Conan O'Brien's post-NBC options

With Conan O'Brien's management team busy trying to figure out how to free their client from NBC with the most money and least restrictions on when he can find a new home, we thought we'd look at some of his options.

Fox is the most obvious choice, and Kevin Reilly, the network's entertainment president, has not been subtle about how much he likes O'Brien. But, as we've previously noted lots of times, the network's affiliates would be a hard sell. They already have programming in the 11 p.m. hour and while sitcom reruns may not seem sexy, they are big cash generators for local TV stations.

With Fox already trying to get affiliates to give the network a cut of any money they get from cable operators for carrying their local stations, asking for a time slot on top of it may be a reach. Fox's own TV stations may also be wary about late night for the same reason. Those reruns cost a lot of money.

Roger Ailes, the Fox News chief who also oversees the company's TV stations, said he hadn't done all the math but anticipated there would be expensive programming contracts that would have to be written off. The network could try for the 11:30 time slot, which might be an easier sell to its stations, although that would put O'Brien against Letterman and Leno.

But the idea that Conan can walk out of NBC today and pop up on Fox Monday is a little far-fetched even if NBC were to cut him loose with no restrictions on when he can go back on TV. Fox would be unlikely to pay the estimated $12 million to $15 million NBC was paying O'Brien. Wonder if they can at least cut a deal to rent O'Brien's new studio.

Having said that, of course if Fox really wants O'Brien, it will make it happen. Rupert Murdoch wanted the Wall Street Journal and got it over the concern of shareholders. Conan O'Brien would be a much easier sell.

If Fox decides to pass, ABC seems an unlikely option. Steve McPherson, that network's entertainment chief, said ABC is content with "Nightline" and Jimmy Kimmel. We're pretty sure neither the CW or Ion are looking to get into the late-night game.

So that leads us to cable. Though O'Brien's sensibilities may seem a perfect fit for HBO, the pay cable channel really isn't in the daily programming business. Having a daily show to hype would be a huge hassle even for the cash-rich HBO. Whether O'Brien would want a weekly or monthly show remains to be seen. Showtime and Starz would also be wary about getting into the daily-show business for the same reasons. And there is no way O'Brien could make the kind of money he's been making if he went to pay or commercial cable.

Comedy Central is the most obvious fit for O'Brien's sensibilities. But they have Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert from 11 p.m. to midnight, and if O'Brien didn't want midnight at NBC, why would he want it on Comedy Central?

For now, it seems George Lopez is probably safe on TBS.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Conan O'Brien. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Yobachi]

Well, he could always go to TBS and back up George Lopez at 12:00.

I mean this guy trying to play sympathetic victim at $15 million dollars a year is a joke. All he had to do is take the the 30 minute bump and make his easy money. This is about ego and nothing else.

Look, Jay handed him a number 1 show, and he tanked it. That's just a fact.

[richard b]

who cares where Conan goes. I never thought he was funny and was upset that he replaced Leno on the 11:30 time slot.

[David Triplett]

I suggest syndication...I mean Oprah is retiring next year. Conan in the daytime. It works for Regis. Just throw in a cooking segment.

[Jose]

Conan didn't want 'Tonight' airing midnight because it would break the tradition of following the local news.

[Jan]

This is strictly and NBC problem - they have made big mistakes. Jay Leno and Conan should have stayed in their original time slots. Put them back and get rid of Jimmy Fallon - his self indulgent show needs to go - BORING! He was just OK on SNL but nobody wants an hour of his stupidity. Whoever made these decisions for NBC should go also - heads need to roll but not Conan's or Leno's - things were fine the way the were.

[Mik]

Jay is old and just needs to retire like he was supposed to!

[Karen Lee]

The only thing Jay is good at (anymore) is: zuckering-UP. He's been zuckering-UP to Jeff Zucker for years.

CONAN SUPPORTERS: write your congressmen & senators to BLOCK the Comcast takeover of NBC. THAT will get the peacock's ATTENTION.

[N]

Jay Leno needs to go away. He's annoying! I used to be an avid fan, but am done with him.

[Lee Harvey]

Leno is about as relevant as the GOP.

[Daisy ODonel]

CNN reports:

Rosie O'Donnell -- who has been outspoken about her support of Conan O'Brien -- has canceled her January 27 appearance on "The Jay Leno Show."

Daisy reports:
Jay, you now have another viewer. I would have turned you off the second I heard that that fat cow beouch was appearing. But now that she’s not, I’ll tune in.

[Jimmy K.]

Watching the Jay Leno show is like eating farts.

[Chris]

I stopped watching the Tonight Show years ago, so I don't really care but as I see it;

Jay was FORCED off his show by a deal Conan pushed for. NBC would have gladly left him on the 1230 slot for many years to come, but he wanted the Tonight Show and they were afraid to lose him (why, I still can't figure out)so they agreed. NBC screwed up when they made that deal now they are paying for it. It is not Conan that will suffer for his pride and greed but his staff.

[Scott]

Anyone who says "I never thought Conan was funny" and also has ever liked The Simpsons is nothing but a bloody liar. The Simpsons best episodes were written by none other than Conan O'Brien.

One would think that there would be some big pro-Leno faction banding together to counter the "I'm with CoCo" movement, but there isn't. Just small pockets of die-hards who enjoy a man who belittles others for laughs and essentially bullies his way to get what he wants.

[Daisy ODonel]

CNN reports:

Rosie O'Donnell -- who has been outspoken about her support of Conan O'Brien -- has canceled her January 27 appearance on "The Jay Leno Show."

Daisy reports:
Jay, you now have another viewer. I would have turned you off the second I heard that that fat cow beouch was appearing. But now that she’s not, I’ll tune in. @ Conan: If you can get Rosie " I'm a fat loud mouth beouch" O'Donnell to show up on Jay's show, his ratings will tank and yours will soar. Git R Done!

[James Woods]

"Look, Jay handed him a number 1 show, and he tanked it. That's just a fact."

Really? And Jay's new show is a hit?

I thought so, im with COCO!

[james]

who cares what richard b thinks.

[jack]

Its not really the money that Conan is losing that is NOT the focus here - it is the principle of the thing. Honestly ask yourself- Would YOU want this to happen to you?

What if Johnny Carson would have done to JAY what JAY has done to Conan? Did everyone like Leno? No. Could Carson have come back? yes. even on another network and SQAUSHED Leno. But he didnt. He stuck to the agreement that really JAY helped to force on him and force him out earlier than he wanted to. JAY is a snake. He screwed Letterman, Carson and now Conan. JAY, NBC, and Conan signed the agreement in 2004 to give the show to Conan in 2009; partly b/c JAY didnt want to do the show anymore and partly b/c NBC didnt want Coanan to leave NBC. This has been coming for 5yrs. Then Jay was going to jump networks and NBC said no we'll give you another show that is on earlier. (not the show that he is doing now as it was supposed to be focused a little differntly from the preliminary stages)....But it became an earlier edition of his old 'tonight show' before the real 'the tonight show'... ALL jay did was get rid of the desk. it's the very same Burbank set, remodeled slightly, that he filmed his tonight show in before giving it to conan...

They did this to avoid the tension that was created the first time NBC screwed over someone over the tonight show... But now Jay has forever tainted the Tonight Show. I and probably most in america used to respect him and he has some funny clips (none his own idea but were stolen in various forms from others) but after seeing what a true assbag he is, i see his tonight show failing. Are they going to try and blame it on Conan again? are they going to call Conan back at that point? One thing Conan will learn is to be more specific in contracts from now own... Jay got him on this one. and not only lost his trust but they were supposed to be friends... then again so were him and letterman... carson didnt even trust jay after he dicked over letterman... Carson never appeared on NBC again. He went over to DAves show a couple times and sat behind the desk to standing ovation. He never gave Jay that honor or show of support.

[bobby window]

first of all, you didn't actually provide any actual post-NBC options.

second, conan said he didn't want the tonight show to go on at midnight, not himself.

third, why doesn't conan go on after letterman and then take over that show. now that's a line-up!

[em]

Admittedly, Conan has gotten a little more boring since his switch to the Tonight Show, so Ive actually watched more Craig Ferguson recently. But beforeI had to pick and choose between the two on the DVR. However if Conan goes to FOX and their stereotypically laxer morals allow Conan be more of his weird&wacky self like he was with the Late show, and be on at 11 or 11:30, that would be perfect. A Simpsons-> Conan->Ferguson would be a perfect combo. It's too bad Ferguson's not going anywhere from that oldies station. I wouldn't need to waste DVR space if they were on one channel (just leave the channel on that station)

[Jack]

For the past 4 days KUAM, channel 8, Hagatna Guam has been missing between 9-10 minutes of the monologue for the Tonight Show. When I contacted Joe Calvo, the manager of KUAM, to inquire about the missing segment, he said that is how the sister affiliated NBC station in Los Angeles delivered the program. The Jay Leno show, which airs locally on Guam between 9 or 930pm is aired in its entirety. Only after reading the news and watching clips on Youtube and Hulu did the situation make sense (sometimes we get it live on ArmForces Network Television) . I hope that this is just an honest editing mistake. It is a shame if it's not considering the many service men and women station on Guam. I hope that NBC affiliates in the states and internationally are not experiencing the same problem.

[rdean]

@Yobachi

Jay handed Conan a number 1 show, but the "tanking" is a bit of a stretch.

The 10 pm slot is supposed to serve as a lead-in for the nightly news, which in turn serves as a lead-in for the 11:35 slot. It is not a stretch to say that Jay's show tanking is contributing to the Tonight Show tanking, as much as Letterman's humor is less unappealing to the Leno/Carson Tonight Show audience than Conan's.

[Mike]

I used to like Leno but he lost my respect with the way he wanted his old show back and shoved Conan aside. Get over it and move on like other people, not like you are hurting for money or an audience since you perform at the Mirage and at a comedy club in Hermosa Beach on weekends.

[NSBJohn]

It's not about Conan's ego. It's about the Tonight Show being on while it's still "Tonight" and not "Tomorrow".

Jay Leno is a sleaze if he wanted to belittle the House That Carson, Parr and Allen built by moving it to fit in his oversized ego (and oversized chin).

If the "affiliates" are really to blame for this, as NBC contends, I have a simple solution I'm going to adhere to, after Conan's run ends: I'm going to stop watching NBC affiliates on TV, and watch all my NBC programing (which will be next to nil after Conan leaves) online, starting with the Olympics, where it will really hurt them.

If others took this approach, could you imagine? NBC thinks they're gonna lose money on the Olympics now, imagine if Team CoCo walked out on the televised Local Affiliate coverage of the Olympics...

[NSBJohn]

It's not about Conan's ego. It's about the Tonight Show being on while it's still "Tonight" and not "Tomorrow".

Jay Leno is a sleaze if he wanted to belittle the House That Carson, Parr and Allen built by moving it to fit in his oversized ego (and oversized chin).

If the "affiliates" are really to blame for this, as NBC contends, I have a simple solution I'm going to adhere to, after Conan's run ends: I'm going to stop watching NBC affiliates on TV, and watch all my NBC programing (which will be next to nil after Conan leaves) online, starting with the Olympics, where it will really hurt them.

If others took this approach, could you imagine? NBC thinks they're gonna lose money on the Olympics now, imagine if Team CoCo walked out on the televised Local Affiliate coverage of the Olympics...

[Sharon Zirn]

Jay Leno has to go.