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The 2010 ''Tonight Show'' conflict was a media and public relations conflict involving American television network NBC and two of its then-late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. Leno, the host of long-running franchise ''The Tonight Show'' since 1992, and O'Brien, host of ''Late Night'' since 1993, were strong ratings leaders for the network for much of the decade. When O'Brien's contract neared its end and he was courted by other networks in 2001, NBC extended his contract and essentially guaranteed him he would be the fifth host of ''Tonight''. The network neglected to let Leno know that until his contract extension in 2004, when they informed him he would remain host for five more years and then transition the show to O'Brien in 2009. When that time arrived, other networks conveyed interest in Leno; NBC, in an effort to keep both of its late-night stars, offered Leno a nightly primetime show before the local news and O'Brien ''The Tonight Show''. ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' and ''The Jay Leno Show'' failed to attract immediate viewers, and NBC affiliates, seeing their viewership decline, grew restless. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Zucker, alongside chairman Jeff Gaspin and executive Rick Ludwin, created a remedy: move Leno back to his 11:35 pm start time and bump O'Brien a half-hour later, to 12:05 am. O'Brien and his staff were both disappointed and furious; when it became clear O'Brien would not agree to the proposed changes, the situation grew heated. Though not a breach of either host's contract, the change resulted in a public outcry and public demonstrations largely in support of O'Brien. O'Brien's public statement that he would "not participate in the destruction of ''The Tonight Show''" led to negotiations with NBC for a settlement. O'Brien and his staff received $45 million to walk away from the network, with his final ''Tonight Show'' airing January 22, 2010; Leno was reinstated as host that March, while O'Brien moved to TBS to host ''Conan''. The controversy surrounding the scheduling move was described by media outlets as "embarrassing" for the network and a "public relations disaster".〔''ABC News'' article: "(NBC's Talk Show Wars Seen as PR Disaster for All )".〕 ==Background== In the early 1990s, Johnny Carson, host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' for nearly 30 years, retired from the program at the age of 66. The network signed Jay Leno, Carson's "permanent guest host", to become the program's fourth host directly following Carson's exit. Carson very clearly viewed the position best for David Letterman, host of his own program, ''Late Night'', which had directly followed Carson's ''Tonight Show'' for ten years. NBC tried to appease both stars, but Letterman left the network in a very public conflict that resulted in the creation of his own competing show on CBS, which began in 1993. ''Late Show with David Letterman'', "the first truly substantial competing franchise to ''Tonight''", regularly won in the Nielsen ratings against Leno for two years, "proving for the first time that late-night television—and the profits that came with it—could exist beyond ''The Tonight Show''." Leno's ''Tonight Show'' started rocky; prior to Letterman's move, NBC considered matching CBS's offer to allow Letterman to take over from Leno. Letterman beat Leno for nearly two years until August 1995, when Leno welcomed British actor Hugh Grant, who had recently been arrested for soliciting a prostitute ("What the hell were you thinking?", Leno asked, to applause), to a previously-booked appearance on ''Tonight''. From that point on, Leno slipped past Letterman in the ratings, and ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' remained number one for the rest of its run. NBC chose to continue the ''Late Night'' franchise, and at the suggestion of ''Saturday Night Live'' producer Lorne Michaels, hired Conan O'Brien, a relatively unknown writer for ''The Simpsons'', to take over the time slot beginning in late 1993. ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' was constantly at risk for cancellation in its early years; at one low point in 1994, NBC threatened to put him on a week-to-week contract. Executives were anxious to replace him with Greg Kinnear, who followed O'Brien with ''Later'' at 1:30 am.〔 Interns filled empty seats in the audience while affiliates began to inquire about replacement hosts. Things improved for the show slowly (mostly revolving around O'Brien's performance) and by 1996, O'Brien's audience, largely young and male (a coveted demographic), grew steadily and the show began to best competitors in the ratings, which it would continue to do for 15 years. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2010 Tonight Show conflict」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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