JBJ = "Artist in Residence"

So in case you didn't watch the Today Show this morning - or if, like me, you DVR'd it and heard from friends what happened first - here's some news for you:

NBC Names Jon Bon Jovi ‘Artist in Residence’
By BILL CARTER
Published: October 14, 2009

Every network looks to book talent first: NBC Universal is taking the concept to a new level with the singer Jon Bon Jovi.

Over the next two months, Jon Bon Jovi will appear exclusively on outlets owned by NBC Universal.

Over the next two months Mr. Bon Jovi, whose new album, “The Circle,” will be released on Nov. 10, will be seen exclusively on shows on outlets owned by NBC Universal. 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. Mr. Bon Jovi also will appear on “Inside the Actors Studio” on the Bravo channel of NBC Universal.

Mr. Bon Jovi is being called NBC’s “artist in residence” for the two-month period — and that means he won’t be anywhere else. “Of course you usually try to be out there everywhere, when a new album is coming out,” Mr. Bon Jovi said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “So we have to sacrifice certain shows and relationships. We hope this doesn’t jeopardize any of them. But in a shrinking media environment, you have to kind of reinvent the wheel.”

Mr. Bon Jovi said he brought the idea to NBC’s chief executive, Jeff Zucker, after Mr. Bon Jovi’s music manager Jack Rovner proposed it.

“Jack said, ‘Forget about Top 40 radio; how about Top 40 TV?’ ” Mr. Bon Jovi said.

Mr. Zucker liked the idea, and after conversations with Jeff Gaspin, NBC’s chairman of entertainment, the “artist in residence” concept took shape.

The lineup of appearances will include a concert outside the studio plaza in Rockefeller Center on the “Today” show on Nov. 25; “Saturday Night Live” on Dec. 12; and an interview on “Inside the Actors Studio” on Nov. 16. Mr. Bon Jovi noted that the Bravo show, which usually centers on actors, will cover the history of his band as performers and some of Mr. Bon Jovi’s film work.

The interview on the evening newscast, whose date will be announced later, will come in the segment called “Making a Difference” and will highlight Mr. Bon Jovi’s philanthropic work. 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.

“We were watching, and my wife said, ‘That’s your next foray,’ ” Mr. Bon Jovi said. The concept behind the restaurant, he explained, is to “give families the dignity of sitting and being served a meal” even if they can’t afford it.

NBC indicated that it intended to make the artist in residence concept a regular feature of programs on its broadcast and cable channels.

Interesting. I'm still not sure exactly what this means, but Jon certainly succeeded in the "reinventing the wheel" aspect. I'll definitely be watching NBC over the next few months!