by Omar Burgess
posted January 04, 2011
hiphopdx.com
Moves
like the Goodie Mob Reunion and impromptu bars from Black Thought and The Clipse
led to a 25% ratings increase for Fallon and the Roots crew.
To say The Roots decision to become Jimmy Fallon’s house band was met
with skepticism would be understatement. When the news broke in 2008, online
media company Gawker called the choice “the cultural equivalent of Miles
Davis playing his horn on the subway platform to back up a semi-trained dancing
spider monkey.” But, roughly a year later, the move is paying dividends
for both The Roots and Fallon.
Billboard magazine’s Jason Lipshutz reports “a three-month sampling
of Nielsen TV ratings through December 19 shows that average total viewership
for ‘Fallon’ reached 1.79 million, surging 25 percent from a year
earlier.” And while Fallon is enjoying a ratings surge, competing shows
are seeing either smaller gains—like “Late Night With Jimmy Kimmel”
2.7 percent increase—or losses.
Last year, ?uestlove told The Huffington Post that the Fallon gig matches or
surpasses what the entire band would make touring for 200 dates annually. So
while Fallon himself continues to be panned in some circles for his comedic
stylings, he has two very clear advantages. Aside from The Roots, he also employs
former Billboard editor Jonathan Cohen as the show’s music booker.
Under Cohen, the show has served as a platform for the first (and to date the
only) televised appearance of the reunited Goodie Mob. Other signature moments
have included Black Thought freestyling with The Clipse over “Popular
Demand” and Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s “History of Rap”
sketch. But the ratings surge isn’t limited to Hip Hop. Bruce Springsteen
has covered Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair,” and the show has
featured Paul McCartney’s John Lennon tribute.
“All three [late night] shows posted viewership declines among those
18-34,” writes Lipshutz. “Fallon retained the largest share of that
coveted younger audience. Its appeal to young viewers, as well as its willingness
to feature performances of album tracks and older tunes, have earned the program
the reputation of a hip, artist-friendly environment in late night, which in
turn has helped attract marquee names.”
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