NBC is keeping any hype over the launch of Jay Leno to an absolute minimum.
Perhaps chastened by the negative reaction to last summer's press release declaring Conan O'Brien the new king of latenight after one week, the Peacock today is taking a just-the-facts approach to touting last night's stellar performance by Leno.
The network just issued what might be its most boring, adjective-free press release ever on behalf of Leno. Even the quote from new NBC chief Jeff Gaspin was low-key.
"It's great to launch this innovative new show with such strong initial sampling, but we realize this is just one night and that we're going to build our business in this time period with ratings that will level out over time," Gaspin said. "Our focus is on delivering a great show and developing a consistent comedy viewing habit at 10 p.m. over the long haul."
Laying low is a smart move for NBC, of course, since history suggests Leno will likely lose a big chunk of viewers in the next week or two.
Click here for the full NBC release.
