Jeff Zucker makes NBC TV execs look like Shakespearean cannibals
Friday night’s episode of “The Son Also Razes” (aka “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien”) brought in the newly orphaned talk show host’s biggest audience ever. He even beat Letterman’s numbers for the week according to the Nielsen rating system, especially among the coveted 18-49 age demographic (Conan got a 1.9 share; Dave got 1.1). Guess who gets the last laugh? Nope, it’s not Coco – and it’s certainly not Jay Leno, the freshly minted dastard and (again) heir apparent to the “Tonight Show” throne.
It’s Jeff Zucker.
“We live in a society today that loves a soap opera,” the chief executive of NBC Universal told the New York Times. “Three months ago it was David Letterman. Six weeks ago it was Tiger Woods’s problems. Today it’s NBC’s problems.”
The first two people mentioned in Zucker’s scapegoat list took responsibility (which came across as protracted and, in one instance, damning to nearly Shakespearean proportions) for their indiscretions. Also, it’s terribly classy for Zucker to compare screwing over a network, its talent, its affiliates and its audience with screwing around.
Regardless of what happens to O’Brien and Leno, the ratings for NBC are up these days, and both hosts’ failed programs are still mercilessly churning – which again puts some flash in Jeff Zucker’s pan.
The network exec even sicced Dick Ebersol, another NBC honcho, on O’Brien like his own personal Iago. Ebersol insidiously referred to Big Red as “gutless” and “chickenhearted” in the press. Fascinating, from a big wig whose tenure at the molting peacock includes work on “Saturday Night Live,” the show that Lorne Michaels (who also served as O’Brien’s producer for nearly 17 years) built.
NBC is cannibalizing itself right now. Conan O’Brien is the fortunate casualty in the long run: He got chewed up and spit out; “The Tonight Show” is still lodged in the network’s craw; and Jay Leno remains a wad of gristle that keeps getting stuck in Jeff Zucker’s teeth for every grimace, sneer and bared smile. He’s the main course for Titus Networkicus.
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Zucker is a putz. Comcast just promoted him so now he’s a putz of a higher order. I’m surprised by Ebersol. But maybe everybody is scrambling to look good to the new boss.