Monday, February 03, 2020

This Week in Television History: February 2020 PART I


February 6, 1940
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is born.
Television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation (1998), a runaway bestseller, and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He is the only person to host all three major NBC News programs: The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and, briefly, Meet the Press. He currently serves as a Special Correspondent for NBC News and works on documentaries for other outlets.

February 8, 1985
The last episode of The Dukes of Hazzard aired.
Boss Hogg grudgingly agrees to participate in Rosco's magic act during a talent revue at the Boar's Nest. Boss plans to use the "disappearing lady" act as a way to get to a scheduled appointment, but it works out too well. A pair of escaped felons, whom Boss helped put away, kidnap Boss and hold him for ransom. When Rosco is unable to make Boss "reappear," Bo and Luke investigate and determine foul play was involved. Rosco is convinced Boss really did disappear into thin air, leaving the Duke boys to ride to Boss' rescue.
Guest Starring
February 9, 2010
The Jay Leno Show aired for the last time in primetime.
The show aired at 10 p.m. from September 14, 2009, to February 9, 2010, on NBC, after Leno's initial retirement from hosting The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In January 2010, NBC announced that due to affiliate concerns about its effect on their newscasts, The Jay Leno Show would be shortened to 30 minutes and moved from primetime to 11:35 p.m., the timeslot that had been occupied by The Tonight Show for nearly 60 years.
The Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien released a public statement saying that he would not participate in moving Tonight to 12:05 a.m., asserting that it would damage the highly respected franchise. Despite much support for O'Brien from both the public and media professionals alike NBC maintained its plan to move Leno to 11:35. On January 21, 2010, NBC reached a $45 million settlement with O'Brien in order to end his contract. Leno ended on February 9, 2010, after being on the air for only four months, with Entertainment Weekly calling the program television's "Biggest Bomb of All Time." Leno resumed his duties as host of Tonight on March 1, 2010, which lasted until 2014.

To quote the Bicentennial Minute, "And that's the way it was".


Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

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