Channel 7: We'll air Leno's new show

After a week of discussions between the station and the network, WHDH-TV Channel 7 officials said today that Jay Leno’s new talk show is a go this fall on Boston's NBC affiliate.

“Upon further consideration, we have decided to telecast Jay Leno at 10:00 p.m. starting in September,’’ said Ed Ansin, owner of WHDH and WLVI-TV Channel 56, 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.”

(Leno is shown at right in a Reuters file photo.)

John Eck, president of NBC TV Network, added, “We are very pleased that WHDH will carry Jay Leno’s new primetime comedy show...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.”

Two weeks ago, Ansin announced that he had planned to air a 10 p.m. newscast instead of Leno’s untitled one-hour show, which will debut in September.

Ansin said at the time that he believed there’s a bigger audience for news at 10 p.m., and that Leno’s show would have been a weak lead-in for his 11 p.m. newscast, which has fallen to third place in the past year.
(By Johnny Diaz, Globe staff)