• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, April 1, 2013

Snipping, sarcasm, and curt remarks are the hallmark of TV programming these days. Now "Tonight Show’s” Jay Leno is on the hunt big time -- nonstop. And why not?

NBC, he said, was looking to make up any ill will with him -- by offering him a cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines, which had a ship incident with no power, air-conditioning or running water.

Dare I say all this standup material is Letterman-esque? Leno has been the subject of a number of stories saying NBC will soon move him out and replace him with Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's "Late Night."

These late-night hosts have big egos and big salaries -- but not really big ratings over the last few years. But things can change. For the most recent week, "The Tonight Show" has grabbed a seven-week high in total viewers with 3.52 million, and a four-week best in the 18-49 demo with 982,000 viewers.

Say what you will about late-night TV viewers -- or any viewers -- they want to be entertained in a way that doesn't always insult their intelligence. If a real-life TV host/comic/actor is having problems, we want to hear about them in perhaps a dirty, inside frame of mind. Consumers know TV is a compelling business and part of the drama.

The question isn't whether consumers are buying in, but about TV marketers going forward. "The Tonight Show" pulls in about $150 million a year, with $30 million to $40 million in profit. Not bad, but not what it was around six years ago, when it booked a big $250 million a year, recording $150 million in annual profits.

And if NBC is still making money -- at the expense of its own executives’ reputations and actions -- who really cares?

Well, of course, in Hollywood reputations are fragile -- and always on the line. Didn't Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, send postcards to critics and TV business writers asking them to "go easy on him" for his first upfront programming presentation in 2011?

The interesting sideline is that Leno’s constant jabs have taken some steam away from his competitors: CBS' David Letterman and ABC's Jimmy Kimmel. When Conan O'Brien was ousted from NBC in early 2010, there was no shortage of late-night bashing of Leno from the other late-night hosts.

But now, Leno -- instead of going after other late-night hosts -- is lashing out at everyone’s favorite target (and especially that of Letterman throughout his career) -- weaselly network executives.

What's left to do? Suck it up and be a good team player when you are the butt of a joke: and hope for a good exit package. That goes for Leno as well any NBC executive.