Three years ago, NBC announced with pride that Conan O’Brien would take over “The Tonight Show” in 2009. But now that the date is fast approaching, the web is beginning to panic: How do we anoint O’Brien but still keep Leno in the Peacock’s nest?

Aside from turning around NBC’s primetime, the biggest challenge facing new co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff is how to keep Leno away from Fox or ABC.

“We want him to stay at NBC for life,” Silverman told journalists at the Television Critics Association press tour. “And Marc and I are aggressively trying to come up with ideas that would make Jay happy.”

While latenight advertising sales have been soft, “Tonight” generated $250 million in advertising sales in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence, generating profits estimated at $160 million — or about 15% of the network’s bottom line.

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