BOSTON – Boston TV station WHDH says it will air a local newscast instead of Jay Leno's new 10 p.m. talk show, prompting a threat from NBC to strip the station of its network affiliation.
Leno is leaving "The Tonight Show" in June and his new prime-time program on NBC is scheduled to begin in September.
The owner of WHDH's parent company, Ed Ansin, told The Boston Globe he did not believe Leno's new show would be successful. He said the station would do better financially with a news show that competes with Fox-affiliated WFXT-TV's highly-rated 10 p.m. newscast.
NBC TV Network president John Eck said in a statement that WHDH's move was a "flagrant violation" of its contract with the network.
WHDH currently runs local news at 11 p.m. and produces a 10 p.m. newscast for sister station WLVI-TV.
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