I'm Protesting!

Friday, January 15, 2010

I'm sure most of yall have heard of the big 'Conan - Leno' fiasco. But just in case you haven't, here's a quick recap:

Jay Leno, who used to host "The Tonight Show' somehow (I'm not sure if he quit, was let go, or the contract ended) got the chance to host another interview-type show that would air at 10pm. When Leno moved, Conan O'Brien got the job of host of "The Tonight Show" which airs at 11:35pm. Well, ratings went down for Leno, local affiliates complained and NBC decided to move Leno and his current show to 11:35pm thus bumping Conan to 12:05 and poor Jimmy Fallon to 1:05. This has caused an uproar at NBC. Leno is making Conan the butt of jokes on his show and Conan certainly responds by poking fun at NBC and Leno.

Here's a clip that'll give you a taste of it:

Conan is now saying he's quitting if they move his show back. I don't blame him. It's unfair. Leno needs to actually retire like he originally said and go drive all those cars he's got.

Looking at this situation from a public relations view, this is killing NBC. Not only are their own employees insulting each other, Conan and Leno are also saying some pretty awful things about NBC. This is killing NBC's image. They now look like some thoughtless company who disregards contracts and employees' opinions. NBC better figure something out quick, because their reputation is slowly degrading and I think they're losing fans.

In my own way of protesting, I have decided not to wear the red NBC shirt I bought when visiting NY a couple of summers ago. They will get no free advertising out of me until this is all settled in a more respectable way. Shame on you NBC.

And I'm team Conan.