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$17.50's a deal for 1600 points though.
WHDH Channel 7, Boston's NBC affiliate, is refusing to air host Jay Leno's new talk show in the lucrative 10 p.m. hour in favor of its own hour-long local news show, and NBC doesn't like it one bit.
"WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC," said John Eck, president of NBC TV Network. "If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station."
The decision to program local news instead of the talk show starring Leno, the longtime host of the Tonight Show who grew up in Andover, follows the runaway success of the 10 p.m newscast on rival WFXT-TV Channel 25, Boston's Fox outlet. The WFXT news averaged 210,600 total viewers in the March ratings sweeps, while the 10 p.m. newscast on WHDH sister station WLVI-TV (Channel 56) drew 43,800 total viewers. On some nights, WFXT's newscast beats network shows in the city, with help from lead-ins such as "American Idol" and "House.''
Leno's new show is scheduled to launch in September.
Ed Ansin, owner of WHDH and WLVI, believes a local newscast at 10:00 p.m., which he plans to simulcast on both stations, will draw better ratings than Leno would.