The War for Late Night (67 page)

Leno’s blame of

strike shows, impression of

Tonight
with Conan, informs Leno about

trust in Conan

MacDonald, Norm

McKean, Michael

McManus, Sean

McPherson, Steve

Markoe, Merrill

Marks, Rebecca

Medeiros, Joe

Meyer, Ron, as NBC/Conan intermediary

Michaels, Lorne

on Jay at upfront

Late Night
, search for host

on late-night wars

Leno at prime time, reaction to

Leno’s outreach to

on power of the network

relationship with Conan

Tonight
/ Conan, negativity toward

Miller, Dennis

Moonves, Leslie

and Kimmel

and Letterman

Morton, Robert

NBC

Conan’s contract

Conan’s litigation threats

executives. See Gaspin, Jeff; Graboff, Marc; Silverman, Ben; Wright, Bob; Zucker, Jeff

late-night profitability

Leno replaced, press release

Leno’s contract

power over creatives

ratings, downturn

Universal, Comcast takeover

upfront week

Obama, Barack

O’Brien, Conan

ABC proposals to

agent. See Rosen, Rick

comedy, personal style

as comic, early development of

comments about Leno

comments about Letterman

earnings at NBC

as Emmy Awards host (2002)

family background

Fox proposals to

Harvard, comedy-related activities

introduced on Leno show

Late Night
, Conan as contender

Leno at prime time, reaction to

Letterman admired by

manager. See Polone, Gavin

NBC creative input ignored by

NBC payout to

as performer, decision about

personality traits

post-war position of

rejected as Letterman writer

relationship with Carson

relationship with Kudrow

relationship with Michaels

relationship with Ross

as
Simpsons
writer

as
SNL
writer

string dance

Super Bowl promo invitation

TBS program

tenth-anniversary special

Tonight
, Conan as host. See
Tonight Show, The
with Conan O’Brien

tour

upfront week performance

wife of

See also Late Night with Conan O’Brien
;
Tonight Show, The
with Conan O’Brien

O’Brien, Jane

O’Brien, Liza

Odenkirk, Bob

O’Donnell, Steve

Ohlmeyer, Don

and Conan on
Late Night

and Conan’s first renewals

replacing Jay, reaction to

Palin, Sarah

Conan refuses to interview

Letterman insult/apology

on
Tonight
with Conan

Pay-and-play contract

“Polly, the NBC Peacock,”

Polone, Gavin

on Conan’s departure

Conan’s shift to 12:05, reaction to

and first renewals

and Fox/Conan talks

hired by Conan

and
Late Night
deal

Leno at prime time, reaction to

restrictions after settlement

sees Conan perform

Pope, Maria

Powel, Liza.
See
O’Brien, Liza

Prime time, Leno show. See
Jay Leno Show, The

Prince of Wales clause

Provenza, Paul

Reilly, Kevin

acquiring Conan, efforts in

at NBC

Reynolds, Rick

Rice, Peter

Richter, Andy

begins as sidekick

reviews of

on
Tonight Show

Rogers, Mimi

Rosen, Rick

and Conan’s shift to 12:05

and Conan
Tonight Show
deal

Leno at prime time, reaction to

Ross, Jeff

and ABC negotiation

and Conan’s audition

Conan’s shift to 12:05, reaction to

and Conan’s success

and Fox/Conan talks

Late Night
producer offer

Leno at prime time, reaction to

Leno leaves prime-time meetings

personality traits

post-war position of

relationship with Conan

Ryan, Shawn

Conan as writer

Conan quits

and Ebersol

Fallon on

See also
Michaels, Lorne

Segelstein, Irwin

Seghetti, Cynthia

Seinfeld, Jerry

on late-night wars

relationship with Leno

upfront week performance

Shaffer, Paul

Shales, Tom

Shandling, Gary

Shapiro, George

Silverman, Ben

Silverman, Fred

Simpsons
, Conan as writer

Smigel, Robert

Smithberg, Madeleine

Snyder, Tom

Sony, courting Leno

Sotzing, Jeff

Stern, Howard

Stewart, Jon

ABC pitch to

agent of. See Dixon, James

as comic, early development of

Conan’s view of

Emmy Awards to

family background

as late-night threat

Worldwide Pants, holding deal with

Super Bowl, Letterman, Leno, Winfrey promo

Sweeney, Anne

Sweeney, Mike

TBS, signs Conan

Team Coco

Tolan, Peter

Tonight Show, The
with Conan O’Brien

age of viewers

versus Colbert

Conan prepares for

Conan’s contract

Conan’s salary

Conan supporters near end

decision to leave, satisfaction with

final shows

first show

improving, NBC suggestions ignored

jokes about 12:05 shift

last show

Leno at prime time, impact on

versus Letterman

Manifesto/departing statement

as NBC “don’t lose Conan” strategy

NBC negativity toward

NBC settlement with Conan

and Olympics weeks

Palin on

promos

ratings

salary

shift to 12:05, Conan’s reaction to

time-period protection, lack of

Tonight Show, The
with Jay Leno

Conan as guest

guests, Leno’s disinterest in

last show

Leno replaced, NBC reasons for

Leno’s return after Conan

Leno wins over Letterman

ratings versus Letterman

replaced, Jay tells staff

replacement decision, Leno reaction to

replacement plan, secrecy of

revenues

during writers’ strike

Turner, Bonnie

United Talent

Upfront week

Leno performance

Vickers, Debbie

Conan’s ratings, tracking

and format of Leno show

Leno leaving prime-time meeting

relationship with Leno

replacing Leno, reaction to

Wells, John

West, Howard

“Wild Blue Yonder,”

Williams, Brian

upfront week emcee

Winfrey, Oprah

Leno interview

and Super Bowl promo

Winstead, Lizz

Wolf, Dick

Wong, Andrea

Worldwide Pants

pitch to Ferguson

power of

and Stewart

Wright, Bob

relationship with Conan

Zucker as successor to

Wright, Suzanne

Writers’ strike

Wurtzel, Alan

Ziffren, Ken

and Leno contract negotiations

Leno leaves prime-time meeting

Zucker, Jeff

comments about Letterman

Conan as “king” proclamation

“don’t lose Conan” strategy

“don’t lose Leno” strategy

improving shows, notes to Conan

NBC, status under

post-war position of

prime time, moves Leno out

professional experience of

relationship with Conan

threatens icing Conan

Tonight
/ Conan, negativity toward

Tonight
with Conan, informs Leno about

and upfront week

 

TOP ROW: NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker with his two surviving late-night stars, Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno (NBC Universal Photo Bank/Paul Morse); Conan O’Brien onstage at
Late Night
with his creative brain trust, executive producer Jeff Ross (left) and head writer Mike Sweeney (NBC Universal Photo Bank); David Letterman, for twenty-eight years a star of late night, at his post behind the desk at
Late Show
(JP Filo CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS).

 

SECOND ROW: Jeff Gaspin, the new leader of NBC’s Entertainment operation and the man with the plan to revamp late night (NBC Universal Photo Bank); Gavin Polone, manager to Conan O’Brien, agent provocateur to NBC (photo credit: Sarah Shatz); Jay getting advice from his longtime executive producer and closest adviser, Debbie Vickers, while a special guest shows some interest. It was the first visit ever for a sitting president to a late-night show (NBC Universal Photo Bank).

 

THIRD ROW: James Dixon (left), the busiest agent in late night, with one of his three stars, the multi-award-winning Jon Stewart (Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are also his clients) (photo credit: James Dixon); Craig Ferguson, CBS’s Scottish-born original in late night is joined by robot Geoff Peterson on
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
on Monday, April 5, 2010, on the CBS Television Network (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS); Marc Graboff, cochairman of NBC Entertainment and chief deal-maker at the network (NBC Universal Photo Bank).

 

BOTTOM ROW: Dick Ebersol (right), the chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, played many roles in the career of the NBC CEO Jeff Zucker, including mentor, close counselor, and longtime friend (Ben Hider/Getty Images Entertainment); Rick Rosen, one of the captains of Team Coco, agent, adviser, and friend to Conan O’Brien (Matthew Simmons/Getty Images Entertainment); Jimmy Kimmel channeling Jay Leno and “Headlines”—and generating headlines of his own (photo credit: Don Barris).