The Ed Blog

Conan O'Brien released a statement saying he will not follow an 11:35 pm Jay Leno show with a 12:05 'Tonight Show'.  He also takes shots at NBC.  Network executives will let O'Brien weigh other offers and decide whether he will move back to midnight, or move on, according to the Web site.  Under the terms of his contract, NBC could block O'Brien from switching allegiances, but they have decided to give him the choice.

Jerry Seinfeld took the side of NBC and Leno.  "What did the network do to Conan? I don't think anyone's preventing people from watching Conan," he said.  CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" has consistently been beating O'Brien.

You have to wonder, though, how much NBC really wants to keep O'Brien, who struggled after moving from the comfortable, loose confines of his "Late Night" roost to the more-demanding 11:35 p.m. slot Leno mastered for 17 years.

Sure, Conan attracted those young viewers so coveted by NBC CEO Jeff Zucker that the exec gave Leno five years' notice in 2004 that O'Brien and his kiddie generation would be inheriting Leno's beloved "Tonight Show" throne.

But not lost on anyone in the TV business since June 1, 2009, is that O'Brien also hemorrhaged nearly half of Leno's audience -- and, with that, gained the dubious (and embarrassing) distinction of watching CBS rival David Letterman, whipped for years by Leno, surpass him in total viewers while nearly equaling his young-viewer numbers.

So now, NBC salivates as it gets the chance to put Jay back on at 11:35.