If the experiment had work we would be calling him a genius, but it failed and now the mob wants to crucify him. But I am actually confused ,\u00a0 there are I believe three groups that are out for Jeff Zucker’s head. The Conan fans or people who did not like the way Conan has been treated, and the local affiliates whose bottom line was affected by this move, the third are the people who mcuban is talking about. It seems to me that this third group is in the minority.<\/p>\n
What Zucker and NBC did was the EXACT RIGHT MOVE.
\nBusiness environments change. When they do, as broadcast network television has, and continues to, there are two basic choices. You can do it the way it\u2019s always been done, or you can challenge yourself to change the game.
\nIn the case of NBC, Jeff Zucker chose to take a risk and move Jay Leno from late night television to primetime. The upside was HUGE. Rather than risking tens of millions of dollars each season on pilots that never make it on air, and then watching those that do get aired fail far more often than they succeed, Leno in primetime could change the economics of primetime TV dramatically for the better.
\nLeno\u2019s show would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour instead of 2mm, 3mm or more per hour. A game changer. It was equivalent to CBS putting a reality show in primetime. Survivor worked. It changed the economics and ratings landscape of TV forever. A successful Leno show would do the same thing,.
\nBut what if Leno to primetime failed ? What was the downside ?
\nThe downside was that NBC could go back to business as usual. They could cancel and move Leno, just as they have done. Then they could go back to the old school way of lots of pilots, build a primetime schedule, and then pray some of the shows work. Rinse and repeat.
\nGoing forward they will program the 10pm slot. They will get some hits, some misses. It will be expensive, but in a few years they will find a hit and recapture the viewers they lost. Just as every network has done in response to a down period. In a few years the Leno experiment will be nothing more than a memory. A big so what.
\nThats what happens when ideas fail. They fade into memory and hopefully something is learned.
\nBut there is a bigger message in all of this.
\nWhat I have learned from watching all of this is that corporate America has been neutered. No one has any balls anymore.
\nI have a saying, \u201cNo Balls, No Babies\u201d. It was told to me by a blackjack dealer when I asked if I should double down on an 11. The message was simple. If you dont take the risks, you dont get the rewards.
\nWell that used to be the case. Its not anymore.
\nvia Why are we condemning Jeff Zucker & NBC over Leno ? \u00ab blog maverick<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the experiment had work we would be calling him a genius, but it failed and now the mob wants to crucify him. But I am actually confused ,\u00a0 there are I believe three groups that are out for Jeff Zucker’s head. The Conan fans or people who did not like the way Conan has … <\/p>\n