http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/366971-Jay_Leno_Talks_Back_A... Jay Leno Talks Back: An Exclusive Interview With B&C
Leno opens up on bad press, David Letterman’s situation and his
feelings about leaving—and even returning—to 11:35.
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, November 2, 2009
Seated on a couch in his Burbank studio's green room and wearing his
familiar off-stage denim uniform, Jay Leno says he's happy to answer
anything I want to ask. That's probably a good idea, as his
relationship with the press in recent weeks has been a one-way stream
of negative stories about Jay Leno the show, his ratings and local
news ratings.
That comes as high-profile names such as John Wells and Barry Meyer
have weighed in negatively on NBC's move to strip the show at 10 p.m.,
predictably representing those who long to have the hours back for
scripted television. But Leno says he has no intention of backing
down, and in fact is enjoying this fight. His show averaged a 1.6
rating in the 18-49 demographic in the fifth week of the season, which
NBC claims keeps it profitable. And Leno says he is in it as long as
NBC is, and his network has stood behind him.
Throughout an hour-long chat, an often serious and candid Leno
revealed his take on the effects of the most talked-about decision in
television in years. Following is an edited transcript of that
conversation.
How's the show going?
I think we're looking OK. We don't get a lot of complaints on content.
The first week, people kind of went after us because it looked like
the old show. Well, yeah. We seem to be doing OK, obviously going
after the toughest competition in television; 10 o'clock shows are all
steamrollers, and the idea is this is a show we do on a budget and
we're trying to make money.
What's been the biggest adjustment so far?
There's really no big adjustment; I've been through this a number of
times. I took over from Johnny [Carson], “You stink, you suck, we hate
you.” Then you go along and you're great; from last January to May, I
was a genius. I get it, I understand how it works. I really don't take
anything too personally.
I find there's a lot of anger at NBC. But it's like I say to the
people who write the dramas: If I weren't doing this, it would be
Dateline five nights a week or reality shows. We've kept work in
California, we have 22 WGA writers, but there's always going to be
anger and resentment. The last couple of weeks I've seen some articles
that are a little more, “It's not Jay's fault, its NBC's fault,” and
that's OK, I get it. But when your name's on the thing, you take the
hit and that's fine.
Are you surprised by the negative press coverage?
No, not surprised at all. You don't take it personally because there's
really no fun in an upbeat story. The fun is, they did this and let's
watch it fall. I enjoy being the underdog….Right now we've reached a
level [and] we're not going below that. The numbers seem to tell us
people [who] are watching the show are staying the whole hour; that's
a good sign. I'm told if we can keep a 1.5 [rating], they make $300
million a year; this is what they say. So we're a little above the
1.5, we're doing OK.
This is our toughest period; we are the complete flip side of regular
TV. Sweeps we'll do the worst, non-sweeps we'll do the best. When
people realize that reruns are on for an extended period of time,
we'll see how we do and how we pick up.
But last week you lost to reruns, and that was a story.
That's OK, that's fine. People stand there with their finger on the
button; I get it. I do it in the monologue every night; something
happens and I do a joke. Is it fair? No. But I need the joke. Is it
fair? No. But it makes a good story.
Why do you think the media coverage has been so negative?
I don't blame anybody else; my name's on the product so I take 95% of
the blame. I don't really know why. I do kind of chuckle when people
compare a show you do every night to a special that's on once or twice
a year on HBO. We do a 14-minute monologue five nights a week; are all
the jokes going to be gems? No. But they do OK.
I'm the mainstream guy. You could go out there and be the niche
guy….My thing is to balance mainstream and try to find that happy
medium. Then you do something we traditionally do all the time like
Headlines or Jaywalking that holds and does well, but critics say,
“We've seen that.” Well sorry, it works for us; we need to do that.
Your relationship has always been very different with the critics than
Letterman's. Do you think Dave is getting a relative free pass from
the media regarding his current situation?
I wouldn't trade places with Dave now for anything! I don't think he's
getting a free pass.
In total viewers you are averaging about the same number of viewers
you did at 11:35, but getting hammered for it. Is that frustrating?
Yeah, it gets a little frustrating. You just do what you have to do to
get the situation better. You just keep tweaking. The one thing about
TV is the longer you're on, the longer you're on. If you get past an
initial point, then you're there, and people get used to it and they
fall into a certain pattern. And I think that's the real trick. I've
been down this road, I did it with Johnny the first time—they're going
to fire me and replace me with Dave. That was much worse; this is like
a walk in the park compared to that.
Is the media trashing the decision to put your show at 10 more than
the show itself?
I get a little bit of that. Plus critics seem really upset you don't
have the definite opinion on politics. It seems to anger people that
you don't declare yourself to be Democrat or Republican. My job is to
tell jokes.
But no one is writing about your politics. So is it more your show or
the decision to move it to 10?
I think it's probably the decision. To me, there is more opportunity
for dramas on television now than ever. USA cable shows like Burn
Notice normally would have gone on the network. Some of these other
channels do significantly better, so why isn't Burn Notice on NBC if
it's a hit? I don't know; there is enough work out there, so people
shouldn't necessarily be mad at me for taking the 10 o'clock spot.
Last week, Warner Bros.' Barry Meyer was the latest of many to call
NBC's decision a bad one. Does that weigh on you?
Yeah. So what does NBC do? If you are making buggy whips and no one is
buying buggies anymore, do you keep making buggy whips? I don't know.
This is an economic decision.
But you're not Jeff Zucker, or Brian Roberts in a month. You're Jay,
and this is just your show. You're taking the beating for all of this.
But that's what you get paid to do. That's OK. What am I supposed to
do, sit here and whine? What does the public hate more than that? Your
job is to put your nose to the grindstone and try to fix it. I could
complain all I want and it wouldn't change the outcome. Nobody likes a
whiner. You're on until you're not on anymore. You just do the best
job you can.
You're happy to take the shots in the press for this? It doesn't
bother you?
I'm not happy to do it, it's my job. Grow up, people. Here's a lot of
money, go out and do this. It's the way it works. I'm not protecting
Jeff Zucker, nor am I hiding behind him. I could have said no. But I
like being on TV and writing jokes.
Have you regretted this decision along the way?
Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure. I would have
preferred that. I think it's too soon to say whether I regret anything
or not….My thing is, I did The Tonight Show for 17 years, that's what
I did. It's like the America's Cup; you won it, they can't take it
away from you. So now you try this and you see what happens. Do I
enjoy the battle? Yes, I get a certain amount of satisfaction from
pounding my head against the wall.
Do you wish NBC would have done anything differently along the way
outside of pulling you out of 11:35?
No, they are standing behind it, they're fine. They are treating me
well. I think they are giving us all the support they can. Lead-ins
are important. On the nights when we have a strong lead-in, we are
competitive; on the nights we don't, it's up to us to try and carry
the ball ourselves….I think people like a fighter. And if you just
keep swinging, eventually people are going to get tired of hitting
you. They're going to say, “We've been beating this guy up for six
months, let's move on.” That's sort of the way I look at it.
Are you aware of competitors leaking negative information about your
show?
Oh, yes….If something better comes along, put that on; that's the way
it works. I'm not here because the 10 p.m. period was widely
successful. I'm here because nothing else was working.
Is there any satisfaction in Conan's numbers trailing what you did in
that slot?
No. There is nothing that kills creativity more than bitterness. You
get no satisfaction from that at all. You really, really don't.
A lot of people in our industry do.
It's why I'm still in the game. You don't dwell on, “If this had only
happened, or that had happened”…it really doesn't work. Conan is in
the same position I was in when I took over. It takes a while; some
will like it, some will leave forever and not come back.
There's a big potential ownership change coming to your company.
[Laughs] There's an ownership change here every six months. “Oh,
you're the new programming guy, good to see you! OK, thank you.” Then
the phone rings, “Hey Jay, I want you to meet the new guy. OK, good to
see you!” I've been through nine of them!
If someone [from new ownership] comes in tomorrow and puts you back at
11:35, are you thrilled?
Oh, I don't know. Are you married? Whatever you want, honey.
You know I don't believe a word you are saying, right?
I'm not having a bad time at 10 o'clock now. I look at this as a job,
and now I'm faced with a challenge, and it's a challenge I find
difficult but
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