Show will go on in the Hub, Leno says

Asked about the recent announcement by WHDH-TV (Channel 7) that the station would air a newscast instead of his show, Leno said he remains hopeful things will work out. "I'm sure it will work out. It's show-business stuff. If I have to speak Spanish and do it for Telemundo, well then . . ., " said the Andover native, who made an appearance yesterday at Salem State College.

Leno was there to help raise money for the Barbara Ann Sogoloff Scholarship, which provides financial aid for women who attend college full time. The benefit is named after the late wife of Leno's longtime friend Lennie Sogoloff.

He went on to say, "Whatever happens happens. I assume it will work out. This is one of those things, and I'm flattered that it became public when my name was involved."

During a press conference, Leno described his new show as being a lead-in for the 11 p.m. news. "We will probably lose the couch and the desk and just do more things. We'll still have celebrities. There will still be a monologue, the stuff that works, headlines, and Jaywalking," he said.

Last week, Ed Ansin, owner of WHDH-TV and WLVI-TV (Channel 56), told the Globe that he plans to air a 10 p.m. newscast instead of Leno's untitled one-hour show, which is set to debut in September.

Ansin said there's a bigger audience available at 10 p.m. and that Leno's show would hurt his ratings as a lead-in for his 11 p.m. newscast. Ansin's Miami station, WSVN-TV (Channel 7), which is a Fox affiliate, also airs a highly rated 10 p.m. newscast.

Ansin said last week that he had told NBC he wanted to run Leno at 11 p.m., but NBC told him that "was not feasible."

NBC has maintained that Leno will debut in Boston, either on WHDH or on another station. In response to WHDH's announcement that it would air a newscast rather than Leno at 10 p.m., the network threatened to cancel the station's NBC affiliation contract. NBC officials said the network is considering other local stations to carry NBC programming, including Telemundo's WNEU. An official familiar with the situation said the network has heard from three Boston-area stations that are interested in picking up Leno's show.

NBC said WHDH is the only affiliate in the country refusing to air Leno's show.

WHDH officials would not comment yesterday, but station employees said the reaction to the announcement, which was reported across the country, caught them by surprise.

Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com.