Larry King Live

Larry King Live
Larry King Live title card
Genre	Talk show
Created by	Larry King
Presented by	Larry King
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	6,120^[1]
Production
Running time	60 minutes (every night)
Release
Original network	CNN
Picture format	480i (4:3 SDTV) (1985–2009) 1080i (16:9 HDTV) (2009–10)
Original release	June 3, 1985 – December 18, 2010
Chronology
Followed by	Piers Morgan Live Crossfire Larry King Now Politicking with Larry King
External links
Website

Larry King Live is an American talk show that was hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.^[2]

Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles studios, the show was sometimes broadcast from CNN's studios in New York or Washington, D.C., where King gained national prominence during his years as a radio interviewer for the Mutual Broadcasting System.^[3] Every night, King interviewed one or more prominent individuals, usually celebrities, politicians and businesspeople.

The one-hour show was broadcast three times a day in some areas, and was seen all over the world on CNN International.

On June 29, 2010, King announced that the program would be coming to an end.^[4]^[5]^[6] The "final edition" of the program aired on December 16,^[7] but a new episode on the war against cancer aired two days later on December 18.^[8]

Larry King Live was replaced by Piers Morgan Tonight, a talk show hosted by the British television personality and journalist Piers Morgan, that began airing January 17, 2011.^[9]

Format

Interview style

Larry King mainly conducted interviews from the studio, but he also interviewed people on-site in the White House, their prison cells, their homes, and other unique locations. Critics have claimed that Larry King asks "soft" questions in comparison to other interviewers, which allows him to reach guests who would be averse to interviewing on "tough" talk shows. His reputation for asking easy, open-ended questions has made him attractive to important figures who want to state their position while avoiding being challenged on contentious topics.^[10] When interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, King said that the secret to a good interview is to get the guest to talk about him- or herself, and to put oneself in the background pool.

A 1996 interview in the Washington Post had King note that he sometimes slips hard questions in between softballs. King prefers one-sentence questions. In interviews, King has also proclaimed that he prepares as little as possible for each program, does not read the books of the authors he interviews,^[3] and admitted that the show was not journalism but "infotainment". He said that he tries to project an image of earnestness and sincerity in each interview, and the format of the show (King in suspenders instead of suit and tie, sitting directly next to the guest) reinforces that.

In response to "'softball' questions" accusations, King says, "I've never understood that. All I've tried to do is ask the best questions I could think of, listen to the answers, and then follow up. I've never not followed up. I don't attack anybody – that's not my style – but I follow up. I've asked people who say this, 'What's a softball question?' They'll say, 'You say to some movie star, what's your next project?' To me, that's not a softball. To me, that's interesting – what are you doing next?"

Call-ins

King accepted call-in questions on some nights. Callers were identified only by city and state/province, and generally not by name. Occasionally, surprise guests telephoned the show and comment, like governors, royalty, and celebrities. At times, prank calls came in.

Frequent topics

During major election coverage, the program may center on political analysis and commentary, as the show's airing generally coincides with the closing of polls in many states.

One of King's recurring topics is the paranormal. A frequent guest is John Edward of the popular television show Crossing Over with John Edward. Edward comes on the show and gives callers a free chance to supposedly communicate, via him, with their dead loved ones. King also had alleged psychics such as Sylvia Browne and James Van Praagh on from time to time to do readings and discuss the future. King sometimes allows skeptics such as James Randi to debate the psychics. In an April 2005 episode, King hosted a panel discussion regarding Evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and atheist views on the afterlife. King has also had topics about UFO's and Extraterrestrials where he pits believers against skeptics.

King is also frequently accused of pandering to sensationalist news stories; for instance, the death of Anna Nicole Smith took up much of King's shows after the event, causing the cancellation of numerous guests and interviews that were already scheduled, most notably Christopher Hitchens, who had intended to discuss the Iraq situation.

After the death of a prominent celebrity, King would either replay a recent program featuring said celebrity (for instance, after actor Don Knotts' death in 2006 King replayed the interview with Knotts and Andy Griffith taken several months before) or will bring on family members and close confidantes to the deceased to reminisce on the departed's life.

Set design

Each studio set features an identical colored-dot map of the world in the background and one of King's trademarks, a vintage RCA microphone (as seen in the title card), on the desk. The microphone is a prop,^[11] as King and his guests use lapel microphones.

Notable episodes

King interviewing Vladimir Putin, September 8, 2000.

On June 3, 1985, Larry King Live debuted on CNN, with then-Governor of New York Mario Cuomo as King's first guest.^[6]
The November 9, 1993 debate between Ross Perot and Al Gore on the North American Free Trade Agreement was watched in 11.174 million households – the largest audience ever for a program on an ad-supported cable network until the October 23, 2006 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game on ESPN's Monday Night Football.^[12]
On September 25, 2006, Oprah Winfrey made her first endorsement of Barack Obama for President of the United States on Larry King Live. Two economists estimate that Winfrey's endorsement was worth over a million votes in the Democratic primary race^[13] and that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination.^[14]
To mark the 20th anniversary of the show, ABC's Barbara Walters was a guest host and interviewed King on his reflections of his career.
To mark 50 years in broadcasting, Larry King Live had a week long celebration that included a two-hour CNN presents special and an hour of celebrity toast. The broadcast of this special week-long event was postponed due to the tragedy at Virginia Tech. XM Satellite Radio also featured a micro channel called "Larry!" that featured replays of the show along with interviews and the new material from the CNN anniversary shows.
On July 19, 2007, a frail Tammy Faye Messner made her final appearance on Larry King Live to talk about her battle with lung and colon cancer. She died the following day.
On September 7, 2009, the first episode in high definition was aired.
On February 12, 2010, during a discussion on Bill Clinton's latest heart procedure, Larry King revealed he had undergone a similar operation 5 weeks earlier. King had a heart attack in 1987 and said he had surgery to place stents in his coronary artery.
On December 16, 2010, the final episode of Larry King Live aired on CNN, with Ryan Seacrest and Bill Maher acting as co-masters of ceremonies, and surprise appearances by President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and network news anchors Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric and Brian Williams, among others. King says his final show was not a "good-bye" but rather a "so long", as he plans to move on and pursue other things. The final show attracted an audience of 2.24 million people, more than triple the program's usual audience of 672,000.^[15]

Guest hosts

When King has been absent from the show, other interviewers have substituted for him.

Geraldo Rivera was a guest host in the 1980s.
Ryan Seacrest has substituted for King many times.
CNN Headline News host Nancy Grace has substituted for King many times including October 31, 2003, regarding the Scott Peterson case.
On April 1, 1994^[16] and 2002,^[17] Kermit the Frog hosted the show as an April Fool's joke.
On February 16, 1998, Dan Rather hosted a show regarding the then-ongoing Iraq crisis.^[18] He also hosted on October 19, 2000, with Jay Leno as a guest.^[19]
On March 29, 1996, Newt Gingrich, then the Speaker of the House, hosted, with Jack Hanna serving as the guest.^[20]
On October 16, 1998, Wolf Blitzer hosted the show with the subject matter being the Matthew Shepard case. He also hosted the March 1 and March 19, 2008 episodes. In addition, he hosted again on March 22, 2010 and in August 2010.
On May 22, 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford hosted while Diane Sawyer and Joan Rivers were the guests.^[21]
On November 30, 2000, Roger Cossack interviewed John Ashcroft, who had just been defeated by Mel Carnahan. Carnahan, who died, was replaced by his wife, Jean^[22]
On January 22, 2001, Bob Schieffer hosted a show about campaign finance reform with John McCain as a guest.^[23]
On June 8, 2005, sportscaster Bob Costas was named as the regular substitute anchor for the show,^[24] filling in roughly 20 times a year and not on a set schedule.^[25]
On August 18, 2005, Chris Pixley hosted the program instead of then-regular guest host Bob Costas, who did not feel comfortable with the subject matter, the Natalee Holloway case.
On September 12, 2005, Dr. Phil hosted with the subject matter being the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.^[26] He again sat as guest host on February 27, 2009, interviewing various people concerning the Suleman octuplets.
Comedian Bill Maher has taken up the duties of guest host.
On June 26, 2006,^[27] CNN reporter John Roberts hosted
On March 2007, Mike Shiver sat in as guest host for a couple of shows.
On April 2007, Star Jones hosted
On April 6, 2007, Jimmy Kimmel hosted
On July 24, 2007, former attorney and TMZ.com managing editor Harvey Levin guest hosted the show, the topic of discussion being Lindsay Lohan's arrest of that morning.
On March 11, 2008, John King hosted 2008,^[28] July 26, 2008,^[29] November 21, 2008, and January 28, 2009.
On March 17, 2008, and April 24, 2009,^[30] Dr. Drew hosted
On July 21, 2008, Glenn Beck hosted.
On October 19, 2007,^[31] November 14, 2008, April 13, 2009,^[32] and May 1, 2009,^[33] Joy Behar hosted the show. On the May 1, 2009 show, Larry King was the guest.
On July 26, 2008, Kathy Griffin hosted for an episode featuring paparazzi.
On March 12, 2009, Jeanine Pirro hosted
On March 11, 2009, Sanjay Gupta hosted
On March 9, 2009, Ali Velshi hosted
On March 27, 2009, Tavis Smiley hosted. He hosted again on August 10, 2010.
On February 19, 2010, Jeff Probst hosted
On June 5, 2010, Donald Trump hosted a 25th anniversary special during which he interviewed King.
On August 2, 2010, Kyra Phillips hosted.

Planned Al Gore hosting

Al Gore was supposed to host on May 6, 1999, with Oprah Winfrey as a guest and the topic was supposed to be the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre. However, with Gore's candidacy for Presidency pending, CNN decided not to let him host as a result of the controversy.^[34]

References

↑ "Larry King ends his record-setting run on CNN". CNN. December 17, 2010.
↑ "End Of Qtr Data-Q107 (minus 3 hours).xls" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-10-21.
1 2 "The Man Who Can`t Stop Talking Starting In South Florida, Larry King Has Been Live And On The Air For More Than 30 Years. On Radio And Tv, When The King Of Talk Speaks, The World Listens.". Sun Sentinel.
↑ "Larry King to end long-running US TV chat show". BBC News. June 30, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
↑ Fisher, Luchina; Braiker, Brian (June 30, 2010). "Larry King's Luminary Friends Chime in on His News". ABC News. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
1 2 "CNN broadcasting legend Larry King to step down". Retrieved 28 November 2014.
↑ "Larry King signs off from CNN talk show". The Spy Report (Media Spy). December 17, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN.
↑ "Piers Morgan signs on as Larry King replacement". The Spy Report (Media Spy). September 9, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
↑ Barry, Ellen (December 1, 2010). "Blunt and Blustery, Putin Responds to State Department Cables on Russia". New York Times (New York Times Company). Retrieved December 3, 2010.
↑ Bauder, David. "Larry King exits CNN after 25 years". Today.
↑ "Giants-Cowboys draws largest cable audience". ESPN. October 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
↑ Levitt, Steven D. (August 6, 2008). "So Much for One Person, One Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Politics: Oprah, Obama, and the 2008 Democratic Primary.
↑ "Larry "King went out on top of the ratings race – if only for a night"". NY Daily News.
↑ "CNN 20: Kermit Hosts 'LARRY KING LIVE' April 1, 1994". CNN.com transcripts. 2000-04-01. Retrieved 2006-12-30. (full transcript)
↑ "CELEBRATED ACTOR, AUTHOR, SINGER AND JOURNALIST KERMIT THE FROG MAKES SUPER BOWL DEBUT IN FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AD" (Press release). Ford Motor Company. 2006-01-30. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
↑ David Bauder (1998-02-17). "San Diego Source > News > CBS's Dan Rather Guest Host On CNN's 'Larry King Live'". Sddt.com. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
↑ "Larry King Live". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ "Newt Gingrich takes on a host of animals". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ "Larry King Live". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ Timothy Noah (2000-12-05). "St. John Ashcroft's Passion – Timothy Noah – Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
↑ "Transcript: Sen. John McCain discusses campaign finance reform on 'Larry King Live'". CNN. January 22, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ "Costas taking CNN role: News network announces television host to be substitute anchor of "Larry King Live."". CNN. 2005-06-08. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
↑ Lisa de Moraes (2005-06-09). "CNN's Designated Sitter: Bob Costas To Be Larry King's Regular Guest Host". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
↑ "CNN.com - Transcripts". Retrieved 28 November 2014.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
↑ "TV Daily - Salon.com". Dir.salon.com. 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
↑ Ryan Powers (2008-07-21). "'The Most Trusted Name In News' Surrenders Its Full 9 PM Hour To Beck Tonight". ThinkProgress. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
↑ "CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
↑ Kurtz, Howard (May 7, 1999). "CNN Cancels Gore's Hosting Gig". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2010.

External links

CNN programming

Weekday	Early Start with John Berman and Christine Romans New Day CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello At This Hour with Berman and Bolduan Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield Wolf CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin The Lead with Jake Tapper The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer This Is Life with Lisa Ling Erin Burnett OutFront Anderson Cooper 360° CNN Tonight Somebody's Gotta Do It

Weekend	New Day Saturday New Day Sunday Smerconish CNN Newsroom with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul CNN Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow CNN Special Investigations Unit Inside Politics with John King Race for the White House State of the Union Fareed Zakaria GPS Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown The Hunt with John Walsh

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Related articles	History of CNN (1980–2003)

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