Gannett Inc. (GCI) Chief Executive Officer Craig Dubow said Monday that the company's broadcast stations that are NBC affiliates would likely be better off if the network had not departed from scripted programming in the 10 p.m. hour in prime-time with a comedy show hosted by Jay Leno.

On a conference call following the company's third-quarter earnings release, Dubow tempered his comments about NBC's prime-time programming strategy, saying it's too early to tell Gannett's broadcasting business will be affected.

Some broadcast stations had objected to NBC's strategy when it announced its plans to use Leno in prime-time, due to concerns that it would hurt audience ratings for their late-night news broadcasts.

"Right now, we would probably be in a little better position with the traditional [prime-time programming]," said Dubow. "It’s awfully early to tell at this point. Leno will give us some opportunities as we move forward."

-Nat Worden, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2472; nat.worden@dowjones.com