Hell no Leno

Boston's NBC affiliate WHDH has declared that it won't broadcast Jay Leno in primetime this fall, choosing instead to show a 10 o'clock local newscast. Ed Ansin, who owns the station's parent company, told the Boston Globe, "We don't think the Leno show is going to be effective in primetime. It will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock (newscast). It will be very adverse to our finances." Meanwhile, NBC has countered with "you will run Leno or else," threatening to strip WHDH of their network affiliation.

One wonders, if WHDH got away with their plan, would other affiliates follow suit? If so, it could easily turn into a disaster for NBC, so we're not surprised the network is taking a hard line with the station. Variety reports that NBC outlets are "nervously wait[ing] to see how NBC's primetime Leno series evolves and ultimately impacts their business... The Peacock affils have been conducting a study to see how viewers actually watch 'The Tonight Show' -- and how there might be ways to produce and schedule Leno's new show in order to help out affiliates. NBC has also put a task force in place to work with the stations on the launch."

A commenter on the Huffington Post asserts that this isn't the first time Ansin has stirred up trouble with NBC. "When his Miami station WSVN (then WCKT) was an NBC affiliate, the network castigated the station for covering network commercials to run locally originated spots (increased revenue). Carson even called out the station on-air during a 'Tonight Show' telecast."