Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien: When Succession Planning Goes Very, Very Wrong

Let’s face the facts - TV is for entertainment purposes only, right? Especially those “Late Night Shows” with their predictable monologues, contrived interviews, and those oh-so friendly bands. They are the comfort food in America’s TV diet and have been filling us up on empty calories for over 60 years.

Well, the times they are changing and you can thank NBC for this week’s after school special on the “Don’ts” of leadership transitions and succession planning.  Here is the situation in a nutshell brought to you by NY Times…

NBC confirmed Sunday what the television world already knew — that the network would end Jay Leno’s prime-time show in one month and return him to 11:35 p.m., bumping “The Tonight Show” and its host, Conan O’Brien, to 12:05 a.m.

The hardest talks over the weekend were probably taking place inside Mr. O’Brien’s camp, which is facing three options: stay, even though the show’s staff feels increasingly unwanted at NBC; look for an offer elsewhere, most likely the Fox network, which has let out broad hints that it would be interested in starting its own late-night franchise with Mr. O’Brien; or walk away and get into a probable legal battle over whether NBC breached Mr. O’Brien’s contract by making this change.

Mr. Leno’s last show at 10 p.m. will be Feb. 11, and NBC will begin showing the Winter Olympics in prime time the next day.

One big question remains: whether Mr. O’Brien will accept what amounts to a demotion. In a news conference here, Jeff Gaspin, the chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, said he was working to keep Mr. Leno, Mr. O’Brien and the “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon together as a block, though he acknowledged that “the situation is fluid” and that “talks are still ongoing” with the hosts.

“Everybody is taking the weekend to think about all this,” Mr. Gaspin said, adding that he was personally responsible for setting the plan in motion, though he acknowledged discussing this and other options with the chief executive of NBC Universal, Jeff Zucker. “He let me pull the trigger,” Mr. Gaspin said.

So, NBC “pulled the trigger” and made the decision to put Jay back into the 11:35pm slot effectively forcing Conan’s hand and compelling him to release this surprisingly candid and humorous statement:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract withNBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.

Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

While there is plenty of finger pointing going around in light of Conan’s decision not to accept the demotion – the real culprit here lies with NBC’s lack of ability to execute their succession plan. Let’s break this down by traveling back in time to 2003.  NBC is on top of its game with Jay Leno keeping his lead on David Letterman and ensuring the “Tonight Show” continues to be a late night institution.  Meanwhile, ”Late Night with Conan O”Brien” is celebrating it’s 10th year and Conan has graduated from rising star to one of a handful of guys who can successfully jockey a desk each and every night.

ABC takes note of Conan’s performance and eyes him for their late night prize, which of course would eventually go to relative unknown Jimmy Kimmel. With ABC courting Conan, NBC reacts quickly to lock down the heir apparent to Mr. Jay Leno with a six year deal promising him the network’s crown jewel in June of 2009.  You can almost hear the NBC executives high fiving themselves for saving the network and the “Tonight Show” franchise.

Great plan, except there is one BIG problem – Jay Leno doesn’t want to retire.  He doesn’t want to ride off in the sunset in his 1929 DuPont Le Mans Speedster or any of his other 83 cars in June of 2009. Jay wants to continue to tell jokes every night, interview celebrities, and banter with Kevin Eubanks.  We can’t blame Jay for wanting to continue to do what he does best and honestly, all he knows how to do.  However, we can and should blame NBC executives for letting Jay move to the 10pm time slot. For not materially changing the show, beyond cosmetics, and effectively taking the wind out of Conan’s and the “Tonight Show” sails.

The founder of a company or a CEO pushed into retirement are often guilty of the “Jay Leno syndrome” and while they talk about moving on, letting go, and relishing control, they often don’t. When this happens the incumbent typically overshadows, manages through politics and from a far, or simply minimizes the role of the rising star.

So, HR pros what are your options? How do we ensure your Jay’s exit gracefully and your Conan’s don’t get canceled prematurely due to low ratings?

Photo Credit: Snacktime2007