The great Jay Leno experiment is dead.
NBC made it official this morning, saying that Leno’s 10 p.m. talk show is ending Feb. 12 — after five and half months of abysmal ratings.
Still up in the air is what will happen to the man who took Leno’s place as host of the “Tonight” show, Conan O’Brien.
Officials confirmed that they are proposing a new late-night arrangement — Leno at 11:30 hosting a half-hour show and Conan at midnight, hosting the “Tonight” show.
The two comedians are weighing their option over this weekend, the officials said.
“I hope and expect that before the Olympics begin [Feb. 14], we will have everything set,” the head of NBC, Jeff Gaspin said.
“I can’t imagine we won’t have everything set by them.”
Gaspin said that it was intense pressure from NBC’s affiliated stations around the country that forced the network to yank Leno from 10 p.m.
“We were actually making money at 10,” he said. “I think over time it would have started to grow. For the network it was not yet a wrong decision.”
But the low ratings were killing the 11 p.m. news shows, which is usually the biggest moneymaker for local stations, he said. Gaspin indicated that the local affliliates threatened to bolt unless more traditional programs were put back.
“I would have liked nothing more than to give this a 52 week try,” he told reporters, but the pressure was too much.
Gaspin says the network was going “back to basics” and would fill the 10 p.m. hour new dramas — including a new version of “Law & Order” set in LA.
Previous spin offs of “Law & Order” have all been set in New York.