So, here’s how the Old Gray Lady, The New York Times, decides to give some background on the current woes at NBC, itself background for the Late Night adjustments with Leno and Conan.

When David Sarnoff, the founder of NBC, then a part of the Radio Corporation of America, stood at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 in Flushing Meadows to introduce television to the world, he said: “It is with a feeling of humbleness that I come to this moment of announcing the birth in this country of a new art so important in its implications that it is bound to affect all society. It is an art which shines like a torch of hope in a troubled world. It is a creative force which we must learn to utilize for the benefit of all mankind.”

With that moment, Mr. Sarnoff ushered in not just a new communications form for the masses, but also the first broadcast network, NBC, which would become a cultural force in America. At that same World’s Fair, Americans got their first televised glimpses of a president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later that year, an NBC station broadcast major league baseball for the first time.

They could have reached back earlier for this troughline, couldn’t they?  The evolution of joke-tellers from back when we had storytellers at the campfire?  Pompousity thy name is crafting the “Late Night Wars” into a broader context.  Granted, a lot of reaction in the comments section to stories relating to this are to the effect of how it pales in relation to actual news, such as Haiti.  Not a terribly penetrating insight.

It could be different, I suppose.  This has been making the rounds.  “NMA”.  They made that Tiger Woods simulation that was making the rounds a month back.  I’m beginning to think someone is pulling a fast one on us, that NMA News is a practical joke from someone playing with their Sims game.

Letterman is digging in good, and going for broke and doubling down with his Jay Leno mocking, apparently quite ready to shrug off the suggestion his Bitterness is Showing.   (Final word to the NY Times quoting an NBC Sports Executive of “professional jealousy” on why he’s keeping at Jay (skip to 4:00)– “I’m really enjoying it.  I don’t know.  It’s just fun.”)  Tonight’s program is apparently going to air this thing , with Jay Leno asking that pointed question  “What the Hell were you thinking?” to Richard Nixon.   This comes off of the heels of the “Future of the Tonight Show” — and note that it ends with “Time for Headlines”, which I suppose is a bit of an easy reference.
… Referenced as “Stolen” in the bit he did about Leno the next night. (That link isn’t all that amusing.)

The best one might be the piercing of Jay Leno’s self serving and pompous “Don’t Blame Conan” “straight talk” address.  Toss in the expression that “What we’re seeing is Vintage Jay”, and I guess we just have to say that if Dave is going to react in this way, he may as well Just go right ahead and Own the thing. 

This will fade to black pretty soon.  The drama will end.  It probably says something that Letterman and Conan are entertaining when they’re feeding off of this sizzle, and not really particularly “appointment viewing” otherwise.
Incidentally, before there was Jimmy Kimmel, there was Chris Elliott.  Curious to note that he seems to be riffing of a TV Guide wade through bit and this in particular, but I gather there were fewer items with which to research to do a Jay Leno at that time — just a smattering of Letterman and Carson appearances.

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