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It's well known that NBC affiliates are beginning to balk about this fall's "Leno effect" drain on their late news ratings. Stations in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York report losses ranging from 22% to 30% compared to last year. And with the Jay Leno Show eking out just a 1.5 or 1.6 rating after 5 weeks on the air, and losing to a week of repeats even though it's got fresh episodes 46 weeks out of the year, it's no surprise that defensive Leno is going on the offensive since he admits his numbers will get even worse during November sweeps. Jay told B&C he personally called a "bunch" of the affiliates last week "just to get feedback" and noted: "Unless they are the greatest actors in the world, they seem to be hanging in there and say they are in it for the long haul. I called Baltimore, Boston, the head of the affiliate board. They don't see it as dire as a lot of people are making it out to be." Here is Leno's best info from the interview:
-- "The first week, people kind of went after us because it looked like the old show."
-- "I've seen some articles that are a little more, 'It's not Jay's fault, its NBC's fault.'"
-- "I'm not protecting Jeff Zucker, nor am I hiding behind him. I could have said no."
-- "There is enough work out there, so people shouldn't necessarily be mad at me for taking the 10 o'clock spot."
-- "I'm not here because the 10 PM period was widely successful. I'm here because nothing else was working."
-- "Lead-ins are important. On the nights when we have a strong lead-in, we are competitive; on the nights we don't, it's up to us to try and carry the ball ourselves.
"-- "The numbers seem to tell us people [who] are watching the show are staying the whole hour."
-- "I find that when I go to Vegas, whereas before I might not sell out, all of a sudden it's sold out."
-- "This is our toughest period; Sweeps we'll do the worst, non-sweeps we'll do the best."
-- "Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure. I would have preferred that."
-- "If [11:35 pm] were offered to me, would I take it? If that's what they wanted to do, sure."
-- "Conan is in the same position I was in when I took over."
-- "I wouldn't trade places with Dave now for anything! I don't think he's getting a free pass."
-- "If it were me, it would kill me. I'm the guy who's been married 29 years. But Dave has never pretended to be Mr. Moral America, he's never set himself up that way. He's not a hypocrite."
-- "Do I enjoy the battle? Yes, I get a certain amount of satisfaction from pounding my head against the wall."
-- "I do take a certain perverse pleasure in this. See how low you can go, rock bottom, before you can keep crawling back up again."
-- I've never walked away from anything in my life….This is what I do. You keep plowing ahead. If someone wants to take you out, I'm out."
-- "As long I'm making money for the company, I will be here. When I'm not making money for the company, I won't be here."
-- "There's an ownership change here every six months. I've been through nine of them!"
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People who hope that Leno’s failure will lead NBC to put dramas back on at 10 are dillusional. NBC did this as a tactic to save money. If Leno goes away, they’ll either put on more Datelines or other reality shows, or simply turn 10 p.m. over to the affiliates and let them program the lead-in to their news.
Based on what, Walter? Although it may not seem like it at the moment, but NBC is not in the business to save money. They want to make money. If that means putting scripted programming on the air again, they will do it. Scripted programs are expensive, yes, but one hit can make millions and millions. You’re not going to ever get that from Leno, Dateline or reality.
Hey, I just want Jay Leno to go away from TV forever.
They should give 10PM to the affiliates now and give Jay 1035.
Jay says “There’s enough work out there so people shouldn’t be upset.” Really?! There’s enough work for who? For all the writers, actors and below the line crews that lost their jobs when 5 hours of scripted TV went off the air! Jay’s so out of touch it’s embarassing.
18 comments by Jay and not one about doing a thing about the quality of the show – guess he thinks it’s just great as it is?
Spot on!
Apparently, Leno also thinks Zucker could click his ruby red Rebooks together and put everyone back in thier original timeslot…..
Its a talk show, what more do you want? It same as Letterman, Conan. Just a simple talk show at 10pm. You can change sets, change bands, but it’s still same thing that was around when Jack Parr and Johnny Carson did it.
The quality of The Jay Leno show is fine. He has a full house every single taping so that speaks volumnes on his talent and credibility.
He is under contract with mega-bucks so he is not going anywhere else any time soon.
Certain age groupings will never “get it” so Jay does very well with certain geographical and age groups.
Jay Leno kept NBC NUMBER ONE in ratings for years and years and years so his loyalty and dedication speaks for itself. Nobody else could beat his stellar ratings!
Certain viewers are in too much a rush and are impatient, in general. They have no endurance and are short termed, per se.
Jay will get better with time. Thankfully, NBC is sticking by his side and they know that change takes time!
You go Jay. Keep up the great work!
You don’t get it. He’s NOT doing well with certain age groups and especially in certain geographical areas. Nearly all the affiliates in every geographical area are getting hammered by this move. As for “certain age groupings”, on Friday night he pulled a horrendous 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demo that’s the only thing TV pays attention to. His poor performance in “total viewers” tells us he’s not doing well with older viewers, either.
You can speak with emotion all you want. My facts beat your emotion every time.
That’s how you judge the quality of a show? The fact that he has “a full house every taping?” Please…Everyone in the audience is a tourist from middle-America. You think they wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to go to ANY taping?
Waiting till you finish drinking the Kool Aid … OK, now I’ll respond.
Having a full house for taping a free show for TV is not a sign of success, Linda. That’s called catering to tourists and having a good booking agent for shows. True, Jay is under contract for a few years so he won’t be going anywhere, and yes, certain groups won’t “get” him. But when the ones who do “get” him are turning out in fewer numbers each week – including against repeats on CBS last week, a time when NBC predicted he would beat them – that’s not an encouraging sign, especially for affiliates whose news shows follow Leno.
Jay was able to be #1 in late night because that was the right time for him. No one – I repeat, no one – has ever managed to be popular enough to have his or her own show five nights a week in prime time, not even Arthur Godfrey or Milton Berle or Dean Martin at their peaks. The long-term trend for him to do that is looking worse every week as his ratings shrink. Affiliates simply don’t have the patience in this economy to lose audiences and therefore charge less for their advertising. They were probably being nice to Jay when he talked to them, but if this pattern continues, expect a few to start rescheduling his show to follow their newscasts at 10:35 – or just drop it altogether and put in reruns or other fare instead.
I will say this about Jay: I think he’s a good guy given too much grief for not being “hip” enough sometimes, and a very good interviewee as well – certainly more open than most other hosts. But he made one glaringly wrong comment in the interview, that the show depends on its lead-ins. Last week “The Biggest Loser” won its timeslot from 8-10 p.m. Jay followed it and lost nearly half the audience to finish in third. That’s bad no matter how you spin it.
Right now, if I had an “A” list client out on the coast, I’d encourage them to go on “Ellen” or “Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson” rather than “The Jay Leno Show.” They have the buzz and, more importantly, the better shows to let a star shine brightly. Jay’s just doing a lukewarm version of his old show, and while that may not bother him too much (and I suspect it doesn’t – he really could leave doing TV right now, I think he feels in his heart), it’s a mighty comedown for NBC in timeslots where it used to prosper with “ER,” “LA Law,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Star Trek” … need I go on? My prediction: NBC will lose the slot to the affiliates within a year.
@maksquibs
The show ‘is what it is’. He’ll continue to tweak it all the time. Just like he has been doing. Not to satisfy you, you probably don’t watch it and don’t like him to begin with.
I pulled for Jay when he took over the Tonight Show. I watch the new show in the new time slot ‘most’ nights of the week now. Probably just as many, maybe more than I did before, so NBC is a winner in my house.
Letterman (I like him) and Conan (not so much) are both ‘late night’ guys in my book. Carson and Leno are both after the news guys, that’s why they worked out so well. Please don’t tell me Leno didn’t work out well after the news. Even a hater has to admit that Leno ruled that time slot for the years that he was in it.
Someone tell Jay its time to retire and spend more time playing with his car collection. I’ll be over on TNT watching Southland.
If it were the only game in town, it would pass as mildly entertaining, blandly-humorous television. As there are six other nightly programs that mainly serve to promote celebrity product and employ squads of joke writers, The Jay Leno Show is completely inconsequential.
You can’t really expect him to come out and say his show sucks, though.
A statement like, “There is enough work out there, so people shouldn’t necessarily be mad at me for taking the 10 o’clock spot”, taints everything else he said. Either his head’s stuck in a hole in the ground or he’s spinning something intentionally.
“Enough work out there”, my ass.
I’m sorry, Jay. I love you, but I want to watch a drama at that hour. I wish that you could go back to your old time slot. I’m not all that fond of Conan’s awkward antics and David Letterman is just mean.
Conan’s in the same position Jay was…except with a failing lead-in. Maybe Jay should call him for feedback.
Jay has lots of fans but not enough for the 10pm slot, 5 times a week. I still hear people reminiscing about the Sonny & Cher Show or the Donny & Maire Show. Which ran once a week.
Not sure why he’s bringing this up to affiliates, but I can’t let this statement slide without comment:
“There is enough work out there, so people shouldn’t necessarily be mad at me for taking the 10 o’clock spot.”
As a TV worker who’s been unemployed for almost eight months: Fuck you, Jay. If you think you’re not putting people out of work by taking five timeslots off the table, you’re delusional.
Seriously, good for you Jay. How many other people would even bother to make an effort to get information outside of their comfort bubble? Unfortunately, the show isn’t that great especially when I could be watching The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. If he wants some ideas he should do some guerrilla spots like Australia’s The Chaser’s War on Everything used to do.
Jay, we watch the news at 10. It’s just that simple. That’s a stupid time slot! If you want a “prime time” talk show be in “prime time!”
The set sucks, everyone looks uncomfortable. At least,bring back the desk.
It’d probably do better in syndication in the 7pm time slot, competing with Simpsons reruns and entertainment “news” shows.
It’s not Jay. He’s been this bad the whole time. The part that changed is what he’s up against. Time and again, a decent talk show will not compete in primetime. It can’t. No one will let it. There is an effect that occurs that no one is contemplating. At the 11 slot, people are compelled to find out what to expect or is happening by watching the news. They get the weather. They call it the “bad” news because if it was good, it wouldn’t be on.
Then, monologue is a psychological relief and palette cleansing after the harsh realities of news.
You cannot give the people “dessert first”, and like it all the time. Ice cream for dinner gets old after a few days. This is what Leno faces.
If you want Leno’s show to succeed, put him on after Brian Williams!
Nice analysis! I have to admit that now that he’s on at 10pm, I don’t get a chance to watch. But I like him best as an interviewer because it’s more about the guest with him than vice versa.
Jay should call Bob Iger and beg for the ABC 11:35 slot. NBC is done and dead – that is, until they dump Zucker, which seems very unlikely. If Leno really fails, it will be Zucker’s fault solely. It’s depressing to realize what NBC once was, to what it is now. Sad, sad, sad.
No way would ABC dump a fairly hot Nightline for Leno now. They may have considered it when he left the Tonight Show, but things are much different now. The brand has been damaged big time.
JAY GOT THE TONIGHT SHOW (from David Letterman) because JAY PLAYED “super=spy” and acted in a nefarious manner — EAVESDROPPING IN on NBC execs’ conversations and PHONE calls.
JAY may be a NICE MAN; he is a talented COMIC –but NOBODY wants to SEE HIM FIVE HOURS A WEEK. NOBODY is “that” funny — or NICE.
Jay SHOULD HAVE HAD THE GOOD SENSE to be “HUMBLE” and admit HIS (obvious) SHORTCOMINGS. Jay is OLD NEWS. STALE BITS. TIRED segments that should have been RETIRED long ago.
PEOPLE WANT JAY TO FAIL. PEOPLE WANT NBC TO FAIL. NBC cared MORE about losing 1 guy (Jay) … THAN THEY DID ABOUT THE MULTI=MILLIONS of viewers who (used to) LOVE the 10pm scripted dramas.
THAT is what is WRONG w/NBC (and Jay) … BOTH parties thought THEY knew better than MULTI-MILLIONS of (FORMER) VIEWERS.
PS: I can’t help but (want to) ADD:
JAY (in his zeal & ego-MANIACAL OCDC) … COULD NOT HELP BUT CALL THE TOP AFFILIATES — seeking to CURRY “FAVOR.”
THIS TYPE of “Hoover-ing” MAY have worked in the past. But ALL the sucking in the WORLD is not going to obscure FAILING RATINGS, FAILING LEAD-INS (BOTH 11pm affiliate news programs AND The Tonight Show and JIMMY FALLON shows) ARE ALL SUFFERING from Jay (and nbc’s) GREED.
INSTEAD OF CALLING THE AFFILIATES … JAY SHOULD HAVE (PERSONALLY) CALLED every single VIEWER — ALL THE MULTI-millions who were RIGHTEOUSLY ticked=off at NBC’s (and Jay’s) HIGH-HANDED-ness.
I can see the new billboards now: Comedy at 10. Er, 10:35.
As if NBC’s going to spend money on adding “:35″ to all the 10s on stage.
Mak Squibs above has it right. In the entire interview Leno doesn’t once suggest that the quality of his show could be lacking. When, in fact, that’s the biggest problem. The show is terribly written. I’ve tried watching 7 or 8 times and the attempts at comedy are just pathetic.
He brags about having 22 writers. Well Robot Chicken probably has 2 writers and it’s a lot funnier.
The fact he refuses to even entertain the notion that a huge part of the problem is the quality of the material and the quality of the interviews is exactly the type of arrogance that has made Hollywood hate Jay.
Put Leno back on The Tonight Show at 11:35 p.m. already! In fact, most of Leno’s fans are recording him at 10 and playing him back at 11:35 anyway. That alone accounts for part of the problem the affiliates are having. Leno or no Leno, I personally wouldn’t watch my local NBC affiliate unless I was paid.
Maybe the CW could negotiate with Zucker to buy out Conan’s contract. Seems like that may be the only place O’Brien could pick up decent audience numbers.
If Jay stays at 10, he needs to get rid of those unknown comedian bits, most of which are NOT FUNNY. Make the monologue longer and get the desk back. In other words, Zucker needs to admit the error of his ways and return Leno to The Tonight Show.
Jay is doing the exact same comedy he did at 11:30, and is more or less retaining the same audience. He’s not going to suddenly change his style and be able to appeal to younger viewers. It just wouldn’t work.
This new show will continue to limp along. NBC is not only stuck with it, they have nothing to replace it.
Hey NBC, why dont you try this as a marketing campaign? …”If you want Leno to fail, you want AMERICA to fail!!!”
Seems to work for another guy you’re in bed with.
Nine years of Jeff Zucker!! He’s single handedly destroyed the NBC Network and now is costing the O&O stations a fortune. How in God’s name has he managed to stay sooooo long. It’s a mystery all of Hollywood is talking about.
Jay had his best shows during the writers strike. Jay go back to what you did during the last strike.
I wish NBC would stop screwing around with the format and just let Jay be Jay. Bring back the desk, bring back the musical guests, and do away with the affiliate late news teaser cutaways. Did Conan whine about Jay’s lousy lead-ins? The Jay Leno Show seems to be designed by committee – a committee headed by NBC brass and the affiliate board. I wonder if Jay will grow a pair and demand greater say in the show’s format. Because his legacy really IS at stake, whether he wants to admit it or not.
I think everyone here is vastly underestimating how innovative the Two Chairs / No Desk setup is. It blows my mind everytime I click on the show by mistake, hoping to see some actual entertainment. Blows. My. Mind.
I work at an NBC affiliate in the Midwest and the people in our news room all believe the same believe thing: Leno. Is. Killing. Us.
We were the undisputed number one station in the city, but Leno is has made things far more competitive for our late newscast.
When Jay’s show premiered, they stopped airing Conan on Star at 10 (Now they show something called Dr. Oz). Was this also NBC’s doing? I figured maybe they forced Star to take Conan’s show off the air for a couple of weeks, while Jay’s show was still new. However, it’s been quite a while and still no Conan at 10.
Is this NBC’s attempt at reducing competition for the Leno show?
Jay thinks he has the 10 spot because it wasn’t wildly successful previously? No…he has the 10 spot because NBC was deathly afraid of him signing with ABC for the 11:30pm slot to crush Conan before O’Brien got his new timeslot legs under him. The 10 spot might not have been blowing people away, but I’m pretty sure some of NBC’s shows were outperforming what his shite is doing.
ALL of NBC’s shows last year at 10 SIGNIFICANTLY outperformed what Leno is doing now, by 30% or more. And, most of those shows sucked, too, just not as bad as Leno.
By the way, how out of touch does Jay sound when he basically tells people to stop bitching about the loss of the 10pm slot for fully scripted shows because “there is enough work out there”?
There wasn’t enough work out there BEFORE the ego-that-wouldn’t-die took over the 10pm slot. If I was any of the people that worked on SOUTHLAND, I’d spit in Leno’s face if I saw him on the street.
Jay should just be Jay. The perception is that he’s re-inventing himself for a different audience. I tune in to see Jay cause I feakin’ love Jay.
Get back to the basics. Be yourself.
They will come.
The people who are complaining about Leno’s effect on Late News need to take a step back and look at the consequences of the digital transition. The latest research I saw (yesterday) said that the transition to digital has cost the local stations, on average, 8% of their audience. So, it’s entirely possible that the NBC stations that Jay is speaking with are taking this into account and not blaming him completely for the downturn in their LN numbers.
I’m a fan of Jay’s. NBC’s not so much. In fact, I hate them with the fire of a thousand white hot suns.
Interesting. Too bad CBS stations are way UP in the ratings, and ABC about flat, which completely destroys your theory.
Also, apparently you missed all the articles where the afiliates do blame Leno for their downturn. Repeatedly.
Seriously haters? You all sound like spoiled cry babies. Yes, the job market is hard so guess what…work harder or train harder at either getting a job outside your field or take a job with lower pay. Maybe if you had less time on your hands to HATE someone, you could actually spend a moment opening your eyes to change.
Oh and instead of hating on just Leno, how about questioning Conan’s move 5 years ago? He put the network in this pickle by threatening to leave if he didn’t get the Tonight Show. In his last year in the 12:30 spot, he wasn’t even beating CBS. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to hold that spot but pushed anyways to serve his ego.
Face it, they all have major egos in the first place to be on TV. So if you have an issue about a TV show, maybe you should re-evaluate how you spend your time.