Bill carter is a television reporter for the new york times. Bill tells the story of how conan obrien missed the signs when moving over to tbs, and recounts the critical mistake conan made in cutting the cord from lorne michaels. Bill carter is the author of two books about the politics and people of late night television, and a media reporter for the new york times. It chronicles the 2010 conflict surrounding the american latenight talk show the tonight show involving conan obrien and jay leno. As a fan of jay leno, johnny carson, jimmy kimmel, letterman and conan, i found that bill carters book gives the reader a knowledgeable and so tell me. Through exhaustive research and interviews with the major players, bill carters book the war for late night tells the story of the conan. From the looks of this excerpt in vanity fair, this latest effort does not disappoint. The war for late night audiobook bill carter audible.
Bill carter wasnt on team coco, but he wasnt rooting for jay leno, either. Bill carters book reveals explosive new details about the jay lenoobrien debacle. Bill carter has produced a page turner infused with insight into the personalities involved, the issues driving the process, and the decline of a major network. Bill carter s new book, the war for late night, reveals what happened behind the scenes of the conan obrien vs. When leno went early and television went crazy, will be released on nov. When leno went early and television went crazy, is news from the front.
The book was later made into a film of the same name by hbo. Bill carter on conan obriens crucial mistake running late with. Jay leno brawl over the tonight show, the expletives that were hurled during. Carter talks contrasts the talents and motivations of talk several show hosts, and johnny carsons impact them. Bill carters new book will focus on conan obrienjay. The war for late night by bill carter daves strange world. In the war for late night, bill carter covers the second war for late night, between jay leno and conan obrien for the tonight show the first being between jay and david letterman in the early 90s, the subject of carter s the late shift. His new book, the war for late night chronicles the conflict between conan obrien and jay leno.
As a keen mountain biker, carter spends a lot of time in the hills a pastime that has made him well aware of just how many sunshine hours the canterbury region is blessed with surprisingly, the equivalent of auckland. Bill carter, the new york times tv industry reporter who literally wrote the book on late night, is working on a new book for viking that will. Conan tv wars, hot details in bill carters new book. Conan s collapse, meanwhile, opened an unexpected door of opportunity for rival david letterman. It chronicles the early 1990s conflict surrounding the american latenight talk show the tonight show.
So at least now, jay does his show, but theres the break of the news, and thats kind of the reset button, conan. Conan obrien goes west, with a dash the new york times. Carter is still in the writing process, though he says he is going to try to finish as soon as he can. Nbcs ceo, jeff zucker, had it all worked out when he moved jay leno from behind the desk at the tonight show, and handed the reins over to conan obrien.
Howard finished 21 conan stories during his life, and the character would later be written by authors such as poul anderson, robert jordan, l. The best quotes from behindthescenes of the conanleno war. Bill carter joined the new york times as a national media reporter in 1989. Better hurry, bill, before all evidence of conans existence has disappeared. Joy behar discusses bill carters new book, the war. Bill carters new book, the war for late night, reveals what happened behind the scenes of the conan obrien vs. Factory to develop a tv series based on bill carters bestselling 2006 book desperate networks. Jimmy fallon finally ascending to the role of tonight show host on nbc, i read bill carters 2010 chronicle of the last disastrous tonight show host transition, the war for late night. Conan carter carter is one of business owners for harrisons for the whole canterbury region.
The war for late night bill carter book obiaks books. Nbcs ceo, jeff zucker, had it all worked out when he moved jay leno from behind the desk at the tonight show, and handed the reins over to conan o brien. So at least now, jay does his show, but theres the break of the news, and thats kind of the reset button, conan said to gaspin and graboff. Bill carters new book will focus on conan obrienjay leno debacle. Carter, the new york times media reporter who in 1996. A dramatic account of the politics and personalities behind nbcs calamitous attempt to reinvent latenight television.
Throughout all of the sturm and drang of the battle between conan obrien, jay leno, and nbc at the beginning of this year, many kept repeating the same refrain, god, bill carters gon. Jimmy kimmel, letterman and conan, i found that bill carters book gives the. Subscribe bill tells the story of how conan obrien missed the signs when moving over to tbs, and recounts the critical. Its a whole different kind of show in that time period. Paul drinkwaternbc photo conan obrien debuted as host of the tonight show on monday. When leno went early and television went crazy, whose release concurrent with conan obriens return to television cannot be coincidental. Yet while the outsize personalities havent changed since carters 1995 book the late shift, the speed of the news cycle. Bill carter has written about television for the new york times for decades and his earlier book, on the postjohnny carson late night wars between letterman and leno is a classic. As conan finally returns to tv tonight, we tell you what conan thought of jay, why jays innocent, and other revelations from bill carters hot new book, the war for late night. Vanity fair has an excerpt from bill carters forthcoming the war for late night, a behindthescenes look at nbcs lenoconan catastrophe.
The war for late night by bill carter the history of the decline and fall of the roman empire by edward gibbon the smartest guys in. Quotes by bill carter the one thought conan had on the spot about the half hour at 11. He is the author of the new york times bestseller the late shift, two other books on the television industry, monday night mayhem and desperate networks, and has written numerous articles for the new york times magazine and other publications. This weekend i read bill carters 2010 book the war for late night. Nothing will change with trump as president conan on tbs duration. The conan the barbarian character first appeared in the publication weird tales in 1932. The book is really dazzling when carter reports lenos crash and burn first in a media standup routine and then in the ratings for his new program. In bill carters new book, the war for late night, the topic is what happened to the tonight show when nbc asked leno to give it over to conan obrien in 2004, setting in motion a. When leno went early and television went crazy is a 2010 nonfiction book written by the new york times media reporter bill carter. No one is more uniquely suited to document televisions latest late night travesty than veteran media reporter and bestselling author, bill carter. The book is a sequel of sorts to carters the late shift, which became the book of record about the last fight over the tonight show, between leno and david letterman back in 1992. Conan obrien sarah palin bill carter david letterman. Leno went early and television went crazy bill carter on. The new york times bestselling author of the late shift delivers a boisterous, twotiming, highstakes drama about the business of comedy the associated press no one is more uniquely suited to document televisions latest late night travesty than veteran media reporter and bestselling author, bill carter.
The new york times television writer didnt take sides during this years battle for the tonight show. What followed was a boisterous, angry, frequently hilarious public battle that had millions of astonished viewers glued to their sets. It tells the story of nbcs colossal mishandling of two of its most important talents, jay leno and conan obrien. Jay and conans jobs at nbc were extraordinary but their stories contain important lessons for. He has been a guest on nightline, today, cnn, charlie rose. A network in a bind and two men at opposing comedic poles provide grist for bill carters mill in the war for late night. Late shift author to tackle conanleno drama vulture. Bill carter, the new york times tv industry reporter who literally wrote the book on late night, is working on a new book for viking that will focus on the recent drama between conan obrien, jay. Letterman, leno, and the network battle for the night is a 1994 nonfiction book written by the new york times media reporter bill carter. When nbc decided to move jay leno into prime time to make room for conan obrien to host the tonight showa job he had been promised five years earlierskeptics anticipated a train wreck for the ages. It took, in fact, only a few months for the dire predictions to come true.
The book, written by the new york times bill carter and later adapted as a frisky hbo movie, is a classic insideshowbiz tale. It is a sequel to carter s 1994 book the late shift, which detailed the struggle for the hosting spot on the. The juiciest tidbits from bill carters the war for late. Through exhaustive research and interviews with the major players, bill carters book the war for late night tells the story of the conan obrienjay leno battle. He has been a guest on nightline, today, cnn, charlie rose, nbc nightly news. Bill carter turns the lenoconan battle over the tonight show into a pageturning thriller, while also exploring why it was ultimately a pyrrhic victory for both.