So Jay Leno did make a couple of jokes about NBC Universal buying the Atlanta-based Weather Channel after all.

The NBC late-night talk show host said the motive behind the deal, made Sunday for the reported price of $3.5 billion, was to "create the dullest business partnership in history."

Associated Press (ENLARGE)

Jay Leno said NBC Universal first wanted to buy 'the 'Waiting for paint to dry' channel.'

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"You thought nobody was watching the Weather Channel before, wait until NBC gets ahold of it," Leno said during his monologue.

Leno played on the idea that the Weather Channel isn't a typical TV destination, saying it "was not NBC's first choice. But apparently the 'Waiting for paint to dry' channel was already taken," he said.

The network's Web site, however, brings in 40 million viewers a month.

Last year the channel averaged 269,000 viewers watching at any one time, according to Nielsen Media Research.