Jeff Zucker (the name on so many lips these days) was on with Charlie Rose last night. The interview seems to have been taped around the close of business yesterday and because of ongoing negotiations, Zucker was somewhat encumbered as to what he could say. Still, it's a fascinating performance that must be viewed by those who are interested in the details of that whole story. It's also a good lesson in how to keep smiling and saying, "No, I didn't make a mistake" when the evidence is overwhelming that you did.
Among the points Zucker makes…
- He says Conan O'Brien's contract contained no time slot specification for his Tonight Show. I believe somewhere, some Conan rep said otherwise. Perhaps this is a matter of how some clause is interpreted.
- He says he's received death threats over the idea of moving Conan a half-hour later.
- Boy, NBC Entertainment is doing great in every area except, uh, network television.
- Mainly, he doesn't regret taking The Tonight Show away from Jay Leno even though they're now scrambling to get him back onto it. It's unfortunate that Conan didn't see the wisdom of going on at 12:05 after him.
I suspect most folks will watch this and be amazed that the man doesn't just come out and say, "Hey, we blew it. We made a lot of decisions that made sense at the time. They didn't work and now we're trying to mop up." But watch for yourself. I don't know how much longer you'll be able to do it but right now, if you go to this link, you should be able to watch the whole conversation online. The show may also rerun later today on your local PBS affiliate.