Last night, The New York Times‘ Bill Carter broke the news that NBC will be moving Jay Leno to 10 p.m. in 2009.
According to Mr. Carter:
The new show, which will begin next fall, is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. Leno is expected to retain many of the most popular elements of his ‘Tonight Show,’ including his monologue and bits like ‘Headlines’ and ‘Jay Walking.’ One ‘Tonight Show’ staff member said the new program would not be a variety show.
Under the new arrangement, Conan O’Brien will film his version of The Tonight Show in a new studio and Jimmy Fallon’s show—which debuted online last night—will shoot in New York. (Unmentioned was soon-to-be father Carson Daly.)
Perhaps this is what NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker meant when he told the crowd at UBS’s 36th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference that he was operating under a "safety first" mentality.