TCA Press Tour: CBS chief says Jay Leno mess has 'bruised' TV industry
With the entertainment industry transfixed by the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien mess, CBS' programming chief said NBC's handling of its talk show hosts has hurt the TV industry.
"A lot of people really saw this as having a pretty negative impact on our business," CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said this morning at the opening session of the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena.
She was referring to NBC's move last year that switched Leno from late night to a 10 p.m. weeknight slot, replacing NBC's traditional dramas; O'Brien took Leno's place as "Tonight Show" host. Bowing to pressure from local stations worried about low ratings for "The Jay Leno Show," fourth-ranked NBC now appears to be backpedaling on its decision, although it has yet to announce any schedule changes.
But Tassler sees damage already done, because backing off big-budget dramas has meant many Hollywood professionals lost jobs.
"The unfortunate thing is that our creative community was to some degree somewhat bruised by this," Tassler told reporters. "A lot of people were put out of work." An NBC spokeswoman declined to comment.
Tassler quickly added, however, that her own network has only reaped benefits from the Leno affair, pointing to "better than OK" numbers for two dramas that were new to the 10 p.m. time slot: "The Good Wife" and "The Mentalist."
"Ten o'clock is a great business for us," she said.
So far this season, CBS has remained the most-watched network. But it has had its share of bad news: Tassler confirmed for the first time that the network had canceled "Three Rivers," a medical drama that aired at 9 p.m. Sundays but never quite overcame vexing creative problems.
Meanwhile, Tassler sidestepped a question about "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen, who was recently arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
"We're being very sensitive to the fact that this is a very personal and very private matter for Charlie," she said. "There's been no impact on the show right now."
At a later panel, "Two and a Half Men" executive producer Chuck Lorre likewise tread carefully around the subject of Sheen's arrest.
"We put on a show last night, and it went extremely well," he said. "Charlie is a consummate pro."
-- Scott Collins
Photo: Nina Tassler. Credit: Monty Brinton / CBS
too bad charlie sheen can't be a consumate professional in his home life. I guess they don't let you drink on the set
Posted by: notch | January 09, 2010 at 03:06 PM
Is she drunk? Jay Leno mess has "bruised the TV industry"???? He has ONE show, on ONE spot, on ONE channel out of the hundreds available on cable and sattelite. If you take a hundred channels and divide them into 24 one hour slots then Jay Lenos whole effect on the "TV Industry" is 1/2400, or about 0.041666667%.. For those that had a hard time at math, it would take 24 jay lenos to make 1% of the "TV Industry"...
Stop smoking crack and then making announcements... It just makes you look dumberer.
Posted by: hammer of god | January 09, 2010 at 03:07 PM
To be such a hottie, I'm surprised she'd bring up two of the dumbest things on television. Shows titled "Late Night with...", and people called "Charlie Sheen".
Guess she's been brainwashed like everyone else surrounding me.
Posted by: MCW | January 09, 2010 at 03:07 PM
Did anyone ask Ms. Tassler why her co-ethnics (not Puerto Ricans, necessarily) are so grotesquely overrepresented in hers and related industries, especially in higher management positions? Might that have anything at all to do with illicit hiring practices? Does she believe that such anti-discrimination statutes are a 'one-way street' that do not apply to us mere non-Hispanic European-American Gentile types? Do any of you have the nerve to ask such obvious, if impertinent, questions-- or would Sam Zell come down on you all like the proverbial ton of (gold)bricks?
Posted by: Jake Prufrock | January 09, 2010 at 04:01 PM
Day..amm! I mean Whisky Tango Foxtrot!!!! I wretched when I got done reading that. More spin than a Whirlpool or Maytag. More spin than a Tilt-a-whirl. More BS than Pelosi (OK maybe not that much.)
And Scott, puhleeeeeze: ""Charlie is a consummate pro."
Charlie is a consummate axe hole. And speaking of holes, more consummate pro moves like holding his spouse at knifepoint and your ratings will drop into a black one. ;)
Posted by: Jeff Katzembarg | January 09, 2010 at 04:19 PM
If Jay Leno's show was not on, NBC would be filling the hour with reality shows and news shows... i do not believe they would be allowing high-budget dramas to fill the time, and I disagree with the reported comments of the executive at CBS.
Posted by: Joel Feuer | January 09, 2010 at 04:27 PM
nbc nothing but crap
Posted by: jack | January 09, 2010 at 04:38 PM
Nonsense. The medium is the last on the teat. It is miserable with few exceptions.
As to the Leno-O'Brien "controversy": What O'Brien is to humor, hemmorhoids are to comfort.
Posted by: Richard McDonough | January 09, 2010 at 05:08 PM
CBS is concerned that "many Hollywood professionals have lost jobs"? Didn't seem concerned when they started buying reality shows.
Posted by: michael | January 09, 2010 at 07:20 PM
The economics of the Big 4 broadcast channels will give way to a multi-channel network model. NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox will survive cable's eventual dominance over broadcast. It's okay, they own all the major cable networks anyway.
Posted by: strangway | January 09, 2010 at 11:47 PM
She talks about the creative community, yet this is the same woman who cancelled Jericho, one of the best shows on tv. That cancellation then made way for yet another cookie cutter CBS crime show.
Posted by: chris | January 10, 2010 at 12:31 AM
Jericho wasn't good or even interesting, so...
Posted by: Hal | January 10, 2010 at 02:09 AM
If I beat my wife can I get my own TV show too???
Posted by: dhwj | January 10, 2010 at 04:08 AM
NBC has the Law and Order shows. I love them.
I have a complaint about CBS. I love CBS shows, but why they cancelled a great show called Three Rivers and keep the lame sitcom with Jenna Elfman called Accidently on Purpose is a mystery to me.
Posted by: Zach | January 10, 2010 at 06:29 AM
Your know...
There is a lot of crap on all three networks... by no means do the executives think they are doing a good job... and the red-headed wonder O'brien is not even funny... SOooooooooo it is really a no-brainer but to put the tonight show were it belongs .... at 1130 EST and use the old set... and Jay... Remember if it isn't broken... DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIX IT...
Posted by: William Thomas | January 10, 2010 at 06:45 AM
Reality TV has bruised the creative community much more than this squabble ever could.
Posted by: Mary Carroll | January 10, 2010 at 06:48 AM
Nina Tassler seems to focusing on just the things CBS want her to focus on about the Jay Leno ratings thing.
Why doesn't she talk about David Letterman and his rating surge since Leno moved? Its not just about NCIS' ratings at 10. Like with Charlie sheen, she didn't want to handle any questions about Letterman so she didn't bring him up.
She also seems to be forgetting that last year about this time (or earlier), that Leno was being courted by ABC to to do a Late Night show. So NBC had to come up with something to keep Leno and the 10 pm show sealed the deal.
This is NBC's problem and not CBS'. FOX doesn't have a 10 pm show and I'd rather watch their local newscast at 10 anyway so I can get to bed on the weekdays.
So what's NBC to do? Tick O'Brien off and move his show back a half-hour. Either let the Leno experiment go on or come up with Jay doing a once-a-week show of some sorts. God, just don't give us another reality show.
Posted by: Parma Vic | January 10, 2010 at 06:53 AM
"The unfortunate thing is that our creative community was to some degree somewhat bruised by this," Tassler told reporters. "A lot of people were put out of work."
I think a lot more people were put out of work by the Writers' strike in 2008. Or had you forgotten about that, Ms. Tassler?
Posted by: Figgins | January 10, 2010 at 10:57 AM