TCA 2010: Landgraf Keen On Conan

FX Chief Would Love To Have Late-Night Show, Jump At Chance To Work With Tonight Show Host

Melissa Grego (Broadcasting & Cable) -- Multichannel News, 1/17/2010 1:24:50 PM

If Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien, who is reportedly in the process of negotiating his exit from NBC, becomes available to basic cable, FX Networks president and general manager John Landgraf said he would jump at the chance to get O'Brien on his schedule "in a heartbeat."
Landgraf, speaking Jan. 17 during an executive session at the TCA winter press tour here, said he would "love to have a Daily Show" on its schedule "if it's as good as Conan or The Daily Show or Colbert."

Pasadena, Calif. — He called the ability to host and sustain a daily show like O'Brien does "very, very rare."

He noted that Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice, who was in the back of the room, now oversees both the Fox broadcast network and FX, per the new exec structure at News Corp.
"I think [Peter Rice] gets to decide whether Conan gets to go to the big brother or the little brother," Landgraf said, acknowledging that the economics of mounting a big latenight show are more viable on a broadcast network right now. He said he doubts FX will get a shot at Conan "but we'll see how it plays out."

Read more at B&C here.