| Jay Leno |
 |
NBC's decision to keep Tonight Show host Jay
Leno is the company's wisest in a while. Not only does the
ratings-challenged network get to keep its ratings leader, but now it
doesn't have to worry about competing against him at a rival network.
His new nightly show, which will have more stunts and topical elements but otherwise look largely the same, will air in the General Electric
"Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in," Leno joked at Tuesday's news conference in Los Angeles.
Back in 2004, NBC announced it would pass the Tonight Show baton to rising star Conan O'Brien in 2009, a decision heavily criticized in the press given Leno's continued ratings dominance and eagerness to keep working. The network spent the years since trying to keep Leno in the fold.
The late-night funnyman wasn't without options. In addition to wooing by NBC, he is believed to have been pursued by Disney
In
addition to the nearly 5 million viewers who tune in each week--this
figure could rise in an earlier time period--Leno's show delivered $233
million in advertising revenue to NBC this year, according to TNS Media
Intelligence. By comparison, CBS'
News
of the move comes a day after NBC Universal Chief Jeff Zucker spoke out
on the need to fix broadcast television's business model at UBS'
In recent years, programming costs for prime-time originals have soared as the opportunities to recoup those costs have become increasingly difficult. "I think we do have to continue to rethink what a broadcast network is today," he told a ballroom filled with investors, "and what we want it to be." (He didn't indicate that any major changes were imminent.)
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