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My phone has been ringing off the hook this morning with the news about Conan O'Brien's "blow-out" lead in adult demographics most desirable to advertisers during his first week hosting The Tonight Show. Of course, this is important info, more so than households. Then again, that's NBC's mantra: we don't need eyeballs as long as we have key demos. Actually, both count. Nevertheless, Conan has blown his big first few days' lead to see-saw with Dave in ratings. But that's not stopping NBC from gushing:
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – June 11, 2009 – Conan is the new King of Late Night. "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" was the dominant winner in its first week on the air, delivering huge margins of victory in every ratings category. "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" won the week of June 1-5 with a 2.3 rating in the key measure of adults 18-49, the highest rated week for "The Tonight Show" in more than four years, and a towering 156 percent margin over CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" in adults 18-49. Even excluding the highly rated premiere show on June 1, Conan won the week with a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 and by 111 percent over the CBS program (0.9).
"This is beyond our wildest expectations," said Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. "Conan has brought new younger viewers to 11:35 p.m. and we're gratified that the demographic trend has continued here in week two, where the early numbers continue to show dominant victories, in all the key categories, for 'The Tonight Show'."
Back in week one, the previously released metered-market household ratings had shown Conan dominating the week by a 62 percent margin; that lead over "Late Show" expanded to 156 percent in the key 18-49 category (2.3 vs. 0.9) and 267 percent in adults 18-34 (2.2 vs. 0.6), according to national ratings released today by Nielsen Media Research. "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" out-rated "Late Show" in every significant ratings category -- adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54, plus total viewers -- on all five nights of the week.
The 156 percent margin of victory in 18-49 is the highest for the "Tonight Show" over a full week of "Late Show" originals since at least May 1992. Even excluding the high-rated Monday premiere, the 111 percent advantage on Tuesday through Friday is the best for "Tonight" in a week of all "Late Show" originals in more than 10 years (since the week of February 15-20, 1999, 115 percent)
Conan's 2.3 rating for the week in adults 18-49 is the highest for "Tonight" since the week of February 28-March 4, 2005.
Conan's average rating for the week in the younger half of the key 18-49 demo, adults 18-34, a 2.2, is a top-10 result among all primetime programs for the week of June 1-7, tying Fox's "The Simpsons" for #10 on that list. In 18-49, Monday's 3.8 is #3 versus all primetime programs for the week, behind only two NBA Finals telecasts on ABC.
Conan's ratings dominance helped lift "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" at 12:35 a.m. ET to its highest weeklong 18-49 rating ever, a 1.0. Jimmy's margin of victory over CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" was a hefty 67 percent in 18-49 rating and that margin climbed to 125 percent in the younger half of the demo, adults 18-34 (0.9 vs. 0.4). Jimmy even out-rated Letterman in 18-49 (1.0 vs. 0.9) for the week and dominated Letterman in 18-34 (0.9 vs. 0.6), despite airing an hour later than the CBS telecast.
Since his March 2 debut, Jimmy Fallon has finished #1 in the time period among the broadcast networks on 68 of 70 nights in adult 18-49 rating, including three ties.
At 1:35 a.m. ET, "Last Call with Carson Daly" delivered its biggest 18-49 rating (0.6) since the week of October 15-19, 2007, and biggest overall audience (1.4 million) since the week of December 22-26, 2008.
Conan's debut on Monday, June 1 generated a 3.8 rating in adults 18-49 and 9.2 million viewers overall, matching the top "Tonight" 18-49 rating on any night of the week since Monday, Jan. 24, 2005 (tying the night of the President Obama interview, March 19, 2009). In total viewers, it's the biggest Monday audience for "Tonight" since that January 24, 2005 telecast, a special tribute to Johnny Carson.
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I feel like laundry – caught in the spin cycle! Which is it: Conan or Dave? Sounds like Conan won those younger demos, which no doubt NBC was going for all along. Let’s face it – Leno is old and bring old people like an old-people magnet.
Nice spin by NBC, but the fact remains that people are sampling Conan and leaving. Not good.
This is very good news for NBC (Nothing But Crap). Besides, the advertisers care more about the demographics nowadays anyway. Also, Conan’s humor does not appeal to old people. This isn’t 1985! We live in the dvr and Hulu world. You don’t have to get a mass audience anymore unless your show is on CBS! If he continues to beat Letterman in the demos, he’ll do just fine! Cohan is a whole lot funnier than Jay Leno ever was. Conan O’Brien reminds me of Johnny Carson in the humor department because Johnny did similar humor to what Conan is doing
Letterman has turned so bitter as he gets old, nobody wants to see him. Why so political? He only goes after Republicans which alienates half his audience. When he attacked Gov.Palin’s 14 year old daughter he jumped the shark. How can a man joke about rape and implicate Alex Rodriquez of molestation? A-Rod likes old chics like Madonna.
You waited until your son was 6 years old to “legitimize” his existance. After seeing your wife, I now see why you are obsessed with Palin. You don’t hate her, it’s her husband who gets to sleep with her every night. Go Conan!
I wonder if Dave’s sudden slide has anything to do with his repeated pedophile rape jokes against the children of his political enemies.
I mean, leaving aside the appropriateness of pedophilia jokes, why the hell does a late-night host even HAVE “political” enemies? Or are we to believe that if Michelle was at the game with Sasha and Malik Letterman would have joked about Michelle’s “slutty stewardess” outfit and A-Rod knocking up the Obama girls?
So yesterday Conan was a loser and today he is a winner.
Maybe NBC doesn’t need Nikki’s notes as to how to gain a younger audience after all.
Great to see Fallon being successful too!
It’s been an extremely fun few weeks of late night banter here on DHD. But will somebody PLEASE explain to me why/how Jimmy Kimmel Live is still on the air!? The discussions about Conan and Letterman, Leno eventually, and even Ferguson have significant relevance in our industry.
But nobody gives two rat fucks about Kimmel. So how does his show remain on my TV? It’s got consistently awful ratings, zero publicity about it is generated, by all accounts the production hemorrhages money, there’s not one shred of buzz about it and a its host is a reprehensible, racist prick. HOW HOW HOW???
What is the reasonable explanation for this?
As Hal said in 2001: “Goodbye, Dave.”
Spin, baby, Spin….
Dave is entering into that bitter old man phase desipe the younger wife and kid schtick. Conan is dumbing down his humor trying to garner a more broad audience, at least until Leno reappears. Regardless of the spin NBC still epicly sucks as a network.
Palin backers like me are running away from Letterman, NBC news, MSNBC, and the NY Slimes. Vote with your feet I say.
Good for Conan. Letterman sucks and his insufferable fanboi’s can go suck it with him.
And there you have it – Leno’s audience is creaky old folk who don’t buy products. Conan’s is upwardly mobile folks with disposable income. Anyone who’s worked in the industry realizes what an enormous difference these demos make, and how vital the 18-49 is.
It became clear last night what Conan’s show is going to be from here onward.
A clone of Leno. Base, trivial, irrelevant.
Cheesy sex jokes and outdated political references one after another. A riff on chlamydia, guys? Bush Sr. jokes? At least be funny, which it most definitely was NOT.
Newsflash: Obama is in office now. Why are you so frightened of making fun of him? Meanwhile, Obama’s making the rounds at all the late night comedy shows like a touring vaudevillian. Surreal.
Gasp. Maybe Leno’s suckitude was really NBC dictating the ‘humor.’ The same dross is now emerging predictably with Conan after a ratings panic. When NBC panics, apparently the content gets more lowbrow.
Meanwhile, not one bit of Conan’s monologue was memorable or funny last night.
This prizing of younger viewers is anachronistic. The world has changed along with how people live their lives and how they age.
Advertisers need to catch up with the times because they are wasting their money.
“Older” viewers are more contemporary and flexible, and increasingly are taste makers.
Younger viewers don’t latch on to one brand of ketchup and hold on for dear life anymore, etc.
the folks in the war room sure are earning their keep
Conan dumbing down his humor? Is it possible?
Though his special hatred for Palin is disturbingly extreme (not just this week, but during the election), Letterman has been quite funny this week.
He lost his spark after the Tonight Show screw over, but some of his old self seemed to revive this week.
Letterman has been laugh out loud funny this week. If he can maintain it, he will cream Conan (despite his mediocre writers.)
Conan is not funny and his “jokes” are getting worse as the show gets desperate.
Just wait til September when Leno starts his 10pm show. Conans ratings will be in the toilet along with Lettermans. If Letterman is still around by September that is.
Many years ago I was incensed that Leno got the Tonight Show gig instead of Letterman. I never missed Late Night. Now I avoid him like the plague. He comes off as angry and rarely funny. It would have made more sense to see him retire and Jay Leno remain. Comedians like Johnny Carson and Bob Hope knew how to do political jokes in a good-natured manner. However, political “humor” is now characterized by personal and vicious attacks by the likes of David Letterman and that contemptible coward, Bill Maher. If it wasn’t for cable, Bill Maher would have descended into permanent obscurity years ago. Their ratings continue to shrink because you cannot insult half of your audience night after night without paying a price. Many of us are just switching off, tuning out and redirecting our interests—or just going to bed earlier.
Look guys, give Conan’s show a chance. It needs time to develop and take its place.
Dave is not getting Tonight Show refugees, those same oldies have had 10 years to choose between Dave and Jay, they chose Jay, and Dave is not a backup. They will be watching at 10, which is a better time for them anyway.
Conan and Dave will have similar ratings, with Conan’s demo being more desirable, in 6 months and it will probably stay that way. NBC knew this, and wants this.
They lost me on the part about Carson Daly.
“I wonder if Dave’s sudden slide has anything to do with his repeated pedophile rape jokes against the children of his political enemies. I mean, leaving aside the appropriateness of pedophilia jokes, why the hell does a late-night host even HAVE “political” enemies? Or are we to believe that if Michelle was at the game with Sasha and Malik Letterman would have joked about Michelle’s “slutty stewardess” outfit and A-Rod knocking up the Obama girls?”
Oh brother. Here we go again with the meme-queens…
“Rape” was of course not stated or implied by any of the jokes, but first came up in Todd Palin’s misinformed reaction to descriptions of the jokes. Nice twist he put on it, involving his own daughter.
“Pedophile” doesn’t enter into the equation either. Even Terry Schiavo would have comprehended that Dave was implying BRISTOL, who is an 18 y.o. public figure widely known for getting impregnated via unsafe premarital sex (at possibly the worst moment of her mother’s political aspiration, revealing her mother’s ‘abstinence-only’ stance to be a hypocritical joke.
The 14-year-old? Only political junkies and Wassilla residents even know her name.
Letterman doesn’t have “political enemies”. He’s been reaching for the same Clinton and Gore jokes now for 10 years, and more recently added others like Spitzer (D). He is equally insulting to members of both parties, as long as the crux of the joke is in the public consciousness. (ANd I use the term “insulting” very loosely – they are jokes in a talk-show monologue. Politicians have been shrugging those off since the advent of radio.
And, no – it certainly is not very likely Dave would have made the jokes you describe: Michelle is not widely viewed as dressing like a “slutty stewardess”, so no one would get the reference. (Whereas no one had trouble relating this to Palin), nor are either of his daughters 18 yet (which would make it an *actual* pedophilia joke, rather than an imagined one), known to be sexually active, or actually ‘knocked up’ by a boyfriend. So the comparison is, in real life, well… rather quite dumb.
“Dave is entering into that bitter old man phase desipe the younger wife and kid schtick.”
You must be quite the pro-lifer, describing an actual wife and child like this. Obviously, you have neither, which is quite a good development for the human race.
“Palin backers like me are running away from Letterman, NBC news, MSNBC, and the NY Slimes. Vote with your feet I say.”
What a clever and original pun on the name of “the New York Times”! Put away your crayons and go research how Sarah prompted the majority of US voters to vote with their feet and run away from her.
“Good for Conan. Letterman sucks and his insufferable fanboi’s can go suck it with him.”
Letterman’s fans average 35 years old, and have been watching him since the late 80’s or earlier. Conan’s fans average 23 years old and could not have seen him on television before 1993.
Whose fans are more likely to be described with the oh-so-achingly-cutting-edge term “fanboi”?
Fallon should go but Letterman seriously needs to be shown the door but heard he’s negotiating with CBS on a 3-year contract extension to stay there until 2013.
Is there some new socialite or singer named Sarah Palin that I don’t know about? Because the commenters above *certainly* couldn’t be trying to defend the former vice-presidential candidate who couldn’t name a single newspaper or magazine off the top of her head.
Right?
…Right??
Helpful note to all the Drudge/FOX refugees: the Letterman jokes were referring to the 18-yr. old daughter, not the younger one. Obviously.
And if you think raising Gov. Palin’s profile is going to help the Republican Party’s electoral prospects… ha ha ha ha … well hey, knock yourselves out, kids!
Hey Jike, you sure about your info? The 14 year old was at the game with Palin. That was the basis of the joke.
You don’t seem like a very well informed person, so I’m not sure if you are familiar with NOW (the National Organization for Women). They are not generally considered part of the right-wing. They are also not related to the drudgereport. Yet strangely enough, they just issued a statement on this matter that pretty much shows they agree with the take by conservatives on this message board and by your boogey-man drudge (who has barely even linked to this story). http://www.now.org/issues/media/hall-of-shame/
Is it possible that you, GI, and Jeff Albertson are simply unthinking partisan hacks whose hatred for conservatives in general and conservative women in particular has somehow deadened your basic sense of decency and morality (not to mention your congnitive capacity) to such a degree that you will call evil good and darkness light?
Jeff Albertson,
““Rape” was of course not stated or implied by any of the jokes, but first came up in Todd Palin’s misinformed reaction to descriptions of the jokes. Nice twist he put on it, involving his own daughter.”
Rape was implied as having sex with a minor constitutes as rape. Personally I don’t care, but that is undeniable. Willow, Sarah Palin’s 14 year-old daughter, was the one who attended New York. Hence, the joke was referring to her. It is possible the writers made a huge gaff/error. Either way, it isn’t good for the show.
“He is equally insulting to members of both parties, as long as the crux of the joke is in the public consciousness.”
Name one Obama joke on Letterman’s show. Just one. I dare you.
The fact of the matter is that Republicans are met with constant derision on his show, even going so far as to personally attack Bill O’Reilly when he makes appearances, and besides a few unpopular Democrats (do you really think he would pass up a scandal like Spitzers?), there are practically zero Democrat jokes. Letterman’s political bias is clearly showing.
NBC seems determined to resurrect the Brandon Tartikoff strategy: trade ratings for demos. That worked in the 1980’s, during rising income and lots more young (White) people, it won’t work today.
Go ahead and check Neilsen. Their site has handy Black, Hispanic, and “All” viewer breakdowns (all is basically the White audience plus everyone else). Hispanics watch Spanish language media. Blacks share nearly all the “All” aka White Top Ten shows, but are only 12.5% of the population.
If you go to the Census Bureau, you can see the size of the Youth Market about 16 million for 20-24, and 15-19, in 1980. It’s declined by about 3 million each cohort to the 2000 Census where the cohorts are now about 13 million. That’s not a big enough pond to “win” by catching the juiciest fish.
America is in birth dearth phase. Not enough young people to manage like it’s 1985. Stuff that worked THEN (St. Elsewhere, Seinfeld’s first few years, etc.) won’t work now because there just are not enough young people.
Add to this MEN fleeing TV in droves, out of the feminization of TV (nearly everything on it is aimed soley at women and profoundly alien to men, see Desperate Housewives and the endless reality dreck). Instead of the pool of 13 million youth cohorts, cut in half to about 6-7 million. THAT’s the pond NBC is fishing in.
Letterman is fishing for the same yuppie/hipster viewers that Conan is, his borrowing of 1950’s Legend Ernie Kovacs has reached it’s sell date, he’s been doing the same thing since 1981. [Nearly all of Letterman's stuff was done by Kovacs first and best.]
As for Letterman’s comedy, it like all the late night guys stuff is gutless. Obama is FUNNY. He’s got the nutty pastor, rappers like Jay Z and Al Sharpton visiting every weekend, his brother was barred (no kidding, look it up) from entering Britain over a sexual assault charge on a 13 year old girl, his wife is a Klingon Lawyer, and Obama’s ego is easily the biggest and most fragile since Nixon (who he resembles in being profoundly uncomfortable with who he is and his “enemies” lists). Obama’s crew resembles the Nixon-Haldeman-Erhlichman White House, only nuttier. Obama’s got about 22 brothers and sisters, due to his Dad’s polygamy, so that in itself is funny. Obama’s true religion is … himself. That’s funny.
Whatever late night guy picks up the stones to make jokes on Obama (and it’s rich territory) will win. My bet is on Ferguson.
Fascinating to see someone willing to call themselves a “Palin backer.” What do you like about her? The fact that she’s so ambitious that she was eager to be president even though she’s an imbecile? The fact that she’s a pathological liar? The fact that she runs on family values yet both she and her daughter had children out of wedlock?
It’s fine to believe in the same things as her, but can’t you find someone else like Mitt Romeny or whomever who also believes in those things to back? You come across as moron when you publicly admit to backing her. I’m surprised you can even operate a computer.
Palin backers like me are running away from Letterman, NBC news, MSNBC, and the NY Slimes. Vote with your feet I say.
Skucount, if you are a Palin backer you probably didn’t have much truck with Letterman and the others in the first place. Just a hunch.
Here’s a couple, DylanG – but only because your “dare” was sooooooo scarrrrrry:
“And how about that Barack Obama? You know what they’re saying? For the first time he’s starting to slip in the polls. Barack Obama is starting to slip in the polls. Don’t worry. He’s got a plan. He’s going to be to campaigning in Europe.”
“President Obama, by the way, is, I think, making his first presidential European trip. And while he’s there in Europe, he plans to fire the CEO’s of BMW and Volkswagen.”
Here’s a bonus:
“And then tonight, Barack Obama speaks to the convention, and they moved it to the stadium there in Denver. They’re getting, like, 75,000 people. And I’m telling you, the construction crew has been working around the clock, painting the stadium, scrubbing the stadium, plastering. It’s the same team that works on Nancy Pelosi.”
And, of course, one of his favorite whipping boys these days is Joe Biden.
It’s not bias, wingnuts. Its that Obama hasn’t really established a public ‘achilles heel’ that would provide the hook any talk show host needs. The same thing went on with Bush Jr. during his early years in office. Letterman still regularly reaches for Clinton and Gore jokes. You people are rabid.
Its such a blatant misrepresntation of what happened – you have to first willfully misconstrue that they intentionally meant to indicate the 14-y-o daughter (rather than the one with the pre-existing reputation that lends any meaning to the joke), which then means that, in a legal sense, such imagined sexual relations that would lead to her getting “knocked up” would be statutory rape. But “rape” is a loaded, ugly word, and Todd knew exactly what he was doing whne he tossed in that grenade.
A-Rod and Bristol Palin and their (deserved) reputations for out-of-wedlock sex are the only subjects which make any sense in the context of the joke. You have to work very, very hard to push the context in order to get all riled up about it.
Considering that the right wing’s apparent political strategy is to work up new faux-outrages every single week – and, rest assured, this one is one of the faux-iest yet – I look forward to what next week will bring.
Very good points, Whiskey.
Also, Letterman didn’t slide because of the Sarah Palin controversy. He brought it up during that Wednesday show. So either people tuned out during or read about it before if you want to believe that. It was most likely that Kathy Griffin is not appealing to his male audience (or any male) as the previous night’s Stern and Julia Roberts.
As for Letterman being a cranky old man… where have you people been? He’s been this way since 1982 and he’s actually mellower now. And damn hilarious. So is Kimmel who shoots from the hip and doesn’t care who he mocks even if they are ABC icons such as Oprah.
Leno does not draw an exclusively older audience. Like any version of the Tonight Show, it is an institution (until last Monday) and draws a broad audience. The nerds in major cities think it’s cool to think his show only draws oldsters but many people in their 20s, 30s and 40s don’t take on the NY/Hollywood need to choose Jay Vs. Dave. Many like both especially if there are good guests. Leno’s audience members are often well below the age expected for his humor. Tourists aren’t going into a show they haven’t already been watching for decades.
Conan is eclectic and appeals to the most neurotic and socially-awkward viewer. There isn’t a wide enough audience for that to suit the Tonight Show nor has he modified his act to draw anyone but the fanatics in.
Showbiz…salient points all, except for your Kimmel compliment. He really is a charmless, obnoxious, blow hard who on his best day shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as Letterman. Of all the hosts, he is the least funny off the cuff and really, really makes my skin crawl. The country loathes that douchebag. The ratings show it and he’ll be gonzo soon.
But you do use some big words.
I think in many ways the Nielsens are out of touch. I was chosen to be a Nielsen viewer about a month ago. In return for the the princely sum of $5, I was to fill out a rather detailed diary of what I watched, broken into 15-minute increments. Also, when I recorded shows onto my DVR, and when I watched them. There are times when I watch 2 or 3 shows simultaneously, flipping back and forth between the channels. There are also times when I record a program to my DVR, watch about the first 2 minutes and then delete it because I’m not interested. Who has time to keep such a detailed log of their viewing for a two-week period?
I was asked to send in a diary at the end of each week. I never made the first entry in any of the diaries, sent nothing in, nor was there ever any followup from Nielsen.
Typical men to distill the “jokes” down to a Democrat vs. Republican war.
It’s a sexist issue.
Letterman does not go after other Republicans with the same relentless venomous aggression. His “jokes” pertain to her and her daughters’ sexuality not their party affiliation, i.e. “slutty flight attendant.”
Highlarious, Dave. Cheap easy comedy that isn’t even funny does not become you. When you want to marginalize a female pol (of any party), just sexualize her and humiliate her. How cliche.
Btw, you can support Obama and understand that he doesn’t (and hasn’t) always tell the truth.
Grow up, Obama supporters.
Why Palin’s histrionically called a pathological liar is a mystery, but not the subject of Nikki’s post, so spare us.
However, suffice to say, Obama’s a politician like any other. Blind frenzied Obama supporters are just as scary as Bush supporters.
Meanwhile, as Letterman’s ongoing hate rant on Palin is a sexist issue, party affiliation should not be the foremost issue, except that he would never do the same to an Obama daughter. This reality is something that should concern BOTH parties. If Democrats are going to taunt the Republicans and say, “you acted like loons for 8 years, now we get to act like loons,” then the future looks bleak.
Just this week with the Dave Letterman debacle with Sarah Palin,it has now backfired on him. Already there has been a rise of Conan’s ratings due to Letterman’s mistake. Still there is war of words going on between them which the major east coast dieing papers have refuesed to cover. Letterman really screwed up and there is angle that hasn’t been explored of Letterman’s poor joke. How does A-Rod like the fact he was used?
In the end Conan could be the benefactor of Letterman’s mistake.
So, Put a Fork in It, Conan wasn’t memorable at all — except for the parts that you remembered and wrote here.
If it’s at all possible to like Conan AND Dave, I would like to put myself in that category, but both shows have huge flaws.
Letterman’s monologue is horrible – has been for years. Also, the commercial breaks in his second half-hour are way too long (you would have to be asleep not to change the channel during an eight minute run of ads). And I can’t remember the last time Dave did a bit.
Conan’s interviews seem overly rehearsed and forced. There’s absolutely nothing natural about them. And his on-air personna can be quite grating. Fifteen years ago, he came across as a real person. Now he acts like a Las Vegas entertainer.
That said, they’re both really, really funny people who know good comedy from bad. And both have produced some legendary late night bits. I’ll be flipping back and forth. I’m a human being, not a parent, so I don’t have to be loyal to one and dislike the other.
As for the Sarah Palin joke about the baseball game? Let’s just say, I congratulate conservatives for suddenly developing thin-skin about politically incorrect humor. I look forward to no longer hearing the phrase “it’s just a joke” coming from conservatives any more.
@You’re Forked
Had to go back through the video to recall.
Duh.
You must be a Conan staffer – even your moniker is lame and derivative.
Calling Conan “edgy” and “hip” is delusional, and evidence of how anemic these shows have become.
He’s a retread. He slaps some goofy facial expressions on the same old, same old, and serves it up as “edgy.”
You can see glimmers of the writing ability he brought to the Simpsons (long ago), but he is not a performer. And, the writing on his show is atrocious.
He’s only going to deteriorate, not improve, as he approaches 50 and goes through male menopause (yup, men go through menopause.)
Save your shrill protests. It won’t change the truth.
“Everything on tv is aimed at women” ???????
…can’t …. stop … laughing…
Hey, Dave — You have strong female fans, too. Guess what? The female demo is a massively ignored and powerful demo. Stop being a creepy old man, flip the “genius switch” back to “on,” and you will kick butt.
Injun,
The Nielson people offered you FIVE DOLLARS! Back when I diligently filled out the diary and mailed it in, I got two quarters, actual quarters, by return mail.
And, just to stay on topic–I can’t believe Conan is still doing the same stale show. Isn’t he a Harvard boy, smart and all that? (I personally think HS dropout Craig Ferguson is the smartest guy on TV. Oh the irony.)
How can you hate on Kimmel? He’s carved a niche out of nothing on ABC unlike Conan and Ferguson who have bathed in the light of huge lead ins from Leno and Letterman… He has consistently brought innovation to the late nite space with a hugely produced monologue of all things going on in pop culture, sports and built comedy bits and then produces music like nobody else in the format, really really well… Recognize how hard it is to put out the funny every day and do it orginally and you have to give Kimmel all the credit in the world for putting ABC in the late night biz in a very solid way which is why they are so supportive of him… He has earned it all on his own..
Actually, You’re Forked, that other comment wrote only about 2 show moments, and not in a specific way probably ’cause they were forgettable. People need to start reading books ’cause this stuff is a waste of time.
Kel, I really wouldn’t call anything I used “big words.” They are typical of conversation especially when those about the entertainment field. So your back-handed compliment really shows how you don’t reflect “the country” or anyone else but yourself.
All of this is moot. History will show Letterman will be on top as the karmic result of NBC’s treatment of him. He’ll have his thirty-year run like Carson and in three years, Conan will be trying to do sitcoms and talk shows like Arsenio and Alan Thicke.
I’ve been watching Conan now for two weeks. Conan didn’t crack a single Palin joke at all. In fact he remained on Obama,Sotomayer and the Republican Party. And he makes fun of LA in his own skits. Now Conan’s ratings started to rise during Tuesday I’m not sure. Now bitter Dave should look out he may have to face an angry Miss Piggy. But it would be amusing to see Conan joke on Dave wouldn’t it? Even A-Rod should pull a joke on Dave too.
Chuck, Conan isn’t benefitting from ANYTHING. He has squandered a dream job, a multi-million dollar studio and enormous publicity by stumbling in WEEK TWO. He hasn’t had any kind of miraculous upsurge in the ONE DAY since the Letterman controversy. (Letterman, btw, who has hardly made his Republican rants towards Palin exclusively. Reagan, Bush, Quayle, Bush, McCain– all deserving or not– has been the targets of his dumb guy or old guy labels. Clinton had to settle for “tubby.”) Conan should not be having any problems in week two. I don’t believe Leno did except for the booking wars behind the scenes which likely came later but Chevy, Sajak, Magic Johnson, Alan Thicke, Rick Dees certainly did. CONAN DIDN’T STUMBLE THIS BADLY IN WEEK TWO IN 1993 when he was expected to lose his job.
I agree with Kel. Kimmel hasn’t done any of that. He completely stole his act 1 format from both Talk Soup and Not Necessarily the News, his sketches are awful and he’s incapable of conducting an interview and making it funny unless he’s staring at a tele prompter.
Plus, his lead in NIGHTLINE is getting the same numbers as Letterman and I GUARANTEE ABC is looking for other options in his time slot because of Kimmel’s crappy ratings.
Sorry LateNight Wars, you’re just wrong. Kimmel was a gamble and it hasn’t paid off. Conan too. Keep ya posted on that one.
The Palin joke wasn’t about Palin, it was an insult to Spitzer. Anyone stupid enough to overreact that way doesn’t deserve to be dogcatcher. I have relatives in Anchorage and let me tell you this lady is as vindictive and petty as they come. To top it off she’s as dumb as a rock. The Republican party will go down in flames hitching its wagon to this woman.
The thing nobody ever really mentions is that, give or take swing voters, about half the country at any given time is conservative, and about half the country is liberal. The reason Dave has become so polarizing is because he wears his angry brand of liberalism (not saying every liberal is angry) on his sleeve night in and night out. Why? He should be happy his guy won, and yet he still harbors such bitterness toward the right. Conan, while liberal, has never been mean-spirited about politics, and is smart enough to know he won’t find a broader audience by acting like Dave. Part of Jay’s appeal was that he always kept politics within the realm of (admittedly bland) comedy, not personal opinion.