Larry King Ends 25-Year Old Show on CNN

 

After a  record-breaking  25 years, America’s most famous interviewer, Larry King, has ended his show “ Larry King Live”. It was   broadcast  over 6,000 times on CNN and Larry King   conducted  over 50,000 interviews.

In the last show King thanked his  staff  and his   producers  for 25 years of great work.  Larry King will continue to work for CNN and do specials, as well as radio work.

In a  message  to the interviewer President Barack Obama called King   “one of the   giantsof   broadcasting”.   Former  president Bill Clinton, who   appeared  on King’s show 28 times, is one of the talk-star’s greatest   admirers. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger   pronounced  December 16 “ Larry King Day” in California.

Larry King has been on radio and television for half a  century. He interviewed celebrities,  politicians  and everyday people, from Oprah Winfrey to Vladimir Putin. They all wanted to be on the show because Larry King gave them an  audience  of millions around the  globe.

 

 

King announced in June 2010 that he would  step back  because he wanted more time with his family. He promised to keep wearing his  suspenders, a personal   trademark.

Larry King was born as Larry Zeiger in Brooklyn in November 1933. When he found that his last name was not really American, he changed to it King.  Early in his   career  Larry King became popular by   hosting  national radio shows. In 1985 he joined  CNN, a network  which was still very young at the time.

During the  heyday  of the show in the mid 1990s over 2 million people watched Larry King Live every week. In the last years the number of  viewers  dropped  to 600000, a number that might have made King’s   decision  to leave easier.

King not only had   admirers  but also   critics  who said he was too  soft  on his guests and was not always prepared for the interviews. King himself says that his only  aim  was to get the guests to talk.

 

 

Related Topics

 

Words

  • admire   = to like and respect someone because they have done good work and been successful
  • aim   = something you want to reach or do
  • appear   = to be on the show
  • audience   = viewers
  • broadcast   = to send out on television
  • career   = job, profession
  • celebrity   = famous person, icon
  • century   = a hundred years
  • conduct   = carry out
  • critic   = person who does not always like what you do
  • decision   = choice
  • drop   = to go down
  • former   = ex- , past
  • giant   = here: a great person
  • globe   = world
  • heyday   = time when something was very popular and successful
  • host   = to introduce a television or radio program
  • join   = go to
  • message   = note
  • network   = TV station
  • politician   = person who is in government or who has a high position in a country, state or city
  • producer   = person who is in control of producing the show
  • pronounce   = to officially make something
  • record-breaking   = the highest or most that has ever happened
  • soft   = not hard or tough enough
  • special   = here: special program that is not broadcast regularly
  • staff   = the people who worked with him and made the show
  • step back   = retire, stop
  • suspenders   = two bands of cloth that go over your shoulder and hold up your trousers
  • trademark   = something special that only you have