Leno Moving to Old Time Slot

It's official. The Jay Leno prime time experiment is over.

PASADENA, Calif (AP) -- NBC decided to end the Jay Leno experiment when some of its affiliates started talking about dropping the nightly prime-time show, its top entertainment executive said Sunday.

NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said Sunday that Leno's nightly prime-time show will end with the beginning of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12. NBC wants Leno to do an 11:35 p.m. show each night, a return to his old time slot, Gaspin said.

...Gaspin has proposed moving Conan O'Brien's "Tonight" show to 12:05 a.m., and Jimmy Fallon's show would start an hour later. But the late-night hosts had not agreed to the move. Gaspin said he expected NBC's late-night situation to be cleared up by the start of the Olympics.

Asked if O'Brien and Fallon expressed anger at his proposal, Gaspin said both men were professional and understanding when they talked.

"Beyond that, it was a private conversation," Gaspin said.

I can't imagine Leno being satisfied with a half-hour.

Most of Leno's show would have to be a monologue, and only thirty minutes later viewers would get another one from O'Brien. Too much of the same.

For NBC, it's all about keeping the affiliates happy and keeping talent away from competitors.

If NBC is determined to put Leno back in his old time slot, I think Conan should seriously consider moving to FOX or renegotiate his contract to get a lot more money out of NBC to keep him.

From TMZ:

We're told NBC is in breach of it's agreement with Conan by moving the start time of his show. As a result, Conan now has three options.

Option 1: Quit the show and spend the next four years at the beach. If Conan does this, our sources say NBC would have to pay him the value of his contract. We're told it's a five-year deal, worth as much as $20 million a year. With four years to go, Conan could conceivably get $80 million. But given his skin pigmentation and, possibly, his ego, the beach is unlikely.

Option 2: Go to either FOX or ABC. This is where it gets complicated. If Conan were to strike a deal with either network to do a competing show, any salary Conan pulls in would offset the obligation owed by NBC. So, for example, if Conan made $20 million a year at NBC and ABC were to pay him $15 million a year, NBC would only owe Conan $5 mil a year for the four years remaining in his contract.

Option 3: Eat crow and take the 12:05-1:05 time slot. If Conan takes this option, our sources say it's likely NBC would negotiate a new contract with the same salary Conan was getting before. Even though the salary isn't supported by the time period, it's cheaper than paying him off. NBC, we're told, prefers this option, because Conan would not be splintering Leno's rating by going to another network.

Putting the ego issues aside, O'Brien can't simply sit out and take in $80 million unless he doesn't care about displacing his staff. So many made the move out to California, no doubt assuming their jobs were secure.

Based on O'Brien's current contract, moving to another network would be a nightmare for NBC. O'Brien could splinter Leno's audience and force NBC to pick up a hefty portion of his salary.