Conan Understood "Less is More"
From the earliest moments in the ridiculous PR mess NBC got itself into when its prime-time "Jay Leno Show" was canceled and it started messing with the time slot of the venerable "Tonight Show" and its not-ready-to-go-gently-into-that-good-night current host Conan O'Brien, the latter has shown mastery of one of the best communications skills you can have -- understanding that "less is more." His initial statement rejecting NBC's offer to bump his time slot to 12:05 was clear, heartfelt, and focused on the impact it would have on the proud institution of the "Tonight Show." It wasn't a whiny haranguer about what this was doing to Conan and his career. His counterpart, Jay Leno, isn't showing similar restraint or understanding of this sage communications mantra. At least his decision (which NBC may have prompted) to spill his guts on the Oprah Show , sitting soberly and penitently on the talk show's couch to discuss for an hour the situation, was not the best approach in my humble opinion after many years of counseling executives through PR crises.
I heard a chunk of the interview via a satellite radio rebroadcast of the show and then watched the same segments online to see how he performed. Leno's demeanor was serious and somewhat nervous, with a loosened tie and heavy use of his hands as he was repeatedly explaining himself and seemingly pleading his case. His tie was loosened and he leaned forward, seeming defensive and uncomfortable. Only once did I see a glimpse of the confident comedian when he joked about the difficulties he was having because some networks were trying to sabotage his new show by refusing to give him their best people to book for his prime-time show -- "And tonight we have the animals from the San Diego Zoo!"
Beyond Leno's hat-in-hand performance with "Dr. Oprah," his agreement to submit himself to such an extensive interview on this charged subject allowed him to betray his bitterness with some subtly pointed barbs. While seeming to acknowledge his prime-time show failed ("I'm a big boy."), he noted that he was up against dramas that were spending up to $4M per episode on the other channels. He also took an indirect swipe at O'Brien's statement about not wanting to destroy the legacy of the "Tonight Show" when he noted that his show's rating were down 14% but O'Brien's show's rating were down 49%. "If you looked at where the ratings were . . . it was already destructive to the franchise."
Meanwhile, O'Brien completed his last "Tonight Show" with a statement, much as he began responding to this situation. He was gracious to NBC for his many years with them, starting with Saturday Night Live and to his fans. He talked with awe about the "Tonight Show," making it clear how precious this opportunity was to him and how much he enjoyed his brief stint hosting this jewel. There were no shots at Leno. He ended with, "Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."
So far O'Brien is right. He got an amazing payoff for NBC reneging on its deal with him to host the "Tonight Show." More importantly, he walked away with more support and dignity than Leno, the supposed winner in this negotiation. Perhaps that's the reason for Leno's hangdog demeanor and shots across the O'Brien bow. I saw a clip from Leno a week or so ago on a morning news show in which he quipped, "I'm staying on the Titanic." It was funny at the time, but truly the pressure is on Leno now. It's particularly on him since he said too much to Oprah, I believe. Witness Late Night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's video lampooning of Leno's Oprah interview to the tune of a sad song, with the theme "TV isn't fair," a direct statement from Leno during the segment.
O'Brien meanwhile is smiling and keeping quiet less because of a gag order from NBC which came with the big check than because he instinctively knows "less is more."
