ABC gives Kimmel a voice

Posted: Wed., Jul. 16, 2008, 11:55am PT
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson gave Jimmy Kimmel another vote of confidence Wednesday, promising that the host would have a voice in how the net potentially alters its late night sked next year.

That means Kimmel will be consulted should ABC start talking with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno about joining the net, McPherson told reporters Wednesday during the Alphabet's portion of the TV Critics Assn. press tour.

But for now, McPherson said Leno's future remains a question first for NBC.

"I can't believe they're going to let this guy go at the top of his game," McPherson said. "If it happens we'll look at it at the time and Jimmy will be a part of those conversations."

ABC remains the odds-on favorite to house Leno once the host departs "Tonight" next year. That's led to speculation that Leno's arrival might squeeze out Kimmel, who has scored big buzz for his "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this year.

Kimmel made a cameo appearance during McPherson's press tour sesh, posing as a reporter to ask the exec (in a pre-staged exchange) whether ABC was interested in hiring Leno.

"Are you concerned that if you replace Jimmy Kimmel that he'll do something to you or your car?" Kimmel asked McPherson.

"His show has exploded this year," McPherson said of Kimmel. "We're hugely supportive of it."

Later, he added, "We love Jimmy, he's a part of this network and will be an asset for us for many years to come. There's absolutely room for both."

McPherson said several different scheduling options exist for ABC should Leno join the fold, beyond just sliding Leno and Kimmel into the traditional 11:30 and 12:30 slots -- although those traditional slots "are something we'd have to look at."

If sources are to be believed, a Jay Leno retirement announcement could be coming soon. A new rumor claims that NBC is planning to announce in May that the 2013-14 television season will be Leno's last.
The Hollywood Reporter got a denial from NBC about the planned shift, but did hear from "two high-level industry sources" that the idea is to phase Leno out and Jimmy Fallon in as "The Tonight Show" host next year. He would start at the gig with a soft launch in summer 2014.
Again, this is far from confirmed, but it makes some sense considering Jimmy Kimmel's recent shift to 11:35 p.m. Kimmel is popular with younger audiences in a way similar to Fallon, so NBC reportedly wants to make sure it doesn't lose that viewership entirely by the time someone does replace Leno.
"The more time Jimmy Kimmel is in that slot, the more the young audience goes that way, the harder it is for Jimmy [Fallon] to keep that audience," a source says. Another "network veteran" adds, "Kimmel has done extremely well. Jay wins overall, but on any given night, it's neck-and-neck in 18-49. I understand where they might have fear and also feel that they own the solution [in Fallon.]"
THR speculates that NBC could announce Leno's departure and Fallon's takeover on or before May upfronts. NBC would then "get the benefit of selling Jay's last year -- again," an insider claims.