CONAN O BRIEN - CONAN THE HUMANITARIAN

CONAN THE HUMANITARIAN

The 75 nonstriking staff members of Late Night With Conan O'Brien will continue to receive paychecks courtesy of O'Brien himself beginning next week, an NBC spokeswoman said Thursday. According to today's New York Times, the out-of-pocket expense to O'Brien will be about $200,000 a week. Until now, the staffers had been receiving paychecks from the network itself -- as had the staff of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Staffers of Late Show With David Letterman and Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson are receiving checks from Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, which owns both shows. The staff of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! will continue to be paid by the network. Today's Washington Post said that Leno has no plans to follow the lead of his late-night rivals, although a press representative told the newspaper that Leno has been providing holiday bonuses to the staffers.

30/11/2007