In a worrisome sign for NBC's game-changing primetime makeover
plans, a Boston affiliate is refusing to air Jay Leno's new 10 p.m.
talk show in the fall.
WHDH Channel 7 in Leno's hometown said it will air its own hourlong local newscast instead.
Explaining the move to the Boston Globe, station owner Ed Ansin said he believes a newscast will draw higher ratings than Leno.
"We feel we have a real opportunity with running the news at 10 p.m.," Ansin said. "We don't think the Leno show is going to be effective in primetime. It will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock. It will be very adverse to our finances. It fundamentally is a better financial plan for us. We are already suffering from weak lead-ins."
The decision quickly drew fighting words from NBC, whose TV Network president John Eck released this statement: "WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC. If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned-and-operated station."
This oughta be interesting...
WHDH Channel 7 in Leno's hometown said it will air its own hourlong local newscast instead.
Explaining the move to the Boston Globe, station owner Ed Ansin said he believes a newscast will draw higher ratings than Leno.
"We feel we have a real opportunity with running the news at 10 p.m.," Ansin said. "We don't think the Leno show is going to be effective in primetime. It will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock. It will be very adverse to our finances. It fundamentally is a better financial plan for us. We are already suffering from weak lead-ins."
The decision quickly drew fighting words from NBC, whose TV Network president John Eck released this statement: "WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC. If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned-and-operated station."
This oughta be interesting...
source: THR
Leave a comment