Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Leno Update: Low Ratings Mean Changes

By Frank Macek

After all the bad press Leno has been getting the last few weeks, it looks like NBC brass, under pressure from affiliates, are forcing changes at "The Jay Leno Show."

Broadcasting and Cable is reporting today (Tuesday) the show is being re-formatted to be even more like his old "Tonight Show," with familiar skits including "Headlines" and "Jay Walking" following his opening monologue.

We also hear more changes are coming.

Ratings on Monday hit an all time low, when the show fell to a 1.2 rating nationally - apparently being the last straw.

Many NBC stations are being hurt by Leno's low ratings leading into their 11 p.m. newscasts during November sweeps.

Locally, Tuesday night's ratings were better with a 5.3 rating in households (3rd place at 10 p.m.) and a 3.2 rating in adults 25-54 (4th place when comparing Channels 3, 5, 8 & 19).