Leno to be on later

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The experiment of having Jay Leno on in prime time apparently will end, with NBC pushing Leno's show back to after local late news.

NBC put Leno on at 10 p.m. weeknights after the network booted him from "The Tonight Show" in favor of Conan O'Brien in the never-ending quest for a younger demographic of viewers.

But "The Jay Leno Show" didn't do well as a lead-in for network affiliates' news programming and "The Tonight Show," which was a ratings winner with Leno as host, has sagged behind CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman," so a reconsideration is apparently in the works.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed NBC executive, said Leno would be returned to an 11:35 p.m. EST start for a half-hour program, after which "The Tonight Show" with O'Brien as host starting at 12:05 a.m. EST.

The changes are expected to go into the schedule after NBC's broadcast of the Winter Olympics. The Games are scheduled for Feb. 12-28.