Jay Leno knows that many of NBC's largest affiliates are behind him. And of course, he knows it because he's contacted many of these affiliates personally.

Leno, who has been holding down NBC's 10 p.m. timeslot five nights a week with "The Jay Leno Show," said that some of the hype centering around affiliate dissatisfaction of his low ratings are just that, hype.

"I called a bunch of them last week. Unless they are the greatest actors in the world, they seem to be hanging in there and say that they are in it for the long haul," Leno told Broadcasting & Cable. "I called Baltimore, Boston, the head of the affiliate board. They don't see it as dire as a lot of people are making it out to be. I think they seemed pleased that someone on at 10 o'clock is concerned about their well-being and their lead-in."

Since premiering Sept. 14 with a monster 11.0 rating/18 share in overnight ratings, Leno has averaged a 4.0/7 after 37 episodes. Hist mostly strong first week led him to a 7.4/13 finish after his first week, but we quickly fell to a 4.0/7 the second week before finishing September with a 3.8/6.

Leno averaged a 3.5/6 in October after three straight weeks of those numbers, falling slightly in the final week to a 3.3/6. However, Leno's overall average really isn't that far off from what NBC was doing in the timeslot a year go. In the 2008-09 season, NBC averaged a 5.0/8 on the backs of shows like "ER" and "Law & Order: SVU," just 25 percent more than what Leno is doing right now, according to a BlipNetwork analysis of overnight ratings.

"You're on until you're not on," Leno said. "I don't know what else you go with. I'm flattered. Like ABC and CBS ... none of their stars can appear on the show. What are you so afraid of if we're doing so terrible? It's all part of the game."

Leno says there are times he does wish he was back in his old "Tonight Show" slot, but he is grateful for the continued support NBC gives him.

"They are standing behind it, they're fine," Leno said of the network. "They are treating me well. I think they are giving us all the support they can. Lead-ins are important. On the nights when we have a strong lead-in, we are competitive. On the nights we don't, it's up to us to try and carry the ball ourselves."

However, no matter what Leno's lead-in has been, he's struggled. On Mondays, "Leno" has dropped 18 percent of the audience coming from "Trauma." On Tuesdays, NBC's best night, Leno loses 24 percent of his "Biggest Loser" lead-in.

It gets worse on Wednesdays with another high performer for NBC, "Law & Order: SVU," where Leno drops more than 30 percent of the lead-in audience.

Leno does a little better on Thursdays, losing only 8 percent from his "Community" lead-in, while Fridays he tends to do a little better after the network's Friday news magazine.

However, Leno isn't too worried. Life outside his daily television show has been strong.

"I'm not having a bad time at 10 o'clock now," he said. "I look at this as a job, and now I'm faced with a challenge, and it's a challenge I find difficult but interesting. I find that when I go to Vegas, whereas before I might not sell out, all of a sudden it's sold out.

"I seem to be doing better in terms of public appearances. I am reaching a wider audience. Whether that translates to television just yet, I don't know. But I see a difference."

"The Jay Leno Show" airs weeknights at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.