Burbank Mayor: Plan to Move “Tonight Show” to NY Is a ‘Mistake’
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Andrew Eccles/NBC(NEW YORK) — When NBC announced on Wednesday that Jimmy Fallon will take over The Tonight Show in 2014, it also confirmed reports that it will move the late-night program from Burbank, Calif., to New York City.
For the most part, The Tonight Show has been broadcast from Burbank since 1972, when Johnny Carson brought it there from the Big Apple. The exception is Conan O’Brien’s brief run on The Tonight Show in 2009 and 2010 — he taped his show at Universal Studios in Universal City.
The mayor of Burbank, Dave Golonski, believes current Tonight Show host Jay Leno has forged a bond with the community.
Golonski tells ABC News Radio, “I think NBC is making a big mistake. I think Jay has this connection to the West Coast, and a lot of West Coast viewers are going to miss that connection.”
Golonski is offering Fallon a tour of Burbank in hopes of changing his mind, though Golonski realizes it’s a long shot, given NBC’s plans and the fact that Fallon is a New York native.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio