PASADENA, Calif. — In the wake of Ben Silverman’s departure from NBC, the top programming executives left behind said the network is on the right path and will be patient with changes he put into motion, including a bold prime-time talk show with Jay Leno, below.
NBC entertainment chief Angela Bromstad said Silverman, who will head a new multimedia production and distribution venture with Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp., had put “everything in place” for a smooth changeover.
The Leno prime-time gamble, orchestrated by Silverman with NBC Universal president and chief executive Jeff Zucker, represents a sea change for network television, reducing the space on NBC’s schedule for series by a third each weeknight and testing the audience appetite for yet another talk show and at an earlier hour.
“There are a lot of things that would mean success for this show,” she said. “It’s a marathon. It’s not going to be determined in the first five days of the show.” The Associated Press
