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.
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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