NBC might bring 'Leno' back--without Leno

Even as it is considering looking for a replacement host, NBC might start laying off the non-writing staff members of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as early as next Friday, the network confirmed Friday.

The show has been airing repeats since Monday, when the Writers Guild of America began its strike against media companies, including NBC Universal. Leno has been honoring the picket lines in a show of solidarity with his writers, and has not returned to his show.

But NBC could soon be in the market for fill-in host, a move first reported by the trade magazine Broadcasting & Cable.

"All sorts of things are being discussed, including guest hosts," the show's executive producer, Debbie Vickers, said in a statement. Vickers met with the show's staff earlier in the week to discuss their predicament.

"Our preference is that we return to production of 'The Tonight Show' with Jay as host as soon as possible," Vickers said in the statement. "We want to protect the staff, who have been loyal to this show for decades, in the same way that Johnny Carson reluctantly returned without his writers in 1988." The last WGA strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks.

Vickers referred a call to her office to an NBC spokeswoman.

Leno is in a tough spot. NBC would like him to return to the top-rated talk show, which makes about $50 million a year for the network and on most nights beats its long-time competitor, CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," in the ratings. But since the strike started, the audience for "The Tonight Show," has lost about 750,000 homes compared to its average for original, pre-strike episodes. On at least two nights, "The Tonight Show," has come in second place to "Late Show," which also shut down production and is running encore episodes.

The famously blue-collar comedian has visited the picket lines outside NBC Studios in Burbank every day this week, said Joe Medeiros, a head writer for "The Tonight Show" who has worked with Leno for more than 18 years. Medeiros is also a strike captain, organizing protesters outside NBC.

"I really don't know what's happening inside, we're out here on the lines," Medeiros said when reached Friday afternoon. "We are out on strike, supporting the Writers Guild."

"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" isn't the only NBC program whose workers face layoffs. On Tuesday, NBC sent notices to the staffs of several shows, including "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and "Last Call with Carson Daly," warning that they similarly faced layoffs if those productions continue to be shut down.

-- Meg James

Comments

[Comedy Fan]

I applaud Jay for standing with the union and standing up against the big corporations. While Ellen may be helping herself and a handful of employees, she's hurting countless others.

[ReelBusy]

Somewhere Johnny Carson is laughing at Zucker....

[adrian]

Yes, I'm sure all the working stiffs, no writers and other support staff, who don't hae an annual average salary of $200k are really appreciating Mr. Leno's stance. Shame on him, the writers, and studios! What you do is a privlidge! Get to the bargaining table, and think about all of those around you who are much more affected by your and studio executives greed! oh yes, Leno is really gonna take a $$$ financial hit, while a whole bunch of people are lging to get laid off, and might have to forclose on homes, and find work else where...oh yes, you All must be very proud of yourselves!

[Sharon]

Aren't the staff members of The Tonight Show in a union? They should be and then they wouldn't have crossed the picket line to begin with...Unions are the only way to protect your rights from money grabbing execs. Maybe they have learned an invaluable lesson. Don't count on anyone else but yourself to help you.