The New York Times reports there’s a plan in place to broadcast “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” from New York starting no later than autumn 2014.
“NBC has quietly begun work on a new studio in its headquarters building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as the home for the new ‘Tonight’ show," reports the Times’ Bill Carter. “The studio is part of a general reconstruction of the building being undertaken by Comcast, which this week completed a full takeover of NBC Universal.”
NBC officially continues to insist there’s no plan to boot Jay Leno, whose contract with the network expires next year -- but many expect NBC will announce Fallon as Leno’s successor at the network’s upfront presentation in less than two months.
Fallon has long operated out of New York’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza, first as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1998 to 2004, then as host of “Late Night” since 2009.
“The Tonight Show” began at 30 Rock with Steve Allen as host and remained there until 1972, when Johnny Carson moved it to Burbank, Calif.
NBC has reportedly been contacting talent agents about replacing Fallon at “Late Night,” with Howard Stern said to be a frontrunner for the post-“Tonight” timeslot.
Find all of the Times’ story on the matter here.
