Unless you are a real night owl television fan, the discussion may not mean much to you. But it seems astounding that NBC may have to pay as much as $45 million ($33 million to personality Conan O’Brien and the rest to his 200-member supporting crew) to shift Mr. O’Brien from his current late-night schedule and restore Jay Leno to his former time slot.
These are huge numbers, indicating the importance of late-night television and its commercial sponsors. Did you suspect that either Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno was so “funny” as to be worth $45 million? With such big bucks involved, NBC hopes to “get it right,” whatever it takes.