“Basic cable” as a term specifically excludes broadcast networks. In the discussion of broadcast networks, “basic cable” has always been a derogatory term and has never applied to NBC. For example, the NFL has long prided itself as being the only major sport to broadcast all of its games free on broadcast tv, as opposed to the others which require you to pay for cable to watch your home teams play.
Consider HBO and Showtime, which are premium channels. Nobody has ever had HBO and Showtime without also having Comedy Central. But just because everyone who gets premium channels also gets Comedy Central doesn’t mean Comedy Central is a premium channel.
Broadcast networks: CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, CW
Basic Cable: Comedy Central, USA, TBS, MTV, VH1, etc… PLUS broadcast networks
Premium Cable: HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc… PLUS basic cable PLUS broadcast networks
Why are we still arguing that it’s Jay’s fault? And that he’s some massive D-bag for taking Conan’s spot?
NBC fired Conan. Period. End of story…it had very little to do with Jay. It was more of a coincidence that they fired both of them than anything else.
Jay could be walking away and not taking The Tonight Show…and both (including Conan) would still be fired.
All Jay did was take a job offer that NBC made. Does it suck for Team Coco…you betcha…he got fired. Does is suck for Team Jay? Only half…he got fired, but was offered another position.
I don’t see why we are still arguing that this is anything but NBC and Jeff Zucker’s fault.
Bullshit. Jay doesn’t say yes, NBC has no reason to fire Conan. They’d have no incentive to because they’d then have to pay Jay his breach fee, Conan his breach fee and then have to hire a new host who would be on edge the whole time because he thinks NBC would fire him.
It would be very hard for NBC to make this situation worse than it already it, but that would have done it.
Conan would have gotten more time to bring his ratings up, how much is not known. But he would not have gotten a long time because TV doesn’t work that way now.
Our local movie critic says that neither Letterman or Conan was the right guy for the Tonight show, and he’s not alone in saying this
Much as I love Craig Ferguson, he isn’t right for the Tonight Show, either - he’s already partially neutered with the Late Late show, and a full neutering for the Tonight Show would be the end of his ability to be funny and entertaining, in my opinion.
Financially, absolutely none. Leno would have been a fool to turn NBC down.
Professionally, it has been a disaster and has soured the public on his nice guy image. When people can dig up quotes of you saying you’d never do this one thing and then you go and do it anyway, you’ve offically made yourself look like a selfish jerk.
NBC didn’t fire Conan or Jay. Moving a show around on the schedule doesn’t equate to a firing. They wanted to keep both in their own shows. all they wanted to do was move Jay back to late night and delay the start of the Tonight Show. And I agree this was a tremendously bad decision on NBC’s part and Conan was righteously quite pissed about it. But if he chose, he could have stayed with the Tonight Show if he was willing to have it air at 12:05. When Conan refused to let this happen, they originally threatened to remove him from the Tonight Show and keep him off the air for however long he had left on his contract. But calmer heads prevailed and they negotiated a settlement that allowed him to walk away from NBC. They paid him a ridiculously huge personal sum, gave a modest severance to his staff, and gave him the freedom to go to another network as early as this fall. But they no more fired him than they fired Leno by deciding to move his show to 11:30 and shorten it by a half hour. And I do agree with most everybody’s opinion that Zucker and NBC royally screwed the pooch with every decision they made.
Well, yeah. They gave Conan a choice that was no choice. And I know I said this, but I forget if it was here or elsewhere, one of the reasons Carson chose to retire all those years ago is because NBC wanted to move TTS back to 11:35. Which he didn’t want to do, because he figured if he let them “nibble” him back five minutes, then it would be 11:45, and then midnight, and he wouldn’t have a show any more. So he left on his own terms. And I think Conan did the right thing too. Sometimes what looks like a choice is really just someone forcing your hand.
I’m inclined to agree. What nobody’s mentioned here (at least that I’ve seen) is that Jay has his own staff to worry about. With his 10 p.m. show canceled, I can’t imagine he would have just wanted to leave hanging. NBC offered him the 11:35 spot, and he saw it as a good way to keep both himself and his crew employed in a tough economy.
I hadn’t heard about Jay having something written into his contract about getting money if his show was cancelled. Smart move on his part, and more fully explains why this all happened. NBC still looks like it’s completely staffed by idiots, however.
I like Conan, but I’d never describe myself as a fan - I’ve only seen bits and pieces of his previous show. I watched his Tonight Show finale, and found it just OK. Parts made me smile and laugh, other parts I just found boring. (And oy, the commercials! I never really realized that there’s only like 15 minutes of actual content on late night and 45 minutes of commercials. This would drive me batty. I guess there’s a reason I don’t watch late night network TV.)
However, afterwords I turned from Fallon to Ferguson on all y’all’s recommendation, and I’m so glad I did. Craig Ferguson is hysterical. Now I just need a DVR and I’d be all set - there’s little chance of me watching his show when it’s regularly broadcast elsewise.
That’s a good point, but I do see it slightly differently because Conan’s people moved cross country to do the Tonight Show. Not only did Leno’s staff not do that, but they probably had much less expectation that the show they were working on would be long-term. In TV, the rule is to expect cancellation; the Tonight Show is an exception.
Still, I agree Leno could justifiably feel protective of his staff too.
I don’t know Carson’s exact age, but I do know that .7456 years is not any number of days. 272/365 is .7452, 273/365 is .7479, and 273/365.25 is .7474.
