Disruption is among us.
Once the desire to see disruption is within oneself, it is rather easy to start picking up where it is happening. This is something that can be extremely beneficial when it comes to investing, career choices, or simply paths in life that are taken.
We have discussed what is taking place with technology and Hollywood. So far our focus has been rather wide in scope.
In this article we will get a bit more directed in our target: late night television.
Johnny Carson Is Gone
The Tonight Show is classic television in the United States. This is a franchise that had Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, and Steve Allen, Jay Leno did a great job replacing the legend, Carson,
After that, it was all downhill.
This wasn't necessarily due to the replacements. Letterman was another mainstay for decades on late night television. His retirement meant there was a void that could not be filled.
Today, we are looking at another dead man walking. Late night television is competing with cable news to see who hits the demise first.
Both are fast tracking to the grave.
No Reason To Watch
The genre is dead.
While it is easy to blame the hosts, writers, and an assortment of other issues, the main problem is the timing.
We live in a world of instant information. Cable news is struggling because people get their information from other sources. One only needs to be on X to get the gist of anything that is happening.
With late night television, one of the allures was the stand up at the beginning of the show. Unfortunately, by the time they air, there are a million jokes on social media about the topic. At that hour, it is old news.
Another issue is in access.
Decades ago, actors, singers, and other entertainers were not available to the public. The only way to see then was on something like Carson. Outside of that, there was very little revealed.
That isnt the case today. Celebrities are everywhere. You can search the name of most and come up with a plethora of interviews, shorts, or podcasts they did. The mystery surrounding these people is no longer there.
What this means is that tuning in to see a big name actress on The Tonight Show is no longer required. You can see here in a million other places. Hell just follow her on a platform like Instagram and you will see most everything about her life.
All of this equates to dwindling viewship.
Much like cable news, the numbers are in the toilet. The number of people watching is continuing to decline. To make matter worse, these shows had to make themselves friendly to social media, since that is how they are promoted. The challenge here is that many people tune into the show on those sites also.
In other words, cord cutting is affect the late night shows also.
The Writer's Strike
With a settlement on the table, things can return.
The writer's strike affected late night television. Fallon etal were sidelined for the past 5 months as the union and the studios bickered over a new contract.
Now that terms were reached, they can go back to work and these shows can air.
The problem is did anyone really miss them? How many people were distraught they could not see these shows? I would surmise it is nothing compared to Carson or Leno being off air for that long.
Times changed and people have a lot of other options.
Late night television is getting swept out to sea by the shift that is taking place. We are in the attention economy and the numbers show the eyeballs are not on them. They, too, could be facing a demographic issue as the Boomers, traditional watchers of broadcast television, die off.
The parallel to the cable news is interesting. It is easy to see a correlation here.
Tens of millions are spend by these networks for the hosts of these shows. The question is whether they are bringing the money in.
Another few legs down in the ratings and it is game over.
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It shows that for the most part, these unions are not very beneficial to people but are more of a hindrance. There was a lot of importance for them in the past with workplaces retaining a lot of power. These days, that power is far diminished. They fought for table scraps and people weren't working for months and while that was going on, the shows were off the air and most people actually enjoyed not seeing their bullshit anymore. I'm wondering if it will even be a thing in 5 years. The contract negotiations were for 3 years weren't they?
In this instance, I am not sure it is the union. Sure there are drawbacks to them but, overall, they are part of the capitalistic model. I have no problem with private unions since they are just as responsible for the viability of the company as management. If either screws up, it is bankruptcy.
Here I dont think it is the unions as much as a shift in the way the world operates with entertainment. The late night television lineup simply isnt important to people.
There's also been a serious socio-political disconnect from what used to be the core audience, and the current crop of hosts. Not that long ago, hosts tried to be middle-of-the-road, and poked fun at both sides of the aisle....and thus, appeal to the widest audience. Sure, you had guys like Conan and Letterman who obviously leaned left, but it never felt like they were "team players" trying to protect "their side".
Today, the hosts are all obedient propagandists, faithfully adhering to the left's accepted talking points and dehumanizing any who dare dissent, constantly pushing themselves farther and farther away from the already dwindling numbers of Average Joe TV viewers.
Oh well....it might be a little sad to see a once cool format slip into obscurity, but seeing what it's become, you realize it's time to let go.
On a personal note: Carson may have been King, but Craig Ferguson is the freaking GOAT, and the day he retired from late night was the last day it was worth watching.
Yeah he was good.
Certainly the Hollywood establishment lives in a bubble and feels that its opinions matter more than all others. They are not starting to see the backlash.
Over the next few years, if the word keeps spreading, their power center will collapse as their money dries up. Revenues tend to drive much, with profits being the king.
Communism is reaching a breaking point and they are the one who espouse that philosophy.
Times have changed and with social media, sitting up late at night to watch a television show isn't part of our general routine anymore. I think late night television shows have lost much of their competitive edge as many segments of it are available in a better format.
No need to do that. There are other alternatives.
Interesting story. But watching dead people walking on TV late at night or watching horror movies seems a bit scary to me.
Interesting story. But watching dead people walking on TV late at night or watching horror movies seems a bit scary to me.
Interesting story. But watching dead people walking on TV late at night or watching horror movies seems a bit scary to me.