Due to how shaky and frantic this situation is, I have to make a few points before I get into the details of my argument. As I write this column, we’re experiencing a debacle of sorts with the late night situation on NBC, as Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno seem to be fighting for the future ownership of the “Tonight Show.” Analysts and viewers alike are truly unsure whether it’s even possible for both to remain at the network in some capacity, as they both seem to want the same thing at this moment. On top of that, NBC is more likely to stick with Jay than Conan at this point, as he established himself as the No. 1 late night host for years.
Like with any huge conflict, what I am starting to see is that people are quickly picking sides. The two groups of supporters are assembling, with Team Coco on one side and Team Jay on the other.
Truth be told, that just saddens me. The problem here isn’t with either host — I truly don’t blame either of them.
It was very unfair for NBC to kick Jay out of the “Tonight Show” after he established himself as the late night king. On the other hand, uprooting Conan, his family, his staff, and his staff’s families from New York to California and then kicking them out after a mere seven months is nothing short of inhuman, indecent and immoral; three characteristics that ironically describe the new vision and goal of NBC.
Last week wasn’t about a problem in late night or the latest idiotic NBC decision. It was, without exaggeration, concerning the very future of television. As dim-witted as NBC executives might be, the biggest reason why this problem exists is the limited resources, namely that there are only 24 hours in a day. Networks have to sacrifice so many great shows simply because there isn’t any time to air them all.
That doesn’t make sense. In the Internet Age, shows shouldn’t be limited by the hours in a day or how many slots a certain channel has. It’s truly deplorable when shows really need to have great lead-in ratings to survive.
An online television company, Revision3, sent an open letter yesterday to Conan offering him a job at their network. Though it was a joke more than anything, it truly represented some very compelling points. The future of television has got to be one where we watch shows that interest us at the time that attracts us.
I watch “The Daily Show” every day but it’s seldom at 11 p.m. Thanks to their technically savvy vision, I can easily catch up online. That’s how it should be with every show, including Jay Leno’s show and “The Tonight Show” with O’Brien.
I am not suggesting that this is going to happen soon, but I really think that we can’t go that much longer with this broken system. If Conan leaves NBC, he will most likely go to another network like Fox rather than try and embrace the future of television. Yet, a small part of me is going to be really disappointed watching him jump to yet another network lending more credibility to such a jumbled, ineffective system.
