funny. Leno has never been able to do anything like Carson. I think people feel sorry for Leno, so they can’t admit how boring he really is.
Exactly! I’ve always been annoyed at clueless people who claim Leno’s “humor” fit the Tonight Show better than Conan. In fact, Conan’s style of comedy resembled Carson’s more.
Please don’t lump Leno and Carson together. Carson didn’t want Leno to replace him…he wanted Letterman. He refused to have Leno on his show to hand over the torch, refused to go on Leno’s show as a guest, and even went on Letterman’s show the week that Leno debuted. Leno’s people stabbed Carson in the back and Leno (as he later did with Conan) tried to play the “I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes…I just show up for work” fake crap.
At least O’Brien, like Carson, tries to mix in different kinds of comedy. Leno does an overlong and underfunny monologue. Then he does either Jaywalking or Headlines, both of which rely on the public to do the funny stuff while Jay smugly makes fun of how stupid other people are.
Screw you conan was never funny!!!
Amen to that, Conan sucks!
your just stupid
“your just stupid”
The poster is too dumb to appreciate the irony of his grammatically challenged accusation.
Now THAT comment was funnier than both Leno and Conan combined.
PS I’m still with Coco.
Can there be some civil use of the language. Please use the ‘re when talking about someone else, such as you’re for you are. You people are stupid. See, that’s how that works.
Maybe he could have just used ” ‘UR’ just stupid.” No need to make the brain cells work too hard.
Hey Vanmungo…is that Van LINGLE Mungo?
And you are an illiterate idiot – It’s “you’re” not ‘your’.
“your just stupid” would mean you have something named “just stupid” that you own. That would be ‘your just_stupid’. Get it?
You’re’ is the contraction of You Are – Your is a possessive pronoun. If you’re going to post your drivel, at least do it in the English language.
Morons.
lowercase the you and are
pompous ass
Who is the moron? You took that long to “teach” the world about ‘your’ and “you’re” and no one really gives a rift one way or the other. Now if you were turning in a research paper…sure, give em hell.
Leno has been dishing out mediocrity for so long that when Conan took over with his far more creative comedy people forgot how to use their freakin’ brains. Conan-haters are really just victims of Leno’s spoon-fed, easy jokes, that have over time understimulated their brain cells and made them stupid and lazy. I mean come on, how can you really be a fan of a guy that’s been wearing the same denim shirt since 1988?
I do not understand why ? The Tonight Show is first a great show and second it has so much history . Any new coming to great actor has been a part of the show and many owe their start and popularity to the show. Johny Carson was great but so is Jay Leno. Leno is a man of character and integrity. I believe allot of people are just jealous and determine to see Mr. Leno quit or loose the show. I hope that will not be the case. I have been watching the show since the 1971 and will continue to watch it until I can no longer watch for what ever good reason it will be. I hope Mr. Leno knows that he is a great asset to the show. Ed McMahon the sidekick was a burden to the show but because someone like him he was kept around. Mr. Leno will not brown nose and because of his integrity he is being conspired against. The Tonight show has been part of Congress, political figures and Hollywood but they are forgetting that average joe also watches and enjoys the show and are the fans that make the stars the stars and want to keep the show just it has been since it start I believe it started in the early sixties. Leave the show and Leno alone !
How many comedy careers did Carson launch? Too many to list.
And how many comedy careers did Leno launch? Can’t think of one.
ross the intern!
oh wait…..
*sigh* Yea, the whole Ross the intern thing…
We just groan when he comes on. I mean is that kind of fella funny?
Really?
I guess we are just gettin’ old.
Don’t forgot Howie Mandel… umm… boy, this is awkward…
Howie Mandel was on Carson’s Tonite Show over a dozen times so Leno didn’t launch his career. Perhaps he’s launched the careers of some I’m not aware of. Don’t know if that’s a matter of my age, mid-fifties, or that with all the choices of what I can do with my time, I don’t waste my life watching commercial television in real-time or talk shows any time.
Life boils down to winners who really live and losers who watch, living vicariously through characters, fictional or otherwise, they see on television. It’s kinda pathetic. Television nurtures a world of fat ass losers who consume the crap they’re programmed to buy, beer and cheese whiz.
“Leno is a man of character and integrity.” Are you serious? This is the same Leno who hid in a closet and spied on NBC executives?
Late Night Wars….a long drawn out conflict in a far off land between combatants that nobody cares about. Get a life, a job or a DVR. The ratings story is not about any of these appalling, venal, overpaid people and comparisons of their talents…nobody with half a brain, or access to today’s technology would choose a minute of these shows over high quality content available to them. We are talking about shows that struggle to reach the same number of people over a week, that a single airing of Big Bang Theory achieves.
Nobody is winning the war and the only casualties are people nobody in the real world gives a damn about.
Snore!
Leno’s Tonight Show is certainly not a “great show”. Everything he does is bland and safe and boring. I don’t know why there are still people who watch him.
Why the heck do you care what anybody else watches? Is someone holding a gun to your head or are you choosing for yourself. It’s none of your damned business what others watch and why.
it is, when infinitely more talented comedians get screwed over so that ginormously chinned sociopath can buy a few more cars to be buried with.
An angry Leno fan chimes in. Hope you enjoy that bland cue card reader and his predictable punchlines.
Geez, Kala. Relax. He’s just stating an opinion.
Carson ruled the Tonight Show, he was King and Carson, as far as I know, never broke a deal and never got anyone fired just to have his old job back. Carson and the current A#$ should not be mentioned in the same sentence.
I’m with Coco, who neve broke his deal or his word.
Me too. Jay worked behind the scenes to oust Carson and elbow Letterman aside. Then he used his contract to push Conan out. He should at least have the integrity to admit this.
Conan took the high road.
I don’t watch Leno any more. He’s beginning to become another libtard butthole. He used to be funny and his monologues reflected the national mood. Not so much any more. I want Conan back.
Here Here!!!! I want Conan back! Perhaps we should send a newpaper article articulating this idea to Leno….think he’d read it? (ha)
Nice try Jay Leno
Are you serious? You just sound like that “Leave Britney Alone!” wacko dude on You Tube.
I have a hard time thinking of Jay Leno as a man of character and integrity. I would think that a man of character and integrity would not be so eager to jump back into the helm. I think that a man of character and integrity would not retire from the show and then be so willing to jump into a clone show in prime time. On another network, yeah, fine. On the same one, essentially giving NBC an “out” when they decided Conan wasn’t working, not so much. A man of character doesn’t just sit there while your successor gets hosed. But then again a man of character wouldn’t jump into a job that was promised to Letterman either.
Don’t forget:
1. A man of character and integrity would not hide in a closet and eavesdrop on a network meeting (like Leno did in the 90′s)
2. A man of character and integrity would either not allow his people to plant stories about NBC wanting to push Carson out…or, once those stories were planted, would call Carson and apologize
Quit or “loose the show” ? How could he “loose” the show -was it too tight? More illiteracy in America. Idiots.
MAYBE THE JOKES ARE TO NASTY ! ? GOT MILK ?
Who is Nasty and why would Jay direct his jokes to just one person? Or did you mean “too nasty”?
Ilie Nastase, Romanian tennis player in the Jimmy Connors era.
Letterman has the advantage of being one of the Hollywood Elite Lefties. Sorry to see he’s still on. Leno is a much classier act, not to mention a lot smarter politically.. besides, I don’t trust the ratings… they’ve never called me?!
Why don’t you just watch reruns of Bill O’Reilly at that hour? Your taste in comedy seems to be skewed by your politics–you probably think Dennis Miller is a howl, and maybe Glenn Beck as well.
Why don’t you shut up and watch the Letterman the letch if you want to and let other pepole alone to watch what they want.
Why don’t you just watch reruns of Bill O’Reilly at that hour? Your taste in comedy seems to be skewed by your politics–you probably think Dennis Miller is a howl, and maybe Glenn Beck as well………..
People ARE watching O’Reilly reruns hence the dwindling viewers for Jay/Dave
Bill O’Reilly is a bigoted, facist, retard who started his career in the City by the Bay (San Francisco) and who couldn’t get a male date because he was ugly then and ugly now. To watch his show is like reading the transcripts of the arm of the KKK Republican Party.
Wow wow look at this! Group think by lefty leaning people. Put your political affiliation aside people – THINK FOR YOURSELF! DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORKD AND DO NOT BELEIVE WHAT YOU ARE SPOON FED. It is your own fault when you are dooped in the end – becasue you are too lazy to do your own homework…..ever hear of a term called “GROUP THINK”? SHEEP – nothing but a bunch of SHEEP.
This is for “comment by me”
You are an idiot. I am no big fan of O’Reilly but your comment is out of line. The KKK belongs to the democrat party!! Senator Byrd comes to mind!!
Someone didn’t read the story: Jay *beat* Letterman, something Conan could not do, except maybe at the very start. Declining ratings are endemic to ALL broadcast shows, not just late night shows. More competition, more choice, fewer viewers trapped watching broadcast.
Leno never had to compete against his predecessor. Otherwise it would have been the same result, or worse… Leno split Conan’s ratings down the middle.
Have you seen this TV show Leno did in 1984…when he was funny. Here’s a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zP7_C2Fjk
I also look at Jay Leno and NBC very differently after this debacle. I’ve hardly watched 5 minutes of Jay since. See you on TBS, Conan. I’ll be watching.
They’re all pretty much the same tired show that’s been done for too long.
Time to bring back Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert!
No, Arsenio Hall. Whoof, Whoof!
We too, turned off NBC after Conan’s last Tonight show, and will NEVER watch that network until they not only apologize to Conan publicly, but also can Leno and get rid of Zuckerman. Leno’s complicity in the fiasco was unconscionable, and Zuckerman’s rude comments about Conan and his audience were not only incorrect (only young people watch Conan), but totally out of touch.
I’ve missed my NBC favorites, but seeing Conan Live in Denver more than made up for it. November, and Conan’s new show on TBS can’t get here soon enough! Phah on NBC.
I agree with a previous comment, Conan’s “Tonight Show” was much much closer to Johnny Carson’s version than Leno ever was/will be. Conan, like Johnny, is a master of self-depricating humor. They both have this ability to promote this “nobody watches my show, I’m so pathetic” schtick, all the while knowing they are masters of their game. I too have boycotted NBC ever since O’Brien’s firing and in my humble opinion “The Tonight Show” was no more as soon as Conan signed off in his classy way. I have no doubt that NBC execs handcuffed Conan during his tenure, keeping him on a very short leash (not to mention Leno was a crappy lead-in for most of his run) . I know he will be back to his old “Late Night” self once he launches on TBS. I can’t wait for November 8th!
Amen. Couldn’t have said it better!
18-49 year olds are watching Jimmy Fallon. Set your DVRs he is the best late night talk going.
Agreed – Fallon is preferable, and ‘The Roots’ are great. Watch Nightline, then Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue, then flip over to Jimmy Fallon – then go to sleep.
His “Lost” takeoff on the elevator (“Late”) was just hilarious! Fallon rocks!
I have been a great fan of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. But since his return he has become hateful and not very funny. Why does he have to contuse making fun of President Bush? He needs to move on. We are tired of these kinds of hateful remarks.
I totally agree about the Bush jokes. Good grief!!!!! NOT FUNNY. Don’t know why they don’t have more variety on their shows like Carson did. He had unknown people and skits. Very entertaining. Carson still is KING of late night by far.
I’M WITH COCO.
truth is they All are nothing but Charlatans any how. Conan is such a cry baby, Sure he got pushed around a bit but it’s not like he got blacklisted or anything. Conan took it to a personal level and whined and whines to this day, after how many millions for his less than mediocre shtick. Is this what is really important in life, which moron you have to bore you to sleep at nite?
But he probably knows how to type and punctuate correctly.
Wow, so you have boycotted!!!! Now you must convince 4,000,000 other every-nightly viewers to do the same. Good Luck.
I second that comment. I was a dedicated viewing of Jay before but have not seen one new show since he returned.
I’m with COCO
Just don’t have any one from Twilight on, because then you won’t have any viewers.
hey man i have a pacemaker and i’m totally healthy!
In a way, this entire argument – who is right and who is wrong, who belongs where and in what time slot – is pathetic. Like the newspaper and the sit-com, the ‘late night’ concept has outlived its relevance. Truth is, Leno-is-Conan-is-Letterman-is-Kimmel-is-Fergusen-is-Fallon. Yes, subtle differences may be detected between them in terms of who’s better at it, more sincere or original (read: who has been around the longest), who’s more likely to get a laugh…perhaps whose humor is less annoyingly grounded and predictable in certain instances…but they’re all essentially the same: smarmy beasts of burden in the entertainment industry, telling lame jokes, ass kissing the ‘celebs’ (many of whom in this day and age have no business whatsoever BEING ‘celebs’…thank you, reality TV), beating a dead horse, perpetuating a dying business model in the name of tradition.
Seriously, does anyone feel as comforted, relieved, intrigued or edified in any way slipping into bed at night to ‘catch’ Leno/Letterman/Fallon as they may have catching Carson in 1978?
Does it mean the same thing now?
Do we really need it in order to get to sleep?
They are low because people finally relized that Jay Leno sucks ass! Conan was way funny and a better writer. The only thing NBC has is the Office.. THATS IT!!! NBC licks asshole and should be taken off the air completely.
Why write an article with such an obvious bias against Leno? leno is still #1 in the late night market, but you spin it so it sounds like he’s tanking. Have you no journalistic integrity? The media is supposed to report things in a fair and balanced way. Obviously you missed that course at Acme Journalist Camp.
Actually, the article makes the entirely relevant point that, when comparing statistical oranges to oranges, Jay Leno’s numbers are way down. That’s entirely correct.
It seems that you, the reader, are searching for the bias. I bet, in this case, you’re a big Leno fan and simply want an article that says “Jay Leno: Number 1 in Late Night!” but that wouldn’t be all the story would it? massive double-digit drops in ratings would seem to be an important note yes?
For a story so focused on ratings from the beginning–NBC referenced Conan ratings frequently–it seems only appropriate that we continue to use ratings to evaluate the decision of NBC. In this case, the article is topical and relevant: NBC claimed that returning leno to 11:30 would return their late-night viewers and thump Letterman once again. Well, we’ve got one full quarter with Leno as the host, so let us review the numbers again shall we? That’s all this article is doing.
Don’t forget: bias is not simply in the article, but in the reader as well.
Got to be relevant. Still telling GWBush jokes with the same impersonator. Hello Jay, everyone has moved on. Even the new bandleader can’t smile or laugh at his jokes.
If NBC would just show Carson reruns – that would beat all the others. Carson was king, and truly a class act.
I agree. Letterman, Conan and Leno should never even be compared to Carson. He was the best ever.
Who cares about the other three. Get over it!! There will never be another Elvis, Richard Pryor, Bob Hope, Red Fox and on and on!!!!! Move on Folks. There must be someone out there worth watching.
BTW…Do some of you always have to bring up race and politics in a discussion. I suppose not !!!!!
In a way, this entire argument – who is right and who is wrong, who belongs where and in what time slot – is pathetic. Like the newspaper and the sit-com, the ‘late night’ concept has outlived its relevance. Truth is, Leno-is-Conan-is-Letterman-is-Kimmel-is-Fergusen-is-Fallon. Yes, subtle differences may be detected between them in terms of who’s better at it, more sincere or original (read: who has been around the longest), who’s more likely to get a laugh…perhaps whose humor is less annoyingly grounded and predictable in certain instances…but they’re all essentially the same: smarmy beasts of burden in the entertainment industry, telling lame jokes, ass kissing the ‘celebs’ (many of whom in this day and age have no business whatsoever BEING ‘celebs’…thank you, reality TV), beating a dead horse, perpetuating a dying business model in the name of tradition.
Seriously, does anyone feel as comforted, relieved, intrigued or edified in any way slipping into bed at night to ‘catch’ Leno/Letterman/Fallon as they may have catching Carson in 1978?
Does it mean the same thing now?
Do we really need it in order to get to sleep?
Screwed Conan? Getting paid $35 million by NBC to not work. Where does the line form for that kind of screwing.
I believe that the mood of America is moving away from the liberal media and therefore by default, don’t want to hear the liberal late night entertainers bash conservatives anymore.
Patkat,
Why not make the argument that Leno was screwed when they gave HIS job to Conan. Conan stunk up the show with his juvenile antics. His ratings were horrible.
I think it’s funny that you used the word “mature,” with anything in conjunction with Conan.
With regard to Leno, he’s not an interesting personality. He appears to lack enthusiasm. Could it be, perhaps, his former bandleader saw the handwriting on the wall? I believe the late night shows need personalities who offer a refreshing edginess. The guests, often, cannot. They’re selling something for the moment. The host needs to sell himself and his “edge” each night.
Oh, forget Conan. He didn’t have it either!!!
Leno is a self-absorbed twit that i have never found funny.
Agreed!
I guess there aint no johnny carsons or Steve Allens no moe..hee haw
When Leno starts to bash Obama as he used to bash W. Bush, he’ll get an audience.. There are many black comedians, who could imitate Obama, for entertainment.. Comedians have to be controversial, not partisan “KISS MI ASS” – like NBC…. Know what I mean ?
Thank you Mrs. O’Brien.
You know, when they had the writer’s strike, everyone started watching Nightline, they can’t fight it… it’s good. And the very next best is staying up and watching Craig Ferguson, Dave needs to go, someone mentioned his “affairs”, icky, icky, makes ya cringe!
There is competition from cable shows that did not exist 20 years ago and they are only getting better so people have alternatives to watch, what is so surprising about there ratings going down?
Your a loser, boycotting a station, no one gives a shit, they get on without you, believe me.
A stupid article. How about listing the numbers for all late night entertainment. Let us then decide impact.
Who can even call Conan O’Bawl’n a man? He failed in his job. He had rotten ratings- except when he left NBC all while creating a spectacle by crying like a frustrated little girl. After costing his employer $750 million, Conan left the public eye as a whimpering cry-baby! Oddly, his voice is more like an mean old lady than a little girl.
yayyy
Funny how people seem to forget that Conan screwed Leno first by having him forced retired. Leno’s new skits have been hilarious, if you are really boycotting, you’re missing some great shows.
Screw NBC…
I will boycott the Tonight Show forever…
Jay is being viewed as disloyal. He has the issue with Conan and then dumps Kevin Eubanks. Kevin had a lot of personality. I don’t watch Leno anymore. I switched to Letterman.
Why should NBC apologize to someone who caused the Tonight Show ratings to drop like a rock, to the consistently lowest points in its entire half century history? Conan blackmailed them into giving him the show and he failed to deliver the audience he promised. Apologize?
I have also been boycotting the show…I will not stand even a millisecond of Jay’s face on my TV…big change since when Conan followed, and I watched some of Jay as lead-in. Now, I have completely dropped all of the network late-night shows from my radar. I hope not only NBC, but corporations in general see the consequences. If only a boycott of BP would be just as effective…
well spoken!
I know it’s all business and far more complex than what a lot of the media reported. But I think NBC *vastly* underestimated how important its PR game (or lack thereof) was here.
And I think they vastly underestimated what a horrifyingly bad taste the whole O’Brien/Leno thing left in a lot of viewers’ mouths.
here’s the order for late night entertainment-
1) Letterman
Leno
2) Kimmel
3) George Lopez
4) Charlie Rose
5) Paid Programming
6) The couple who live next door to me screaming at each other
7) Punching myself in the face
This is funny. But Jay must be feeling down. How about as a show of support when he walks out tonight all Leno fans wave their GEDs in the air?
You nailed it! I don’t know how anyone could find Leno funny – he has to repeat all his punchlines because they’re so damn bad. I hope he tanks big time.
Letterman is just a dirty OLD MAN
Got that right!!!!! And he should know with all his far left political comments he is already having over 50% of the country not watching him for just that reason. What a loser!!!! Haven’t watched him in years and years. Don’t know how CBS keeps him on the air.
My list as well would include Stephen Cobert and then punching myself in the face and then Leno.
I can’t wait until Conan comes back in October! I hope he crushes Leno.
More like
1. Ferguson
2. Kimmel
3. Lopez
4. Red Eye
5. Letterman
6. Leno
And Letterman’s 1993 ratings were inflated due to his debut. This site is so skewed to Letterman all the time. Anyway you slice it, The Late Show stinks and sadly he is disgusting to look at anymore. All these old men talk shows stink, but some stink more than others.
Letterman was beating Leno like a drum FOR TWO YEARS until the inteview with Hugh Grant–coupled with Letterman’s disastrous Oscar stint–turned things around.
Letterman’s wit is of a far higher order of subtlety than Leno’s updated vaudeville/burlesque routines.
It’s hardly surprising that Leno wins among the Great Washed of late-night morons out there in The Vast Wasteland of Amerika.
Letterman has a more subtle wit? I guess bashing the Palin family qualifies as high-brow humor nowadays. Nothing quite as high-brow and subtle as saying someone’s (under-aged) daughter was impregnated during a baseball game. Letterman is a piece of trash and his unfunny show ought to be canceled.
Palin deserves to be raked over the coals. She is an evil woman. Her daughter was raped by an older man and impregnated and he was never charged with a crime. RepubliCONS are supposed to be so family oriented yet her family is the definition of disfunction. What a joke. Her daughter is definitely a slut.
I just hope for NBC they’re not losing any money with Leno right now because a 1.1 rating is exactly what Conan O’Brien averaged last season…
You own GE stock?
Yes I do.
That’s what you get for screwing Conan
Why even mention total viewers? It does not matter. Perhaps even more significant than your figures is that since Kevin Eubanks left as band leader Leno has scored even lower in the demo and is besically even with Letterman. Turns out lots of the people watching Jay were just there for Eubanks. The pathetic thing is that both hosts are below a 1.0. Frankly I don’t see how CBS and NBC can continue with these highly paid hosts drawing salaries north of $30 million when the ratings are about the same as the cable talk shows. Time to pull the plug on both the old men. One of whom will go out with class. (For the Drudge readers, I mean Dave.)
…has ANYONE every watched the Tonight Show for KEVIN EUBANKS??? If you know someone like that, just jingle your keys in front of their face; they will probably find it fascinating…
Out of curiosity I watched part of one program post-Eubanks. There’s a real awkwardness between Leno and the new band leader. Did anyone think about compatibility with host before inserting the new guy? It’s off-putting, zero chemistry. So I can see why the band leader departing would turn people off. Now Leno has nobody to bounce stuff off of. Not the mention the whole “Did Eubanks leave because of Leno’s actions?”
Just curious, why did the whole band leave the show? The whole time I thought just Eubanks was leaving. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just he that left.
when Kevin Eubanks left the Jay Leno Show, the show was less interesting. My husband and I loved Kevin and the band. We miss Kevin and the band and was hoping they would play more on Jay Leno. The new band leader just doesn’t fit in, do not care for him and his music at all. KEVIN where are you???????
Letterman is an old fart and Leno is just old.
The current late night genre has seen its best days. The network exec who creates the next thing will be hailed as a hero.
In Leno’s defense, Jimmy Kimmel Live is an awful, played out shell of show. I’ve watched every week night for a month and his is just about the most pointless and agitating thing I’ve seen in quite a while. At least Leno’s somewhat charming and doesn’t come off angry and bitter.
Karmic, baby.
“Still, Leno topped Letterman in the ratings…”
What’s amazing is, all this squealing and ratf*cking over less than four million viewers.
I will agree with the guy who said Letterman is increasingly difficult to look at. Dave looks like a grinning skull, a Midwestern Larry King.
The tidbit lost in the whole Leno/Conan debacle is that it was Conan who pushed Leno out to begin with. Five years ago he told NBC he was walking if he didn’t get “The Tonight Show,” so Zucker decided to push Leno out and give it to him.
Strange that the Governator could find the exact words to sum up what Leno did to Carson. “Leno, you a**hole!” But that backstabbing part of the story escapes your judgment…lol.
And by the way, both Conan and Letterman could get Carson on the phone. While all Leno could manage is to burn bridges and write an ‘I’m sorry for being such a jerk’ letter where he relays Arnold’s comment to Carson for a second time to prove he gets what a jerk he is.
http://www.playboy.com/articles/the-late-shaft-conan-obrien-jay-leno/
Amazing that so many were fooled into thinking that Conan was the victim. He was the perp, for heaven sakes. He pushed Leno out 5 years earlier, so it was simply a little lesson in what-goes-around-comes-around.
Conan did a late night show for 15 years and was wanting to leave for something better. So NBC offered The Tonight Show. It’s funny that NBC is getting the same ratings as before, except now they no longer have Conan or his fanbase. Good job, NBC.
Leno lied and said, “The show’s all yours, buddy.” He’s bland and predictable and deserves the hatred he gets.
Conan posters overestimate his impact on anything. Also kinda simplistic to assume only drudge readers can’t stomach Letterman. Aside from the year after year creative stupor on that years ago great show, is the hard to stomach “jokes” from Letterman of all people about Larry king’s skeevy affair, and creepy lazy sexist potshots. If you’re gonna be a grating hypocrite better be funny. Letterman should’ve retired long ago because his once beloved persona is now broken and gross
Awww… That’s just heartbreaking for Leno and NBC. I couldn’t be happier for them.
Brett ver funny: ok how about this;
1. Leno
2. Me dreaming about a girl next door
3. NBC deciding who should be thier next proxy (me)
4. Tellig George lopez t show his papers next time he is on the air.
5. The old lady seating next to me says she wants me coz she thinks I work for deadline Hollywood.
All for fun
Proving yet again that the few remaining Leno fans have no sense of humor. If you’re gonna riff on another poster’s post try to be 1% as funny.
Since the info Nellie posted landed Leno has actully dropped, and is now down to .8 or .9 in the ratings, some truly horrible number.
learn how to spell before asking for papers..hahah
Your “#1″ is the reason you could at best only hope to dream about the girl next door. Oh, and the bit about Lopez, racist much? Let me guess. Arizona?
i still love dave but i wish he would get out of the studio more.. those bits made the show young. he is thin folks..he had heart surgery…maybe you are all too chubby and like seeing fat faces in the mirror?
Nobody ever mentions that Conan’s show failed because of the horrible lead-in, the Jay Leno hour [whatever it was called].
And this is totally the case, the reason Leno was removed was because the NBC affiliates [local news] said nobody was watching their newscasts because nobody was watching Leno, and that carried over into Conan.
@ deadline fan 1 – seems a bit early to be s-faced, check yourself
You don’t know what the hell you are talking about.
Actually, he’s 100% correct.
The lead-in is local news.
Leno has always lacked the ability to deliver a good punch line without sounding like he’s half explaining it.
Letterman was hilarious when he was younger and was able to make it look like he was just a guy who showed up every night and had fun for an hour. He lost that ability years ago.
Conan has some hilarious moments, but he also falls flat frequently.
I’ve only watched Kimmel a couple of times, and those times were not memorable.
My favorite of the late night hosts is the guy no one is talking about: Jimmy Fallon. His attempt to show Mick Jagger how to be Mick Jagger was probably the funniest thing that any late night host will do for the next year. But then, that’s just my opinion.
Oh, and Brett’s list was hilarious. Maybe there’s a show out there for you.
Fallon is painful to watch. Like taking a guy off the street and giving him a show.
Scrapping COCO is the stupidest thing NBC has done yet.
I used to watch Leno. No More!
At least the Hosts show a little bit of class. NBC
has none.
The Headline is that Leno is a complete disaster. The content admits that at his absolute worst, Leno still beats Letterman. Is that reflected in the headline. Let’s repeat that. At his absolue lowest, his “disaster” of the worst quarter ever, he is still better than Letterman.
And you guys are posting rank order with Letterman on top?!
Now, don’t get me wrong. NBC’s handling of the affair really was enormously inept.
But why don’t you lead with that? Oh, I see. This is an exercise in doublespeak. ??
“Better than Letterman” by a whopping 0.2 percent. Congratulations!
Allen knew when to quit.
Parr knew when to quit.
Carson knew when to quit.
King knew when to quit.
Leno & Letterman, hint hint.
So true. Letterman in particular just makes me wonder, “Why are you still doing this show when you obviously aren’t enjoying it?” The only time in the past five years that he looked like he was having any fun at all was when NBC was busy fucking itself over, and he finally got to vent some of his (entirely justified) anger at that smarmy little backstabber Jay Leno. But once that was over, it was back to Dave barely tolerating the miserable grind of a nightly talk show.
As for Leno, he’ll never quit. NEVER. He’ll be happy just occupying the Tonight Show desk forever, doing the same shtick night after night, never actually being funny or innovative or interesting. Regardless of how anyone feels about Conan’s suitability as a Tonight Show host, at least there was a chance that at some point the show might have attracted some new, younger viewers. Or if NBC was serious about dumping Conan, they could have at least brought in a new host…because with Leno back, the best they will ever be able to hope for is that eventually they’ll stop losing audience share. The format is stale and a complacent, self-satisfied hack like Leno simply isn’t capable of re-energizing it. Still, I’m glad to see that he’s taking some much-deserved blowback for his role in this debacle.
The weird thing is, I actually feel a bit sad for NBC. They really fucked up when they signed the contract for “The Jay Leno Show” that guaranteed him, what, $50m if they canceled the show? That right there is why no one can ever accuse Leno of being entirely without talent: if nothing else, the man knows how to pick good contract lawyers. I’m sure some people at NBC know that, as a long-term late night strategy, bringing Jay back was the worst possible move for them, but…what other options were left? When Leno gave them the “I want the Tonight Show timeslot back or I walk” ultimatum, it didn’t take long for NBC’s accountants to realize that it would cost the network a hell of a lot less to pay off Conan than it would to pay off Leno, and that was basically the end of the discussion.
I think you got that backward–it was Conan that said “give me the tonight show or I walk”. and they forced Leno to quit. (Which he did gracefully and didn’t whine and cry about it like Conan). It isn’t HIS fault that Conan couldn’t hack it after he got it.
Conan couldn’t “hack it” by doing as well as Leno’s numbers, do you not understand the meaning of these ratings? The only person that couldn’t hack it was Leno in an earlier time slot. The rating tell the story.
Leno didn’t quit gracefully either. He made soem threats of his own and that’s why NBC agreed to create the bomb that was “the Jay Leno Show”.
You reap what you sow, Leno. Burn in hell.
I just miss Conan.
When NBC dissed Conan I decided I would not watch Jay. IMO Conan is much funnier and entertaining than Jay.
More about the late night wars.
http://willblogforlols.com/2010/07/01/late-night-fail/
NBC was soooooo stupid to pull Leno in the 1st place! What idiot at NBC decided to pull the plug on the #1 show in the time slot? And, some like Conan, some don’t; I personally don’t think he’s funny (he’s better in a band than trying to do comedy!). But like him or not, you do NOT yank the #1 show. They lost a lot of viewers that went elsewhere and they cannot get all of those viewers back! People run by habit – their habit WAS to tune in to Leno; they went elsewhere, now Leno’s back, but the viewers (obviously a lot of people don’t like Conan – they left him high & dry after 2 or 3 nights) have developed the habit of watching something else – and to change their habits back to NBC will be very difficult if not impossible! (Plus, they lost Kevin Eubanks in the switcheroo, and, as good as Ricky Minor is, the music went lame, and the interaction between Leno & the band is lacking. Bottom line, NBC screwed up – again – by pulling the #1 show, period! It will likely never have the ratings it used to have (but, since it is again #1, they need to learn to leave it on this time!)
The idiot in question is Jeff Zucker.
And you’re right, TV viewing, especially to non-prime dayparts, is highly habitual. But once people are broken of their habit, it’s near-impossible to get them to return to their previous habit.
I actually like the new band, think they’re tighter and play better together and are much less (for want of a better word) shticky. I do miss the interaction that Jay and Kevin had. It contributed a lot to the show.
Zucker has an ego as big as all outdoors and a brain the size of a chick pea. He’s the main reason NBC was sold by GE to Comcast, itself a horrible company, worse than GE and Jeff Immelt, Obama’s lapdog.
I think you are right, too many have made other habits. I also think it will take some time for Minor to feel comfortable giving feedback to Jay, but it will come with time.