JAY LENO - OBAMA BOOSTS LENO

OBAMA BOOSTS LENO

President Obama's appearance on NBC's Tonight show with Jay Leno Thursday produced the show's highest ratings in years. NBC and Nielsen Research said that the 11.2 rating and 26 share was the best score that the NBC late show has generated in five years -- when an identical figure was produced for a special about Johnny Carson. One has to go back to the night of the Seinfeld finale in 1998, when Leno talked to the cast, to find an episode that drew more viewers. In an interview with Daily Variety, NBC Co-chairman Ben Silverman said that the network is hoping to come up with similar big "gets" when Leno moves to primetime later this year. "There's an opportunity to really eventize the show," Silverman said. "(We're looking) to make it distinct and it should play perfectly in primetime, where there is a massive audience. It will still be a comedy show, but with more segments and formats."

23/03/2009