IF THIS BE TREASON – AT 6:38 P.M. ET:  I love acts of defiance, especially when they're directed at people who deserve it. 

Readers may know that I was on the staff of The Tonight Show back in the better days of Johnny Carson.  I take a family interest in what happens to the show.  In recent days, the news has been bizarre.  NBC, to boost ratings, is attempting to bring Jay Leno back to the 11:35 p.m. time slot, but only for a half hour, as an intro to a new Tonight Show, with Conan O'Brien, to start at 12:05 a.m.  It's a clear humiliation for Conan.  Today he gave his answer.  The answer, to his enormous credit, is no.  O'Brien is a bright man, and his statement is eloquent:

I sincerely believe that delaying the “Tonight Show” into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The “Tonight Show” at 12:05 simply isn’t the “Tonight Show.”...

...My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard, and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of “The Tonight Show.” But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet, a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the “Tonight Show,” I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

COMMENT:  Wonderful, wonderful.  We often quote comedians here, but they're usually not comedians intentionally.  O'Brien is an intentional comedian.  And, like most comedians, he's a very serious guy. His statement was perfect, and struck a perfect tone, a defense of the show itself.

What the people running NBC this week don't seem to realize is that The Tonight Show is an institution, and should be treated as an institution.  Part of that status is its start time.  For almost two generations, Americans have tuned in at the same time.  As a nation, not as a set of demographics, we have tuned in primarily for the monologue, to get the host's take on the day's events.  The 11:35 start time is perfect.  After midnight, and it's not the Tonight Show any longer.  Most of America simply can't stay up that late. 

I recall many days when Johnny would interrupt a meeting in mid-afternoon and say, "I've got to do the monologue."  He knew it was the show's signature.  It had universal appeal, across all viewer age groups.  And he knew it would be quoted in offices throughout America the next morning.

NBC created two great franchises, "Today" and "Tonight."  Now "Tonight" is in danger of being cannibalized by a network that has just been sold to Comcast, and which apparently doesn't care.

The viewers care.  If NBC pushes this change, I suspect Conan will leave, receive the cheers of the public, and succeed somewhere else.  You can be sure the phone lines are already burning.

January 12, 2010