Fox to NBC: We'll Take Leno off your Hands
The Fox affiliates have tried and then basically gave up on having a late night show that could compete with the big 3.
They had Joan Rivers in the spot, but ended up firing her. Then Arsenio Hall replaced Rivers and he became very popular with the young audience. That went off the air in 1994.
And Fox has basically been a non factor ever since.
Well, Fox could get back in the game a big way and it would be thanks to the boneheaded bosses at NBC screwing things up once again.
Word is that if NBC Conans Jay Leno (i.e. pushes him out the door) Fox says they will pick Leno up for the Fox affiliated stations.
Word is Fox is so ready to get Leno, they are already brainstorming new names for the show.
With Fox interested, Leno is sitting in the drivers seat. That maybe one of the reasons that Leno's monologue continues to grow every night with jokes about NBC's crappy ratings and well placed shots at the NBC Suits.
When NBC screwed up the whole Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno thing last time (a story that was broken FIRST in the World by FTVLive) it was one of the worst PR hits the Peacock ever has taken.
The debacle helped push NBC Boss Jeff Zucker out of a job (I wonder whatever happened to him) and has hurt the network for years.
It also gave TBS a show with instant success, without them having to try and grow an audience. When O'Brien left NBC in a huff, he went to TBS and has the cable net has been happy with his performance.
Not Fox is hoping that the same thing happens for them.
And thanks to another NBC brain fart, it looks like they may get their wish.