Some newspapers reported today that NBC and Conan O'Brien have reached an agreement on a contract buyout. The numbers that were reported estimate a $40 million payout to Conan and severance for his staff. Would you go back to work if your employer gave you a $40 million buyout? Regardless of what you might do, Conan apparently plans to take some time off, and return to TV on another network in the fall.
One thing we can all learn from this -- there's still a great deal of money to be made in television. Apparently, NBC believes they'll make so much more money returning Jay Leno to the 11:35 PM time slot it was worth paying Conan off. Therefore, it's worthwhile for you to spend your time making your own program idea as strong as possible before you pitch it to a network.
Our other lesson is a hard truth to swallow -- sometimes you can have a good idea that doesn't work. The people running NBC certainly thought moving Leno to prime time would make their network stronger -- at least that's what they told the public, their advertisers, and their affiliates. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are two examples of topical comedy shows that succeed in prime. I'm sure NBC tested the concept on sample audiences and advertisers before committing to it. It just didn't work. As the saying goes, "That's show business." You need to be prepared for the fact that your idea may not become popular. Make sure you have more than one idea to pitch.
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