NBC's Jeff Gaspin on emotions and late-night TV

LAS VEGAS -- NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said he had not counted on the emotional factor when trying to restructure NBC's prime-time and late-night lineups by moving Jay Leno back to 11:30 p.m. and bumping Conan O'Brien to 12:05 a.m.

"I underestimated the emotional impact it would have on Conan," Gaspin said at the National Assn. of Television Program Executives conference in Las Vegas this morning. Gaspin said he thought O'Brien would go along with the plan.

"My goal was to keep both of them," Gaspin said in an interview session here. Interestingly, while Gaspin's boss, NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker, has often said he gave Leno a prime-time show because it would be cheaper than programming dramas, Gaspin said stopping Leno from going to ABC was "the primary focus."

Despite the beating the network has been taking in the press, Gaspin said he doesn't think either NBC or  Leno are tarnished. "Jay will go back ... the audience will start to come back," he said. 

While General Electric Co. chief executive Jeff Immelt recently said NBC would lose $250 million on the Olympics, Gaspin said the Games will be a "cleansing moment" for the network. After the games, the network will have its new 10 p.m. lineup in place and its new -- well old and new -- late night.

Asked by Broadcasting & Cable editor Ben Grossman if NBC's decisions to go back to dramas at 10 p.m., Leno at 11:35  and other moves the network had made recently was a sign that NBC was losing its nerve when it came to risks, Gaspin cracked, "It takes a lot of nerve to do some of the things we just did."

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Jeff Gaspin. Credit: Mitchell Haaseth / NBC

Comments

[MAXX]

I'ts one thing to make some changes, but it really depends on how you go about them. I personally think NBC made some foolish choices. They say Jay's crowd will come back... I don't really see that happening!

[halo]

Good luck with that Gaspin.
Gee, what the heck did you think was going to happen? You catered to Jay Leno's temper tantrum. Anyone who has a brother or sister remembers what it was like when your parents caved to the tantrum. The wronged party never forgets.
Good luck on enforcing that "disparagement agreement" Conan doesn't have to say a word. His fans know EXACTLY what NBC did.
This was all a ploy for NBC to make their bottom line look fatter and to get more money in the Comcast deal. You must think the average American is stupid, not so much.
Dick Ebersol should have looked around and realized the "Gutless Chickens" were the NBC Execs.
Good luck getting the viewers back, I for one, will never tune into the Peacock again.

[JAKE]

As someone who regularly wishes that "those in TV would take more chances", I applaud the attempt. It did take a lot of nerve.
Seriously.
Lot's of arm chair quarterbacks can sit back and now pretend that this nightmare stumble was inevitable and foregone conclusion. It was not.
If Jay had worked out at 10:00 NBC would have looked like the smartest guys in TV.
But the dice did not roll that way (or it sort of did, but left the local news in the mud).
Let's hope this does not keep others from trying out bold, audacious ideas.
Walk it off.

[Sans Doute]

"Jay will go back ... the audience will start to come back," he said.

Nah. We won't.

[Random Commenter]

NBC's actually going to come out okay. Letterman, however, is doomed.

1) Leno is proven to kick Letterman's ass in the overall ratings. Letterman's only advantage was that his demographic was younger, and thus more desirable.

2) While Letterman has more mainstream appeal than O'Brien, O'Brien dominated the younger demographic.

So what happens this September? Leno-NBC wins the overall late night ratings war. O'Brien-FOX wins the younger demographic. Letterman-CBS is squeezed out, left with neither total viewership or desirable demographics to sell advertisers.

Dave's contract is up in 2012. Don't bet on it being renewed.

[Sam]

What he's really saying is that he underestimated Conan O'Brien's respect for an American institution, and for himself. Which is sad on so many levels. I read an article a long time ago about how NBC was so disconnected from the 'human' aspect of television programming that the business side would begin to suffer as a result.
Every article in the wake of this PR disaster has proven that disconnect is even worse than I imagined. How can a network so lacking in basic human understanding and integrity ever hope to regain it's former glory?

[Kyle]

I think nbc needs to fire their greedy exec's and not their money making tv personality and experienced crew

[Tim]

Gaspin: "Jay will go back ... the audience will start to come back,"

Not me. When Jay's show failed, he could have gracefully walked and given someone else a chance. Now I'm walking away from Jay.

[Gary D]

"Despite the beating the network has been taking in the press, Gaspin said he doesn't think either NBC or Leno are tarnished. "Jay will go back ... the audience will start to come back," he said."

Wishful thinking!

[Paul]

Dork!

[Tom LA]

The executive offices at NBC are just filled with boneheads. I'm all for creative "outside the box" thinking but they blew this in a big way. It's amazing just how ignorant these guys were/are.

[Fred]

When does this Jeff get fired? Not only is he a schmuck he seems to be constantly promoting himself in the media. Buh-Bye.