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PASADENA, Calif. — Conan O’Brien’s ratings are soaring as he nears a bitter exit from NBC’s “Tonight Show.”
His ratings Friday were 50 percent higher than they have been this season, and he beat CBS’s David Letterman, according to a preliminary Nielsen Co. estimate. In the 18-to- 49-year-old demographic that NBC relies on to set advertising prices, O’Brien even beat Jay Leno’s prime-time show.
Meanwhile, O’Brien’s manager, Gavin Polone, denied a New York Post item Saturday, quoting an anonymous source, that said O’Brien’s staff members are “furious” with O’Brien for negotiating an exit payment reportedly approaching $30 million while they are losing their jobs. Polone said O’Brien was negotiating severance packages for his employees.
