Network
The executives, saying a decision wouldnt be announced today, didnt deny a report posted by the Web site TMZ that NBC was considering making the switch and replacing Conan OBrien with Leno, the newspaper said.
NBC, based in New York, has suffered a drop in viewers at 10 p.m. and in the late-night segment that follows local news since moving Leno, 59, to prime time and appointing OBrien as his successor on “The Tonight Show.” The network issued a statement today acknowledging the trouble the shift has caused local stations and said it was working to improve the ratings.
“Jays show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network,” Rebecca Marks, an NBC spokeswoman, said in the statement. “It has, however, presented some issues for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve the performance.”
Lenos return to late night raises questions about the fate of OBrien, 46. How his contract might be resolved and how his experience at “The Tonight Show” would affect his prospects werent known, the Times reported.
Marks hasnt responded to requests for comment since issuing the earlier statement. Allison Gollust, a spokeswoman for network-parent NBC Universal, also didnt return calls.
Leno on Hiatus?
The statement from NBC was in response to a report on the FTVLive.com Web site that said Lenos show will be canceled. Comcast Corp., the biggest U.S. cable operator, plans to acquire control of the networks parent, NBC Universal, from Fairfield, Connecticut-based General Electric Co.
NBC is considering putting Leno on hiatus during the networks coverage of the winter Olympics in February, reported Scott Jones, founder and editor of FTVLive.com, citing people he didnt identify.
The networks shrinking 10 p.m. audience has furnished fewer viewers to local stations that provide news and other programming at 11 p.m.
In the week of Dec. 21-27, “The Jay Leno Show” show averaged 4.73 million viewers, compared with 10.3 million viewers for a rerun of CBS Corp.s “CSI: NY,” the most-watched 10 p.m. show, according to Nielsen data.
NBC replaced its 10 p.m. scripted programming this season with Leno to bolster the profitability of its prime-time schedule. The network can produce a full week of Leno for the $2 million to $3 million price of a single hour of drama, according to Brad Adgate, head of research at Horizon Media Inc., an advertising company in New York.
GE gained 80 cents to $16.25 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares fell 6.6 percent in 2009. Comcast, based in Philadelphia, advanced 35 cents to $16.97 on the Nasdaq Stock Market and was little changed last year.