John Joseph Agoglia (September 24, 1937 – March 14, 2014) was an American television executive noted for his work at
NBC from 1980 to 1998, including a tenure as President of
NBC Enterprises
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (a.k.a. NUSS), formerly known as NBCUniversal Television Distribution (a.k.a. NUTD), Universal Domestic Television, Studios USA Television Distribution and MCA TV, is the television syndication division of NBCUnive ...
. He was considered one of the network's top negotiators, often heading complicated negotiations between NBC and producers,
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
s and
television studio
A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for t ...
s. Agoglia was instrumental in the decision to replace
Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
, the departing host of ''
The Tonight Show'', with
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
in 1992.
Agoglia was born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
[ His career began at ]Barclays Bank
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
, before switching to the television industry.[ He worked as an executive at CBS for sixteen years before joining rival NBC in 1980.][ Agoglia moved to ]southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
permanently when he took the position at NBC.[
Agoglia worked directly under a string of well-known Presidents of NBC Entertainment and other executives, including Brandon Tartikoff, Warren Littlefield and Don Ohlmeyer.][ He earned a reputation as one of the network's toughest dealmakers. Agoglia led the often drawn-out negotiations with outside television studios and on-air talent.][ For example, Agoglia hammered out a deal with ]Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
for the renewal of ''Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
''.[ He also negotiated the agreement to retain three cast members of Seinfeld - ]Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...
, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...
- when each actor was demanding one million dollars per episode at the peak of the show's popularity.[
Agoglia played a significant role in the decision by NBC to name ]Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
as the host of '' The Tonight Show'' over David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
in 1992.[ The move sparked controversy, as Letterman jumped to CBS after Leno's appointment. Agoglia's role in choosing Leno as Johnny Carson's successor was noted in the 1994 book, '']The Late Shift The Late Shift or Late Shift may refer to:
* ''The Late Shift'' (book), a 1994 book about 1990s conflict regarding ''The Tonight Show''
** ''The Late Shift'' (film), a 1996 HBO film based on the book
*''Comedy Inc: The Late Shift'', a 2005–2007 s ...
'', by ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' journalist, Bill Carter.[ An ]HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of the book, ''The Late Shift The Late Shift or Late Shift may refer to:
* ''The Late Shift'' (book), a 1994 book about 1990s conflict regarding ''The Tonight Show''
** ''The Late Shift'' (film), a 1996 HBO film based on the book
*''Comedy Inc: The Late Shift'', a 2005–2007 s ...
'', aired in 1996.[ Agoglia was portrayed by actor Reni Santoni in the film.][
Agoglia led a multi-network 1993 ]boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of the Emmy Awards
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
, following a decision by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...
to air the awards exclusively on ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.[ The Emmys had previously broadcast on the television networks on a rotating basis. Agoglia denounced the exclusivity agreement between ABC and the Emmys as "bizarre at best" and retaliated by boycott all Academy events, including the ]Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
.[ The Academy and the Emmys, under pressure from Agoglia's boycott, eventually relented and cancelled the deal with ABC.][ The Emmys returned to the previous agreement, in which the award show was broadcast on each of the four broadcast networks on a rotating basic each year.][ Agoglia rejoined the executive committee of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1994 after the deal with ABC was ended.]
On June 17, 1997, Agoglia announced his decision to retire from NBC. He left NBC in 1998 after eighteen years with the network.[
During his retirement Agoglia launched a Media Consulting firm; served as President of the Board of LAX Airport Commission; Served on board of directors of KCET Los Angeles; and was board chairman of the Los Angeles Universal Preschool Program.
John Agoglia died on March 14, 2014, at the age of 76 following a three-year illness with cancer.][ He was survived by his sons, Anthony and John Steven, three grandchildren, and his brother, Thomas Agoglia. His wife, Joanne Agoglia, died in 2010.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agoglia, John
1937 births
2014 deaths
NBCUniversal people
NBC executives
American television executives
Mass media people from Brooklyn