Conan should leave NBC

If NBC is not aware that Conan is dominating Jay Leno in every way, they are just not reading the analytics. NBC tried to get off cheap by keeping Jay on the air so they didn’t need to make another scripted (and expensive) show each night of the week. They are living in the Nielson ratings (not that Leno has performed well there either of late) and not seeing the point that is so obvious on Facebook, Twitter and the internet in general: Conan is currently a lot more popular, even just in theory.

The problem is, nobody likes the new Leno show. Not the audience, not the local affiliates that have a weak lead in to their newscasts and certainly not Conan, who’s predecessor on the air literally became his predecessor on the schedule. Imagine being Conan, a guy who earned the right to replace Leno, a guy who built a late night audience. Imagine the slap in the face he got when they told him Leno would stay on the air in the first place.

Now don’t get me wrong. As much as I think Jay should have done what Johnny Carson did and gracefully leave the late night scene remembered as a part of our lives we enjoyed, he has every right to be on the air. I mean, NBC hired him and he accepted. Far be it for me to tell you to watch him or not to. I mean, some people like golf on television too. Who am I to judge?

The point is, NBC is dicking around with Conan and it’s bush league. Can you imagine? You finally get hired to replace your boss, you get his office and his salary, then the CEO tells you your old boss is still a consultant. Fine. I’ll deal. At least I got the job. Then, they tell you that your boss is not performing as a consultant, so now he is going to spend the first part of the day doing your job in your office, and when he is done, you can come back and try to improve the situation.

Jeez.