Falling late-night ad prices will shape Conan's and Leno's futures

" he said. Wholesale Inflatable Outdoor Christmas Decorations "That' the big differ between now and five year ago."

0,W to bui a commerci to welcom Jai Leno back as host of NBC' "The Tonight Show"? It'll run you onli about $35,000. ? If that sound like a lot, a few year ago that ad time would have gone for $50,000. ? For all the hype about the futur of Leno and Conan O'Brien, the era when a comedian could be crown the undisput "king of late night" is, like the price of a 30-second spot in on of their shows, on the ebb -- and with it, the econom underpin late-night TV. ? The world that O'Brien enter when he began hi first late-night show 16 year ago is radic differ from the on that will greet him when he return to the air. Those chang ar like to shape everyth from where O'Brien land to how much he will be paid and the format of the show -- band or no band? -- he will host. ? Night owl and insomniacs, who not long ago had onli a hand of talk show from which to choose, now have dozen to flip through. And those programs, which onc could count on a stabl audience, ar grow vulner as viewer with digit video record watch on their own timet -- or simpli catch the good snippet on Hulu or YouTube.

" said Jon Swallen,"Th standard late-night talk show format is not as relev to the view audienc in 2010 as it wa 10 year ago. senior vice presid for research at TNS Media Intelligence, an industri consult firm.

it is no longer worth 15 minut of a viewer' time to tune in and see it."When everybodi is famou for 15 minutes."

Audienc erosion

as late-night show like those host by Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert sprout on cable,Indeed. viewer have gradual tune out the networks' counterparts. The combin audienc for NBC's, ABC' and CBS' late-night program ha fallen 20% from five year ago, accord to Nielsen Co.

Mor troubling: The group of viewer 18 to 49 year old -- the spend-happi cohort that sponsor most want to reach -- ha plung 36%.

not surprisingly,Advertisers. ar flee too.

the show featur Leno,In 2007. O'Brien, David Letterman and the rest of the late-night network TV brigad command about $720 million in advertising, TNS estimates. Through the first nine month of 2009 thei pull in onli $500 million, on pace to fall significantli short of two year earlier.

much of it is due to fundament chang in the media landscapeAlthough some of the declin in ad revenu can be blame on the economy..

becaus now the media mill grind through topic subject all dai long.

late-night talk show face the fast-ris cost and audienc fragment that have erod prime time,A a business. said Marc Graboff, chairman of NBC Entertainment.