The disaster that makes up NBC's primetime schedule has expanded into late night as well.

NBC announced over the weekend that not only was it canceling the primetime version of "The Jay Leno Show," but it was going to put Leno back in his original 11:35 timeslot. Conan O'Brien, who took over "The Tonight Show" in June, would stay with the show, but all of it would be shifted a half-hour later.

O'Brien, who expressed some frustration during his monologue Monday night about the ongoing negotiations involving not just Leno and himself, but "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon, expanded his conversation with the public in a letter published Tuesday by The New York Times.

Addressed to "People of Earth," O'Brien revealed that he was first approached about possibly moving "Tonight" to just after midnight Jan. 7. It was a position O'Brien said he didn't respond well to.

"For 60 years, 'The Tonight Show' has aired immediately following the late local news," O'Brien said in his statement. "I sincerely believe that delaying 'The Tonight Show' into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. 'The Tonight Show' at 12:05 simply isn't 'The Tonight Show.'"

Not only would it disrupt decades of tradition on NBC, but it also would disrupt other talent in late night, namely Fallon, who replaced O'Brien as host of "Late Night" in early 2009 as part of the six-year-planned transition of O'Brien into "Tonight."

"If I accept this move, I will be knocking the 'Late Night' show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot," O'Brien said. "That would hurt the other franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy."

O'Brien blamed early ratings problems of the show on the fact that his version of "Tonight" is still deeply in its infancy, and that he has not received ratings support from NBC's primetime schedule, which with the anchor of the low-rated "Leno" each night, has been a dismal lead-in for "Tonight."

"I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004, I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future," O'Brien said. "It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the primetime schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

"But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months ... NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in primetime by making a change in their long-established late-night schedule."

Although Fox has been rumored to be interested in O'Brien, the late night host admitted he has not been talking to any other networks. The goal of his letter, he said, was to find a resolution that works for NBC, and works for the late night television tradition at the network as well.