Jon Bon Jovi is coming to NBCU in a multi-network arrangement. For the next two months he’ll be an “artist in residence” while promoting his new album, “The Circle.”
But the arrangement was not done with the network approaching the singer. Instead, Bon Jovi’s manager suggested the idea, and the New Jersey rocker took it to NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker, who developed it with Jeff Gaspin, NBC’s chairman of entertainment. Bon Jovi will exclusively appear on NBC programming. The NYTimes reports:
These appearances will include the “Today” show, “The Tonight Show,” “The Jay Leno Show” and “Saturday Night Live” — and even an interview on the “NBC Nightly News” with Brian Williams.
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Bon Jovi is even appearing on Bravo’s “Inside the Actors Studio,” where he will undoubtedly discuss his Olivier-esque roles in “Moonlight and Valentino” and “National Lampoon’s: Pucked.”
Singers often appear on TV news programs to promote their work or causes, but an elaborate arrangement like this including both entertainment and news programs is uncommon. When asked how the deal fits within the news division, an NBC News spokesperson told TVNewser, “Any appearance by Bon Jovi will fall within NBC News standards.” The spokesperson also told us Bon Jovi would have been booked for a concert and a “Nightly” story regardless of the “artist in residence” title.
The “Nightly” segment will be part of the “Making a Difference” series and will highlight Bon Jovi’s philanthropic work. Reports The Times: “His foundation has supported the building of about 200 houses in Newark and Philadelphia and has plans to participate in setting up a project called a Robin Hood restaurant in Red Bank, N.J., an idea that came from a previous segment on the NBC newscast.”
This is not the first time “Nightly News” has featured a popular musician on the program. In 2006, Brian Williams traveled to Africa and followed Bono for three days covering his humanitarian efforts.