I agree, but in TV it' all about the coveted 18-39 demographic, especially the male 18-39 demographic. And, while Leno was the ratings king, his ideal demographic ratings were just OK. NBC is going to learn that sometimes less-than-ideal ratings are better than weak ratings.
It's like the TV show "Heroes". I don't believe that Heroe's is in the top 25 seasonal ratings, but it commands the 5th highest per-minute commercial rate because of it's demographic appeal. Apparently a 50 year-old's dollar isn't worth as much as a 20 year-old's.
I can believe that. A friend told me today that he recently saw a bunch of 20-somethings camping out to buy $200 pairs of shoes endorsed by some (c)rap “star.” Guess the economy isn’t as bad as I thought.