Personal Brand Blog

Great post,

I have never been a fan of the late show, although I will admit I did watch MadTv for a time. But you are right the brands do not mesh and in my opinion it is all about self preservation and selfish acts on the part of all of the hosts.

Robert

I'm not sure whether I disagree with you or not, David. Personally speaking, I am not a Leno or Conan viewer and most of friends aren't either. I think you are right to point out that we are on the verge of an emerging new generation of late night TV. It feels as if Leno has had his time, Conan is just getting his chance to shine and Jimmy Fallon is waiting in the wings. I also wonder whether NBC is acting too quickly by pulling Leno from that time slot and whether Leno shouldn't just bow out and take this to be his time to retire.

In other words it does not matter what the writers and producers of the shows do, the popularity and future of each show, where every they ultimately land, will be about the entertainer/show host and the behavior of the television audience.

This sums it up for me.... the choices that the viewing audience make will ultimately determine the future of each show and their relative existence. This is almost the ultimate demonstration of "brand!" There are so many other choices for entertainment in the form of comedy, skits and interviews that I consequently see the late night tv model falling apart to leave room for the new. Maybe there will be a place for these shows on the internet... or perhaps the format will have to change and the personalities will need to adapt.

In the end, I predict that Leno will wind up not accepting a new time slot and Conan will be left to carry the Tonight Show torch for as long as it still has fuel to burn. Then again, I'm not really known for my psychic abilities... my talents lie elsewhere.

speaking of your talents Rachael, this story could be featured on your reality bytes show!

I heard pieces of the following statement on talk radio. I looked on NBC.com and could not easily find it (but I did notice an advertisement for the NBC broadcasting of New Years Eve - idiots. Anyway, here is Conan's statement. Bold was added for effect and to point out how much I personally respect Conan's respect for the history of the Tonight Show institution. Leno does not get that. Tow different personal brands. One is about self-promotion and himself and the other is for the integrity of the show and contracts. I still believe O'Brien may have failed too, but time did not tell. See original blog post.

People of Earth:


In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

"nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen, I'm telling you, amazing things will happen"
- Conan O'Brien

I agree with the original blog post about Conan O'Brien not a best fit for the time slot. NBC executives should know the audience better than that. Conan will be better elsewhere. I hope his company starts a new network with old Simpsons brand of comedy.