“It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.”
Oooh, sounds like a jab at Jay!
This NBC f*ck up is up there with the New Coke concept.
True…if you run I’m just screwed! Asthma and a big butt keep me from getting too far too fast! LOL Maybe I can bribe BH to do it for me….hmmmmm…maybe I can tell him I’ll get a certain pair of clear heels we once saw on a certain poster for you to wear…that oughtta get him on my side :-p
dibs, I began with the Vic20. I took some courses programming courses at NYU but couldn’t program. I stayed with the PC and watched it wipe out everything from Wang word processors to six figure Compugraphic and Linotronic typesetting machines.
I got interested when I was responsible for producing catalogs and advertising material for the small companies I worked for back in the early 1980s. I would write the copy, do the photography, and work with a designer/typesetter to lay it out and make ready for print.
I got interested in the possibility of the democratization of print production on the desktop. At the same time, the designer I was working with saw the coming desktop threat, so she taught me about type and design in return for me getting her onto the desktop.
Aldus Pagemaker 1.0 was quite the revelation and the beginning of the revolution.
Nevertheless she went from a twenty person type and design shop to retiring in just a few years. Fortunatley she married well.
I still do all my own ad and catalog production. In fact it’s easier than ever these days.
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.
It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.
Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35.
For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at
12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
I first learned to type on a regular typewriter, too. It seems so weird that now people’s first typing experience is on a high-powered computer. I feel old!
I still can’t type on anything! Hunt and peck, but all these years of practice can do about thirty WPM if I push it!
Re: Conan.
Can’t stand the guy but it’s obviously the right move on his part.
“It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.”
Oooh, sounds like a jab at Jay!
This NBC f*ck up is up there with the New Coke concept.
True…if you run I’m just screwed! Asthma and a big butt keep me from getting too far too fast! LOL Maybe I can bribe BH to do it for me….hmmmmm…maybe I can tell him I’ll get a certain pair of clear heels we once saw on a certain poster for you to wear…that oughtta get him on my side :-p
dibs, I began with the Vic20. I took some courses programming courses at NYU but couldn’t program. I stayed with the PC and watched it wipe out everything from Wang word processors to six figure Compugraphic and Linotronic typesetting machines.
I got interested when I was responsible for producing catalogs and advertising material for the small companies I worked for back in the early 1980s. I would write the copy, do the photography, and work with a designer/typesetter to lay it out and make ready for print.
I got interested in the possibility of the democratization of print production on the desktop. At the same time, the designer I was working with saw the coming desktop threat, so she taught me about type and design in return for me getting her onto the desktop.
Aldus Pagemaker 1.0 was quite the revelation and the beginning of the revolution.
Nevertheless she went from a twenty person type and design shop to retiring in just a few years. Fortunatley she married well.
I still do all my own ad and catalog production. In fact it’s easier than ever these days.
“I’m coming over to tie your fingers together so you can’t type anymore!”
Nanny, nanny, nah nah, you can’t catch me!! LOL!!
Conan just resigned from The Tonight Show….
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.
It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.
Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35.
For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at
12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.
So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
Yours,
Conan
Can someone please explain to DH what a typewriter is?
I first learned to type on a regular typewriter, too. It seems so weird that now people’s first typing experience is on a high-powered computer. I feel old!