NBC affiliate WHDH Boston says it will air Jay Leno's 10 p.m. weekday show when it launches this Fall.
"Upon further consideration, we have decided to telecast Jay Leno at 10:00 p.m. starting in September," said Sunbeam owner Ed Ansin in a statement. "Jay is from Andover where I went to school. I enjoy his humor. We hope the new show is a big success."
"We are very pleased that WHDH will carry Jay Leno's new primetime comedy show at 10 pm this fall on NBC," said John Eck, president of NBC TV Network in a statement. "We look forward to working closely with the station on a successful launch in Boston of this show, featuring one of the most bankable stars in the business."
The station, owned by Sunbeam, had originally said it would carry a 10 pm. local newscast in lieu of the Tonight Show star's new strip.
NBC responded by threatening to pull its affiliation from WHDH and starting an O&O in the market, possibly relaunching Telemundo station WNEU as an NBC station. NBC affiliates across the country largely supported the network, though acknowledging that a local newscast would likely be more lucrative.
