Lil' Buddy's Blog - Jay Leno Ratings Trouble Causing it's Own Prime-Time Drama!

THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!

Hey, you dogs!  This photo was taken during warmer days - days you could actually see the concrete sidewalk and back yard lawn here at Casa Moss, The Dean's Team Chicago Family Compound.

These days, it's all covered with snow!  About 6 new inches of the fluffy stuff this morning, all across the Chicago Area.  Fun to play in . . . yes?  But, it's COLD out here, and predicted to get even colder over the weekend!

What the heck is going on with Jay Leno?  You know, that ever-so-popular former host of The Tonight Show, now apparently languishing in prime time TV - on at 9 PM Central Time each weeknight here in Chicago - with very low ratings nationwide.

As you know, you dogs, Leno has been a Real Estate Practitioner's staple around here since the early 1990's.   We hard-working Real Estate Canines need a good laugh after a hard days work.  When on The Tonight Show, Jay always provided one, beginning at 10:30 each weeknight - often, about the time I would be getting home after a long day at Dean's Team World Headquarters, working with sellers and buyers on their homes.

These days, late night belongs to Conan O'Brien.  That human is funny, in his own way.  But he's no Jay . . . yes?

Apparently both Leno's new prime time show, along with the new O'Brien-revamped Tonight Show, are suffering from low ratings.  Jay's show, especially, according to many local NBC Network Affiliates, is having abysmally low ratings, and is dragging down it news audiences for the late-night local news programs (no numbers immediately available for Chicago).

Of course, that was not the objective when NBC Universal made the somewhat-radical move of replacing Jay with Conan on Tonight, and moving Jay earlier.  Their objective:  to keep a proven audience draw in Jay, target a younger demographic with the often-hip Conan, and reduce costs by having a talk and comedy format in the 9-10 Prime Time Slot, rather than a far-more-costly scripted drama or comedy show.

According to as story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal by reporters Sam Schechner and Sira Ovide, NBC expected lower ratings for Jay in Prime Time, but continued sinking numbers have the local affiliates up in arms, crying for a solution.

Possible options for NBC, as outlined by Chicago Tribune Media Writer Phil Rosenthal in today's Trib -

- Moving Jay back to the 10:35 - 11:05 first thirty minutes of The Tonight Show.  Conan would move to the 11:05-12:05 hour, Late Night host Jimmy Fallon would air beginning after Conan.

- Revamping the format of Jay's show in an attempt to improve ratings.

- Replacing Jay at 9 PM with a Prime Time Drama or two half-hour sit com shows, and finding some other place for Jay.  Already, NBC has ordered a higher-than-normal number of new pilots for possible series beginning later this year, for evaluation.

- Canceling The Jay Leno Show altogether.

- Moving Jay back to The Tonight Show, and finding somewhere else for Conan.

Hefty contract penalties ensue if either of the shows are canceled without replacement.   In the case of O'Brien, the penalty is $50 Million if he is removed from host of The Tonight Show prematurely.   Both performers seem willing to work out a win-win solution.

Finally, proposed NBC Universal Majority Owner Comcast - the Cable TV Giant - is very keenly interested in improving The Peacock Network's moribund bottom line if this sale is approved by Federal Regulators, likely a months-long process.

Whew - all this is too much prime-time drama for one Lil' White Dog to handle!

But, please - don't mess with our Jay!

Please peruse my post today via BlogChicagoHomes.com.

YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,

BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO