ASU professor says Jimmy Fallon may not help 'Tonight Show' ratings

Can "The Tonight Show" boost its ratings with a younger, trendier host? NBC reportedly plans to replace an aging Jay Leno with the likeable Jimmy Fallon and move the show to New York. ASU's Peter Lehman, English professor and director of the Center for Film, Media and Popular Culture, says those changes might all be moot.

“Just like many young people no longer read newspapers or watch television news shows hosted by a traditional news anchor, the whole concept of watching a traditionally formatted nighttime talk show may soon be outdated no matter how young the host or what city it comes from,” Lehman said.

Kristen LaRue, Kristen.LaRue@asu.edu
480-965-7611
Department of English
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences