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TELEVISION
NBC trying to back both Leno, O’Brien
BY LYNN ELBER The Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES — Jay Leno may get another chance to reign as latenight king at NBC.
    The network, contemplating disappointing ratings for Leno’s new prime-time show, is weighing a plan to return him to the 11:35 p.m. EST slot he held for 17 years as “Tonight Show” host, a person familiar with the discussions said on condition of anonymity over a lack of authority to address the issue publicly.
    NBC executives on Thursday discussed a scenario that would include a half-hour Leno show at 11:35 p.m., sending “Tonight” with Conan O’Brien to 12:05 a.m. and Jimmy Fallon’s “Late Night” to 1:05 a.m., the person said.
    “The Jay Leno Show,” a nightly 10 p.m. talk and comedy program that debuted last fall, has drawn lackluster ratings and complaints from NBC affiliate stations that the show has provided a weaker lead-in for local late newscasts than past NBC series.
    The proposed new lineup could go into effect after NBC concludes its Feb. 12-28 Winter Olympics coverage, the person told The Associated Press.
    In a series of statements, the fourth-place network has taken pains to express support for both Leno and O’Brien.
    “Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today,” NBC said. “As we have said all along, Jay’s show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. 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.”
    While this statement didn’t clearly deny Web reports that Leno’s show would be dropped, a clarification from NBC executives denied “The Jay Leno Show” has been canceled.
    Thursday night, another NBC statement expressed the network’s commitment “to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC. He is a valued part of our late-night lineup, as he has been for more than 16 years and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”
    During his monologue Thursday, Leno joked about the rumors: “It will give us time to do some traveling. I understand that [the] Fox [network] is beautiful this time of year.”
    O’Brien, who has attracted a smaller if younger audience than Leno did as “Tonight” host, made no mention of the scuttlebutt in his monologue.

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Conan O'Brien Says He Won't Move
By Brian Wallace | Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 12:51 PM


Conan O'Brien
Mitchell Haaseth/NBC
The murky mess that is NBC's late-night schedule got a little clearer today, as Conan O'Brien announced he would not host "The Tonight Show" at 12:05am to accomodate moving a shortened "Jay Leno Show" to 11:35pm.

O'Brien, who took over the "Tonight Show" reins from Leno on June 1, issued a statement in which he explained "The Tonight Show" would no longer be "The Tonight Show" if it were moved back, and said he wanted no part in damaging what he considered the "greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting."

The question of what's next for the veteran comedy writer and 16-year host of NBC's "Late Night" remains unclear. O'Brien addressed talk of a jump to Fox by saying: "I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next."