Conversation so far:
What were the ratings like?
NBC saw a 1.5 rating for the show in the 18-49 demographic as "viable" and a 1.8 as a "home run.
did they change?
The first episode of The Jay Leno Show earned "fast national" estimates of 17.7 million viewers, an 11 Nielsen rating (5.1 among persons 18-49.
did it get more popular as the show went on?
By the second week and competing against season premieres, the audience fell to six million viewers, still on par with or exceeding NBC projections.
was there a reason for this?
CANNOTANSWER.
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
Though the show had been meeting the network's projections for the show itself, it has been severely detrimental to the ratings of the late local news on NBC affiliates.

Question: when did it turn around?
Self-contained rewrite: when did iThe Jay Leno Show's ratings turn around?