CBS sold the time slot for $15 million to Byron Allen. They’ve effectively walked away from having a late night talk show and picked someone who was known in the industry for having a tame air filler show.
That said, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was more expensive than you’d think. They had a large studio space in New York City, a team of comedy writers, and other staff increasing the cost. Conan had gone through a cost cutting measure at TBS, with his show getting cut to half an hour with a smaller stage and less staff. Jay Leno gave up a significant part of his salary to keep his staff’s jobs before The Tonight Show went to Conan.
Had Taylor Tomlinson stayed on, CBS might have used her as a stick to threaten Colbert to make budget cuts and/or take a salary cut. Without her and reading the politics of Trump, CBS decided not to even entertain the idea of keeping The Late Show.
Yeah, they could have. However, saying to do the entire show for with profit for $15 million a year would have likely been an insultingly low offer to Colbert.
As was explained to me earlier in the thread, CBS isn’t paying Byron Allen anything. Byron is paying them $15m to own that block of time.
So CBS could have given the same offer to Colbert. Instead of it being the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it would have become Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. He would own the show and therefore own all profit from it. Buying a business isn’t an insult.
Had CBS allowed Colbert to buy it, he could have turned it down and CBS would have looked good. Or he could have taken the deal like Allen did knowing it was worth more than the $40M loss that CBS claimed.
But CBS didn’t give him a choice because Colbert might have taken the deal. Trump wanted Colbert off the air.
CBS sold the time slot for $15 million to Byron Allen. They’ve effectively walked away from having a late night talk show and picked someone who was known in the industry for having a tame air filler show.
That said, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was more expensive than you’d think. They had a large studio space in New York City, a team of comedy writers, and other staff increasing the cost. Conan had gone through a cost cutting measure at TBS, with his show getting cut to half an hour with a smaller stage and less staff. Jay Leno gave up a significant part of his salary to keep his staff’s jobs before The Tonight Show went to Conan.
Had Taylor Tomlinson stayed on, CBS might have used her as a stick to threaten Colbert to make budget cuts and/or take a salary cut. Without her and reading the politics of Trump, CBS decided not to even entertain the idea of keeping The Late Show.
Colbert wasn’t allowed to buy the Late Show for $15M yet Byron Allen was?
Byron Allen didn’t buy the Late Show, he just bought the air time.
Yes but if the Late Show was cancelled because of cost they could have offered the time slot to Colbert first.
Putting an interview show in the same time slot and changing the desk for a table is pretty much the Late Show with a set change.
Yeah, they could have. However, saying to do the entire show for with profit for $15 million a year would have likely been an insultingly low offer to Colbert.
They wouldn’t pay Colbert. It would be the same deal they allowed Allen.
Colbert would “buy” the time slot for $15m a year and keep all profit (if any).
They would be paying the company that Colbert made to make the show, since Colbert would likely be a producer or have control over the producers.
And, as I said earlier, the end compensation to Colbert would likely be insultingly low.
As was explained to me earlier in the thread, CBS isn’t paying Byron Allen anything. Byron is paying them $15m to own that block of time.
So CBS could have given the same offer to Colbert. Instead of it being the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it would have become Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. He would own the show and therefore own all profit from it. Buying a business isn’t an insult.
Had CBS allowed Colbert to buy it, he could have turned it down and CBS would have looked good. Or he could have taken the deal like Allen did knowing it was worth more than the $40M loss that CBS claimed.
But CBS didn’t give him a choice because Colbert might have taken the deal. Trump wanted Colbert off the air.
I don’t think CBS letting Colbert stay on for $15 million to produce the show would have been seen as anything other than firing Colbert.