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I really don't understand the way NBC is treating Jay Leno. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Jay Leno been number one in late-night for more than 20 years? During this period of time, has there ever been anybody else who has a bigger audience than him? I think the answer to these questions is yes to the first and no to the second. Given that they already tried to force Jay Leno out prematurely, and it turned out to be a disaster for NBC, why are they only a few years later trying to do the same thing again? From what I can gather, the concern is that years from now, Jimmy Kimmel may grow an audience that can rival Leno's, and that Fallon taking over for Leno will help NBC maintain supremacy in the 18-49 demographic, but again, correct me if I'm wrong, isn't Jay Leno winning this demographic already? It seems like we've seen this movie before, and things didn't end well for NBC, so why are they trying to make a sequel when the first movie in the series bombed? This was the exact rationale for Conan replacing Leno in 2009. Conan supposedly had a younger audience, but that audience obviously wasn't large enough and didn't follow him to the Tonight Show, because Conan O'Brien was the biggest disaster in recent history for one of the most enduring franchises in late-night. Wouldn't it be a better idea to drop this stupid idea and let Jay Leno retire when he wants to, since he is still number one in late-night, including in the key demographic, and earlier attempts to force him out didn't prove successful?
I sleep at 11PM, so I don't watch any of these programs, and don't really have a dog in this fight, but it seems to me that Jay Leno is doing just fine. You don't back a different horse when the one you've already got is consistently winning the race.