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Larry King Live

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This article is about the television talk show. For the radio talk show, see Larry King Show.

Larry King Live
GenreTalk show
Created byLarry King
Presented byLarry King
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons20
No. of episodes6,120[1]
Production
Running time60 minutes (every night)
Original release
NetworkCNN
ReleaseJune 3, 1985 (1985-06-03) –
December 16, 2010 (2010-12-16)
Related
Piers Morgan Live

Larry King Live is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.[2][3]

Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles studios, the show was sometimes broadcast from the CNN Center in Atlanta, from the Time Warner Center in New York City, or from Washington, D.C., where King had gained national prominence during his years as a radio interviewer on the Larry King Show for the Mutual Broadcasting System.[4] 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 end.[5][6][7] The final episode aired on December 16,[8] but a new episode on the war against cancer aired two days later on December 18.[9]

Larry King Live was replaced by Piers Morgan Tonight, a talk show hosted by British television personality and journalist Piers Morgan, that began airing on January 17, 2011.[10] It was renamed to Piers Morgan Live in 2013,[11] and ran its last episode on March 28, 2014, after being cancelled.[12] In October 2023, CNN premiered Laura Coates Live; while its host Laura Coates described it as a spiritual successor to Larry King Live (citing her adoration of King's "intimate" style), and the program utilizes graphics inspired by the show, Laura Coates Live utilizes a pundit-based format similar to other CNN primetime programs and is otherwise unrelated.[13][14]

Format

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Interview style

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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 claimed that Larry King asked "soft" questions in comparison to other interviewers, which allowed him to reach guests who would be averse to interviewing on "tough" talk shows. His reputation for asking easy, open-ended questions made him attractive to important figures who wanted to state their position while avoiding being challenged on contentious topics.[15] When interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien,[16] 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[17] saw 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,[4] 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?"[17]

Call-ins

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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

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During major election coverage, the program may center on political analysis and commentary, as the show's prime time airing generally coincides with the closing of polls in many states. Larry King would air generally near the end of each hour with various guests during election coverage while hosting a panel at the end of the night which is midnight eastern the usual time slot for the show's daily repeat outside of live election coverage.

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 UFOs and Extraterrestrials where he goes on to pit them one against the other, believers views on the afterlife 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

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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,[18] as King and his guests use lapel microphones.

Notable episodes

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King interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin, September 8, 2000.
  • On June 3, 1985, Larry King Live debuted on CNN,[19] with then-Governor of New York Mario Cuomo as King's first guest.[7] The legacy of Mario Cuomo as the 52nd Governor of New York led to his being dubbed "Hamlet on the Hudson."
  • In 1990, Minister Louis Farrakhan (the Nation Of Islam leader) appeared as a guest for the first time on Larry King Live.
  • 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.[20]
  • On October 7, 1994, actor Marlon Brando was interviewed from his home to promote his autobiography Songs My Mother Taught Me. Towards the end, Brando gave a kiss to King on the lips.[21]
  • On September 8, 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin was interviewed.
  • 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[22] and that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination.[23]
  • 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 King's 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 five 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.[24]

Guest hosts

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When King was absent from the show, other interviewers substituted for him.

Planned Al Gore hosting

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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 the presidency pending, CNN decided not to let him host as a result of the controversy.[48]

References

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  1. ^ "Larry King ends his record-setting run on CNN". CNN. December 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "End Of Qtr Data-Q107 (minus 3 hours).xls" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  3. ^ "Larry King Live". Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ^ a b McCormick, Bernard (June 30, 1991). "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. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "Larry King to end long-running US TV chat show". BBC News. June 30, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  6. ^ Fisher, Luchina; Braiker, Brian (June 30, 2010). "Larry King's Luminary Friends Chime in on His News". ABC News. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "CNN broadcasting legend Larry King to step down". CNN. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "Larry King signs off from CNN talk show". The Spy Report. Media Spy. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  9. ^ "The War Against Cancer". Larry King Live. CNN Transcripts. December 18, 2010. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "Piers Morgan signs on as Larry King replacement". The Spy Report. Media Spy. September 9, 2010. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  11. ^ Stelter, Brian (December 16, 2010). "CNN Fills the Gap Between King and Morgan". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  12. ^ Sadie Gennis (March 14, 2014). "Piers Morgan's CNN Show Gets Official End Date". TV Guide.
  13. ^ "'Laura Coates Live' look conjures connections to 'Larry King Live'". NewscastStudio. October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "Laura Coates and Abby Phillip aren't 'mouthpieces.' CNN hopes they can revive the brand". Los Angeles Times. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  15. ^ Barry, Ellen (December 1, 2010). "Blunt and Blustery, Putin Responds to State Department Cables on Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  16. ^ Late Night With Conan O'Brien; February 20, 2009
  17. ^ a b Powers, William (March 25, 1996). "WINNING AT SOFTBALL". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ Bauder, David. "Larry King exits CNN after 25 years". Today.
  19. ^ "Larry King Fast Facts". CNN. November 5, 2018. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019 – via KBZK-TV.
  20. ^ "Giants-Cowboys draws largest cable audience". ESPN. October 25, 2006. Retrieved October 26, 2006.
  21. ^ Ray, Sanchez (January 23, 2021). "Larry King interview famously ends with Marlon Brando's on-the-mouth kiss". CNN.
  22. ^ Levitt, Steven D. (August 6, 2008). "So Much for One Person, One Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  23. ^ The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Politics: Oprah, Obama, and the 2008 Democratic Primary.
  24. ^ "Larry "King went out on top of the ratings race – if only for a night"". New York Daily News.
  25. ^ "CNN 20: Kermit Hosts 'LARRY KING LIVE' April 1, 1994". CNN transcripts. April 1, 2000. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  26. ^ "April Frog's Day: Kermit on Larry King Live". Tough Pigs Anthology. April 2002. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "CELEBRATED ACTOR, AUTHOR, SINGER AND JOURNALIST KERMIT THE FROG MAKES SUPER BOWL DEBUT IN FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AD" (Press release). Ford Motor Company. January 30, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  28. ^ David Bauder (February 17, 1998). "San Diego Source > News > CBS's Dan Rather Guest Host On CNN's 'Larry King Live'". Sddt.com. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  29. ^ "Larry King Live". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  30. ^ "Newt Gingrich takes on a host of animals". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  31. ^ "Larry King Live". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  32. ^ Elsinore Remembers its Fallen Son p. 17.
  33. ^ Belluck, Pam (October 18, 2000). "Mel Carnahan, 66, Missouri Governor and Democratic Senate Candidate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  34. ^ Timothy Noah (December 5, 2000). "St. John Ashcroft's Passion – Timothy Noah – Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  35. ^ "Transcript: Sen. John McCain discusses campaign finance reform on 'Larry King Live'". CNN. January 22, 2001. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  36. ^ "Transcript: Pat Sajak Interviews Rush Limbaugh". CNN. May 3, 2001. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  37. ^ "Costas taking CNN role: News network announces television host to be substitute anchor of "Larry King Live."". CNN. June 8, 2005. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  38. ^ Lisa de Moraes (June 9, 2005). "CNN's Designated Sitter: Bob Costas To Be Larry King's Regular Guest Host". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  39. ^ "CNN - Transcripts". Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  40. ^ "CNN". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  41. ^ "Larry King Live: Paparazzi: Do They Go Too Far?". CNN. April 6, 2007. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  42. ^ "TV Daily - Salon.com". Dir.salon.com. March 11, 2008. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  43. ^ Ryan Powers (July 21, 2008). "'The Most Trusted Name In News' Surrenders Its Full 9 PM Hour To Beck Tonight". ThinkProgress. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  44. ^ "CNN". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  45. ^ "CNN". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  46. ^ "CNN". CNN. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  47. ^ "CNN". CNN. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  48. ^ Kurtz, Howard (May 7, 1999). "CNN Cancels Gore's Hosting Gig". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
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