To Kill 10 O’Clock Primetime, What Is NBC Really Thinking?

Back in 2009 when Jay Leno’s 10:00 p.m. prime time show was bringing new meaning to the term ratings disaster, NBC affiliates across the country were howling about the damage the network’s latest attempt to save money was doing to late news.

Hank Price

The affiliates personally liked Jay, everyone liked Jay, but television is a business that cuts no slack, so NBC quickly returned to traditional programming. Sensing a rare opportunity to change the paradigm, a number of stations lobbied NBC to shrink prime time, giving the 10:00 p.m. hour back to affiliates for late news.

I was running an NBC affiliate at the time and loved the idea. Fox competitors were the only stations with newscasts at 10:00 and they were making a fortune. Going to head-to-head in the time period would level the playing field. Most importantly, a one-hour newscast would double late news inventory, nothing to sneeze at.

NBC, of course, decided against the idea and that was that, but in our business no idea is ever dead, especially when there is money to be saved, which why NBC ran up a trial balloon in the Wall Street Journal last week, making sure to say affiliates had not been consulted and of course such a move would have no effect on their undying commitment to quality programming.

What NBC is not saying is that their first commitment is to Peacock, now starting at just $4.99 a month with a free set of dinnerware. OK, I made the dinnerware up. In any case, we can be sure that if this move happens Peacock will continue to program the 10:00 p.m. time period, competing directly with the network’s own affiliates.

Who knows? Maybe affiliates will still like the idea, but there are also reasons to give them pause before supporting such a radical change; the most important being there is much more news inventory in the market than back in 2009. Will adding even more still be seen as a bonanza? If so, then the decision will be made based on that factor alone.

If NBC does give back the 10:00 p.m. hour, don’t think affiliates will gladly allow Jimmy Fallon to start early. Many Fox stations program the entire 10:00 to 11:30 p.m. time period with local news, something NBC affiliates would want to match. That means Fallon would stay at his current starting time.

Perhaps the biggest question of all is about NBC’s strategy for the future. Do they have one, or are they so blinded by streaming that the 10:00 p.m. idea is another sign they no longer see local stations as long-term partners? That would be a very bad decision for both parties.

There is also the question of reaction from ABC and CBS. Would affiliates of those networks demand their own 10:00 p.m. start? One suspects both networks would gladly comply for the cost savings alone, not to mention their own commitments to streaming. If affiliates of all four networks start local news at 10:00 p.m. has anyone gained anything?

Whatever happens, we are clearly in a time of radical change. One can hardly wait to see the next shoe drop.