JAY WINS BUT DOES NO BETTER THAN CONAN

NBC on Thursday attempted to put a positive spin on the latest ratings for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, saying in a press release that it delivered “bigger audiences than the ABC and CBS competition in every key ratings category.” However, ratings analysts were quick to point out that the show’s ratings were down substantially from two years ago and merely equaled those garnered by Conan O’Brien during the comparable week a year ago. TVbytheNumbers.com pointed out that it was the fourth time in the last six weeks that Leno had tied O’Brien’s ratings when compared on a calendar week basis — and the other two times, Leno trailed O’Brien. The Late Show with David Letterman was flat with last year, but Letterman was in repeats. ABC’s Nightline continued to edge out Letterman, doing so for the 18th consecutive week.