Comments on: Team Conan Backs NBC PR Into a Corner

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By: lauraclick

lauraclick — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:36:57 +0000

Great post. I agree – Conan's statement was artfully written. Perhaps more importantly, the statement was authentically Conan. A lot of companies and PR folks could take a page from his book on this.

I think NBC has already made a huge mess of the situation. Admittedly, I'm a fan of Conan. But, from a practical standpoint, I think that NBC would be wise to give Leno the boot, not Conan. @TJDietrich is right – Leno's audience is older, which is why you don't see much support for him in the social space. Leno has had his day (or decades). I think reverting to the old regime is boring and stodgy. And, it shows that NBC is completely out of touch. Do they honestly think that Conan's ratings were low because of Conan? No one wanted to watch Jay's new show, and it was a trickle down effect to the local news affiliates, and in turn, the Tonight Show as well.

If I were NBC, I would leave Conan's show alone and send Jay packing. However, I seriously doubt that's what will happen.

By: Rex Riepe

Rex Riepe — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:27:49 +0000

I'm on Team Conan. There's another team? ; P

If I were NBC, I wouldn't respond with anything radical. I think this will end up in a legal battle (which I wrote about on Fedorable: http://bit.ly/7VdHpw) or a big payout for Conan, so I think they'll hush up for legal reasons.

I do think both parties should watch what jokes they make on the air. Escalating tempers won't help anybody... except the advertisers I suppose.

By: heatherwhaling

heatherwhaling — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:18:52 +0000

Ha. Excellent point.

By: heatherwhaling

heatherwhaling — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:18:15 +0000

Do, thanks for commenting. I'm with you. I think the statement was great. And, as a lover of transitions, I totally appreciated the usage of “that said.”

Your last point is spot on. It is just a comedy show, so in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter, yet Conan still managed to come across as a “victim” of the big media conglomerate. And, that's the beauty of a smart PR statement. I watched Conan last night (for the first time ever) and he was on the attack. It'll be interesting to see how NBC responds.

Thanks for commenting!

By: TJ Dietderich

TJ Dietderich — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:07:27 +0000

In Leno's defense, his audience is older and less likely to participate in online discussions. Oh wait. That's the opposite of “defense.” That's more like “a bad thing.”

By: Ari Herzog

Ari Herzog — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:25:24 +0000

Not having watched either show in over a year, I'm on neither team and don't care.

By: doreenoverstreet

doreenoverstreet — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:15:29 +0000

I meant deprecation – that was not well written. Ha ha.

By: doreenoverstreet

doreenoverstreet — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:13:36 +0000

Conan's statement was great. Well written, articulated and with a dash of self-deprication. In the statement he even used the term, “That said,” – which sort of made me think he had some PR input on it

I'd imagine it would be difficult for NBC to respond from the standpoint that Conan gave the statement as himself and NBC is a corporate entity that doesn't have a “persona.” And if Leno responds he looks like he's waging a public debate. If I were Leno's PR team I'd invite Conan for a comedy show debate about the subject. It would be in bad taste to try to make fighting about a comedy show serious. I think that's what Conan got across, but I think he hit a serious nerve too.