Though NBC issued an unaggressive denial regarding its alleged plans to drop “The Jay Leno Show,” a report in the New York Times says that the network is indeed contemplating pulling the show from primetime.
The Thursday NY Times report says that NBC is considering turning “Leno” into a late-night half-hour once the Winter Olympics come to a close. The show currently airs five nights a week at 10PM.
The plan would have Leno host a show from 11:35PM to 12:05AM, at which point “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” would take over for an hour. “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” would then commence at 1:05AM.
Such a move is far from confirmed — all NBC would say publicly is that it and those behind “Leno” are “committed to working closely…to find ways to improve performance” and that “We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC.”
Nonetheless, NBC’s Thursday admission that “Leno” is not providing a satisfying lead-in for local affiliates in its current 10PM slot provided an indication that an overhaul is on the horizon.