Late Night Wars 2010

I find the entire Conan/Leno debacle to be one of the most fascinating situations in quite some time. When else has there been such a public dispute which fills two hours of highly viewed television each night (much more if you include other shows which are covering the fiasco)? It is a private negotiation which we are all allowed to be a part of. The voyeur in me is glued to the screen and can't let any articles pass without reading them (is it bad that I am watching the Google feed of this in real time?)

So let's get the full story from beginning to our current situation:

The Seeds of the Disaster: Jay Leno takes over The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson (1992)

Most people know the fallout from this (the first) NBC late night disaster. David Letterman had been groomed as the heir-apparent to Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show during Letterman's time following Carson on Late Night. Carson wanted Letterman, Letterman wanted the job, all seemed well. NBC thought differently, however, and gave the job to a young Jay Leno. The reaction from The Independent:

The network passed the mantle to Jay Leno, an embarrassment to Carson who had all but promised the succession to his long time friend, David Letterman. Letterman, deeply upset, rang Carson for his advice. The response was brief - leave NBC.

...and so Letterman did. The scene was set for a Leno/Letterman head-to-head battle for years to come. 

Also: 

• For the best overall take on the entire progression of the late-night problem read The Late Shift by Bill Carter (was also made into a terrible movie, read the book, skip the movie!) 
• For a peak into how deeply Carson and Letterman were, two videos. First, Carson's final TV appearance. 

• And Letterman's tribute to Carson the first show after his death.

Everything Comes Full Cirlce: Jay Leno leaves The Tonight Show to Conan O'brien, but not really (2009-2010)

Much like a better Treaty of Versailles could have avoided a second world war, NBC could have avoided another late-night mess by putting in some specific plans. Oh, NBC, how could you put yourself through all these arguments again? Let us jump forward to 2004. Conan's contract was in need of an extension, but Leno was riding high. From NBC's perspective, it must have seemed like a great situation. Their choices? 1.) Let Conan move to another network and keep Leno in his slot 2.) Keep Conan as the replacement for Leno and hope Leno leaves gracefully. NBC chose the latter and promised The Tonight Show to Conan in 2009. The plan focused on the fact that Conan was hot (especially with the young, marketing rich demographics) and Leno would be 59 at the time of his departure. (read the last section)

Everyone seemed to be towing the company lines. Here is a wonderful clip which has become both hilarious and enraging depending on which side you view the current debate 

Which brings us to the actual transition. This is where we get into the current situation which has been discussed ad nauseum. Instead of retreading on what has been covered so well in the last few weeks. Here is a mini breakdown followed by the must read/watch/listen items to get the entire spectrum.

Twitter recap of NBC Late Night Fiasco (140 characters...or less!): 

"NBC picks Conan 2009/Leno to primetime/ratings low x2/affiliates mad/Leno axed/NBC panic/Leno back/Conan angry,leaves/Leno gets show again."

Read:

• Conan's official statement announcing he won't compromise his position.
• If you are interested in what the new NBC lineup will look like post-Winter Olympics, read Maureen Ryan's piece from the Chicago Tribune.
• Here is how it all will end, until the next issue arises. From Entertainment Weekly, here is the deal and the last show.
• Everyone has an idea for what Conan should do next (according to the deal he'll be off screens until at least the fall), but The Week breaks it down well here.

Watch: 

• The Week counts down the top 7 videos poking fun at the entire mess.
• Conan's last two weeks were some of his best on either show. Some good moments here, here and, of course, here.

Listen: 

• The BS Report with Bill Simmons from ESPN talks with Tim Goodman.

Hope this puts everything together. I'm hoping to add my opinion on what I would like to see Conan do next soon.

Thanks for reading.

GRM for RAL

  

Late Night Wars 2010

I Know Everything, I Understand Nothing

We live in a time of constant flows of information. This is news to no one, I understand. Critics, journalists and everyday people began saying this years ago (even decades) upon the creation of new television channels. In thirty years, TV executives went from questioning the viability of an all-sports network (ESPN) to being fully behind an all 3D sports channel (ESPN 3D....coming soon!). Newspapers begot TV which begot websites which begot blogs which begot Twitter and the cycle goes. So what have we gained in the advancement of news funneling? Do we know more, on average, about current events than our parents and grandparents? You would think that this would be a no-brainer. We have an unlimited amount of info and, therefore, should be clearly "know" more than previous generations. Sadly, in my opinion, we have regressed.

How? One must only look at the sources of our information. In times past, almost the entire country had similar access and destinations for their news. Average 1980s consumer of information: TV channels watched: 3-4; Newspapers read: 1; Magazines read: 2-3; Radio stations: 1-2. That's it, that's the list!(property of Tony Kornheiser). Let's turn our gaze to the info-loaded super-consumer of the 2000's. TV channels watched: hundreds; Newspapers read: (in print-0), online possibly 5-6; Magazines: articles from hundreds; Podcasts (our version of radio programming): countless; add to this hundreds of blogs, Twitter feeds, RSS feeds, random emailed articles. The gap is enormous, but this is again nothing groundbreaking.

We have grown farther apart as a nation ideologically. We have less of an understanding of our counterparts' arguments. We know so much about our favorite topics, but far less about general info. We, in general, live in an info bubble. 

I am 22 years old. I feel like I understand my shortcomings. I am not an expert on anything. I do consider myself rather well-versed on most topics, though. All I search for on a day-to-to day basis is a clear understanding of the world around me. Constant information overwhelms me constantly. My true goal is to simply define my opinions and thoughts on the ideas of the day, the news of the past and the topics of conversation which have defined our world.

This is the purpose of my ramblings here. To journey towards understanding. If you wish to join me in finding what you believe, want to help me by providing great, unbiased information, or just wish to read along to what might be an interesting take on the world....Welcome.

GRM for RAL

I Know Everything, I Understand Nothing