The Tonight Show: The Conan Era

Moving on to the actual programming strategy, it remains to be seen how this concept of having Jay at 10 followed by Conan at 11:30 will affect viewership and guests.  At the end of the day, these shows are promotional vehicles first and entertainment second.  In 2009, there may be far more options than the three channels of olden times on which to appear and promote your work, but there is still no larger single opportunity to capture a mass audience than on a network talk show.  As long as they exist, guests will line up to sit on the couch and talk about their latest project, no matter who’s the host.