The War for Late Night

When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy

De: Bill Carter

Narrado por: Sean Kenin

A dramatic account of the politics and personalities behind NBC's calamitous attempt to reinvent late-night television.

When NBC decided to move Jay Leno into prime time to make room for Conan O'Brien to host the Tonight show - a job he had been promised five years earlier - skeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true. Leno's show, panned by critics, dragged down the ratings - and the profits - of NBC's affiliates, while ratings for Conan's new Tonight show plummeted to the lowest levels in history. Conan's collapse, meanwhile, opened an unexpected door of opportunity for rival David Letterman. What followed was a boisterous, angry, frequently hilarious public battle that had millions of astonished viewers glued to their sets. In The War for Late Night, New York Times reporter Bill Carter offers a detailed behind-the-scenes account of the events of the unforgettable 2009/2010 late-night season as all of its players- performers, producers, agents, and network executives-maneuvered to find footing amid the shifting tectonic plates of television culture.

©2010 Bill Carter (P)2010 Penguin Audio

shoulda been there

I think thus is so interesting coming from a college student on team Coco back in the day. There is my bias, not so sure if that added significantly to my enjoyment.

Excellent

Never knew the whole story of the late night debacle of NBC, this is an excellent road map to what made headlines and kept me watching as it unfolds. I loved this story and the narration

Amazing background

This was one I could not put down. I like late night tv and was amazed at the detail Bill Carter put in to the behind the scenes. I'm still amazed Jay Leno was branded the bad guy when he was being pushed out in the top of his game. Carter does a good job showing all sides and not pointing fingers but giving the facts.

Awesome retelling of the events!

Really great retelling of this modern epic showdown in show business... maybe the last of its kind.

So Cool It's Hot!

They say TV is a cool media. Bill Carter's astonishing research and powerful story telling talent have created a book to rival or maybe exceed Walter Isaacson's almost legendary bio on Steve Jobs! This is a dazzling tale of perhaps the end of a great era in broadcasting... late night network television broadcasting. If you thought you knew the ending of the Letterman/Leno/Conan/Kimmel/Stewart/Colbert/Chandler/Ferguson/Fallon duke-'em-out-after-11 PM saga... Well, you don't. Or at least you didn't know how all of their parts fit together through the inexorable pressures to deliver what business competitors need to survive.

What's wonderful about Carter's talent is that every single character in this masterpiece is sympathetic. There are no villains of the piece... unless it's scarcity. The fact is that there is only one "Tonight" show slot. Only really room for three major contenders for a viable audience slice immediately after 11. And many more talented/balanced/nuanced human beings to manage and to fill the hole. Carter makes it clear that scarcity demands that choices be made. And the UN-chosen will always be disappointed along with his/her fans.

This is a story of achievement and disappointment. that really ought to be read as an allegory for things well beyond TV, entertainment, the inter-generational clash of cultures, and Late Night. The message and the vehicle are huge.Bill Carter turns the cool medium's competition over a tiny portal to millions of homes into a hot message.

A strong book on its own less than stellar sequel

I enjoyed "The War For Late Night" I would like to see parts of it adapted for film, much like it's predecessor; "The Late Shift". However, the last third of this book seemed to drag a little bit. The book gives too much information about relative bit players within the drama. Also, there's too much information given after the apex of the story is told. Further, the narration in this book is not as lively or committed to as it was in "The Late Shift". All that having been said; I would still recommend this title to anyone who read/listened to "The Late Shift" or anyone who wants to know how NBC could have made the very same mistake all over again!

Engaging

An awesome expose into the inner workings of late night television. especially concerning Conan vs. Leno. Awesome narrator.

Conan/Leno saga in great detail

If you are interested in the Conan/Leno saga, this book is for you. The book also touches on various other late night talk show hosts you may be familiar with. Narration was spot on!

Great story!! Great narration

Very fun listen. I've enjoyed Late Night TV since a teenager. I remember reading about these events in the news and watching it play out live. Great book and well worth the listen if you're interested in Late Night shows.

Kept me up!!!

Where does The War for Late Night rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of top audio books that I have listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked learning the behind the scenes of what we all knew at the time.

What about Sean Kenin’s performance did you like?

He kept a good speed, sometimes a little too fast but I think the tempo also contributed to the excitement; you wanted to know what happened next.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Where Leno asked if he can call Conan and was told not to but afterwards, this was used against him by Conan.

Any additional comments?

I was glad to know that Leno never orchestrated any of the events or the ensuing drama that unfolded. I hope that he and Conan now knowing how everything went down can work things out. But then again, who knows what other versions of the story is out there.