‘Tonight Show’ Producer Fired : Television: NBC move follows bad publicity generated by late-night booking war with ‘Arsenio Hall Show.’

NBC fired Helen Kushnick, executive producer of “The Tonight Show,” on Monday in an effort to shore up damaged relations with the entertainment industry.

The move was also seen as a way to stem the tide of bad publicity generated by the late-night booking war between “The Tonight Show” and its syndicated competitor, “The Arsenio Hall Show.”

“NBC reiterates the great pride we have in our late-night franchise and our pleasure with Jay Leno’s performance in his new capacity as host of ‘The Tonight Show,’ ” the network said in a terse statement. “However, we have determined that a change in the management structure of ‘The Tonight Show’ is appropriate at this time. Effective immediately, Helen Kushnick will no longer be the executive producer. . . . ‘ “

NBC said it would replace Kushnick soon but gave no indication who would get the job.

Kushnick was not available for comment.

Leno had been largely silent about complaints from some members of the Hollywood community who have accused Kushnick of using high-pressure tactics in booking guests during her four-month tenure on “The Tonight Show.” But right before taping Monday night’s program, Leno issued a statement backing Kushnick, his manager for 17 years.

“I regret the actions of NBC today,” he said through “Tonight Show” publicist Bob Mazza. “I feel NBC’s actions are unwarranted, in light of the success of the show to date. And I continue to support Ms. Kushnick.”

Last week, the behind-the-scenes booking practices at “The Tonight Show” surfaced publicly for the first time. In an interview with The Times, talent manager Ken Kragen said that Kushnick banned one of his clients, country artist Travis Tritt, from ever doing “The Tonight Show” because Tritt would not cancel a scheduled appearance on a competing late-night program, “The Arsenio Hall Show,” to do the NBC program instead.

Kushnick expected Tritt to cancel his booking as a personal favor because “The Tonight Show” gave Tritt a break earlier in his career, Kragen said.

In retaliation for not canceling the booking with Arsenio Hall, Kragen said, Kushnick dropped the scheduled appearance of another of his clients, country singer Trisha Yearwood.

Although Kushnick would not talk to The Times last week about Kragen’s charges, she told Howard Stern on Friday on his nationally syndicated radio program that she bumped Yearwood’s Oct. 15 appearance to make room for country star George Strait as a favor to a film executive who is making a movie starring Strait.

She also claimed that sexism in Hollywood has played a part in the recent attacks on her.

Last week, executives at NBC held a series of meetings to discuss the future management of “The Tonight Show.” The decision to replace Kushnick was officially made on Monday, according to NBC.

“I’m not out to get her,” Kragen said Monday, after hearing news of the termination. “On a personal level, I really feel very sorry that Helen lost her job. But professionally, I feel really good. I simply wanted to eliminate this kind of tactic, and protect my clients. I feel like I stood up to threats and intimidation, even the vengeful act of throwing Trisha off the show.”