The War for Late Night

When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy

De: Bill Carter

Narrado por: Sean Kenin

A dramatic account of the politics and personalities behind NBC's calamitous attempt to reinvent late-night television.

When NBC decided to move Jay Leno into prime time to make room for Conan O'Brien to host the Tonight show-a job he had been promised five years earlier-skeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true. Leno's show, panned by critics, dragged down the ratings-and the profits-of NBC's affiliates, while ratings for Conan's new Tonight show plummeted to the lowest levels in history. Conan's collapse, meanwhile, opened an unexpected door of opportunity for rival David Letterman. What followed was a boisterous, angry, frequently hilarious public battle that had millions of astonished viewers glued to their sets. In The War for Late Night, New York Times reporter Bill Carter offers a detailed behind-the-scenes account of the events of the unforgettable 2009/2010 late-night season as all of its players- performers, producers, agents, and network executives-maneuvered to find footing amid the shifting tectonic plates of television culture.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for The War for Late Night

“Hugely entertaining...A suspenseful piece of business journalism.”—The New Yorker

“As thorough and detailed a story as he tells, Mr. Carter entertains us every step of the way, peppering the page with more rich comedic details than your average late-night monologue.”—The New York Times

“Makes last year’s battle royale seem far more interesting than the programs themselves.”—The Daily Beast

“A boisterous, two-timing, high-stakes drama about the business of comedy at a sinking TV network.”—Associated Press

shoulda been there

I think thus is so interesting coming from a college student on team Coco back in the day. There is my bias, not so sure if that added significantly to my enjoyment.

Excellent

Never knew the whole story of the late night debacle of NBC, this is an excellent road map to what made headlines and kept me watching as it unfolds. I loved this story and the narration

Amazing background

This was one I could not put down. I like late night tv and was amazed at the detail Bill Carter put in to the behind the scenes. I'm still amazed Jay Leno was branded the bad guy when he was being pushed out in the top of his game. Carter does a good job showing all sides and not pointing fingers but giving the facts.

Awesome retelling of the events!

Really great retelling of this modern epic showdown in show business... maybe the last of its kind.

Very entertaining book, excellently narrated

I heard the author on Sound of Young America talking about the book and was interested, but listening to this book far more entertaining than I ever imagined. I rarely watch late night TV, but getting this inside view of how the different characters interact and the demands of the business was very interesting. The author had so much inside information, I would have believed this was a novel. The story he weaved together was very compelling and hard to put down.

The book is excellently narrated. The fact that there are parts of comedy routines in the book made for some good chuckles, but the narrator did such a great job (not trying to do impressions, but just giving a subtle indication who is speaking) that the book is even better as a result.