Conan O'Brien backers rally outside NBC5 Chicago studios

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: Conan O'Brien backers rally outside WMAQ-TV studios : January 18, 2010 7:08 PM : : More than 100 members of the Facebook generation in Chicago have spoken, and they want Conan O'Brien as their late night host. : As NBC executives hammered out a settlement with the embattled late night star today, the sign-carrying O'Brien fans gathered at Pioneer Square, right outside of WMAQ-TV's downtown studios, to show their support for the flame-haired comedian and their anger at NBC and rival Jay Leno. : "I just want to support Conan. I think it sucks that Jay (Leno) wants to screw all of this up," said longtime fan Erich Beasley, who dyed his hair red in support of O'Brien. Beasley, 25, said he stayed up late to watch O'Brien's old "Late Night" show, which aired at 3 a.m. in his native Houston. : "I just want to help show that Conan is going to have a following no matter where he goes and maybe NBC doesn't value Conan as much as they should," he said. : The rally of mostly teens and young adults -- some wearing orange or sporting red wigs and spray-painted hair -- were organized through the Facebook social networking site. Many of those present consider themselves die-hard fans and wanted voice their displeasure with NBC's handling of the star. : Similar rallies were planned Monday in New York and Los Angeles. : "This is unfair," said Sean Casselton, 20, who carried a cut-out sign, where the holder could sport a O'Brien-like hairdo. "He's been working his whole career to have the Tonight Show. It's not really fair he could only get it for seven months. He earned it." : Since NBC announced it wished to put Leno, the former "Tonight Show" host back into his 10:30 p.m. slot, late night fans have been divided between O'Brien and Leno, who many rally participants blame. While the rally was high-spirited, yet tame, the Facebook battleground has become more heated, with fans of both men bashing one another. : The young crowd, which included some small children, said they connected more with O'Brien's zany show than Leno's who they saw as targeting older adults. : "It just shows that (Conan) has a broader audience, a wider audience compared to Jay Leno," said Anjelica Hager, 19, who came to the rally with her friend Samantha Tenuta. : Who do they think watch Leno's show? : "Older married couples, celebrating their golden anniversaries," Tenuta said. : --William Lee

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