12-09-2008, 06:26 AM
The networks are all bleeding money. This Leno maneuver is likely aimed at survival. Letting Leno go might be too risky, finding a way to keep him makes sense if they're trying to keep some semblance of institutional memory and continuity, in a medium that's competing for smaller and smaller viewership and decreasing advertising dollars. Leno hasn't been funny in over a decade, but he is familiar and comforting.