Posted on 03/15/2006 3:04:17 AM PST by abb
It has become increasingly clear that Larry King's best days at CNN are behind him.
Never known as a particularly deep interviewer, Mr. King at one time managed to land important politicians and newsmakers, giving his program some journalistic value. Today, though, the veteran host seems more interested in celebrities and crime, diminishing not only his own reputation and influence, but that of CNN as well.
And it shows in the ratings. The veteran host has seen his audience decline substantially in recent years as viewers gravitate toward more aggressive programs such as Fox News's "Hannity & Colmes." Fewer than one million people tune in each weeknight, on average, for "Larry King Live," according to Nielsen Media Research, down from 1.5 million three years ago. That's far behind "Hannity & Colmes," which leads cable news networks in the 9-10 p.m. hour with almost 1.6 million viewers. [Larry King and Lance Armstrong] Larry King interviews cyclist Lance Armstrong on CNN's "Larry King Live."
And the viewers who remain part of the 72-year-old Mr. King's audience tend to be older (65, on average), and less wealthy (with a median income of $40,000), numbers that hold little appeal for advertisers intent on reaching younger, more-affluent consumers.
Mr. King's celebrity-oriented show also feels awkward sandwiched between Paula Zahn and Anderson Cooper's newsier programs. While neither of those shows is likely to invoke memories of Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now," both look like PBS documentaries next to Mr. King's hourlong softball fest. "His topics don't fit the rest of CNN," says Andrew Tyndall, an independent television news analyst. "He breaks up the entire flow of the evening."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
It appears that Larry is no longer King.
... viewers gravitate toward more aggressive programs such as Fox News's "Hannity & Colmes
The same H&C that does multi interviews with Stern.
How tabloid!
Maybe he should team with Phil Donahue.
May he rest in peace.
CNN is about to rename the broadcast -
Larry King STILL Alive
Lawrence Harvey Zieger born on Nov 19, 1933 in Brooklyn NY.
Did anyone ever watch him? Not me.
I remember Larry setting up H.W. Bush in 1992.
"Never known as a particularly deep interviewer"
LOL, a nice way of saying that King is a moron. King is about as germane to reality as a fish is to a bicycle.
Or something like that. King is just pathetic.
I am totally uninterested in O'Reilly's bloviating, the shouting on H&C, or the true crime stories on Greta's show. Fox's hiring Marvin Kalb, Wesley Clark, and other weasels of the left (unmatched by hiring equal weight people of the right) has made me less likely to watch during the day, too.
There's lots of news, but none of the news channels seem interested in carrying it. So, I have quit watching.
I wish there was a 24/7 news channel, a place I could go to see what is going on in the world, perhaps with a 20 minute cycle where they repeat three times a hour.
I know there are many "news" channels now, but they are so full of fluff, and celebrities, and interviews, and talking heads, and noise and commercials, that I refuse to turn them on.
Which is the reason I check FreeRepublic during the day. I know if there is a big story anywhere in the world, it will be posted here. If I can scan down the first page and see the same topics over and over, I know all is well. If a big story breaks, I then may turn on the TV to see if the "news" channels are covering, usually they are behind the curve.
One of these days, someone will start a real all news channel (sort of like some of the local all news radio formts, no chat, no fluff, just the facts). That I will watch at least for a cycle.
Actually, in mid-1980s, there was a cable news channel with this format. CNN bought it and merged it into CNN2, the predicessor to CNN Headline news.
I don't recall the name of this network.
FNC - both Hannity and Greta - just did some kind of "in praise of Larry King" puff piece at the end/start of their shows on FNC. what the hell? just let this dude fade off into the sunset with his 4 wives, end it already.
Note to All-Crime-All-The-Time Greta: Take note. I check the schedule when Greta's on so I know when NOT to watch.
Is King getting tossed? My wife in the other room caught the end of a news story that seemed to imply that he was being dropped by CNN.
Found it. It was called "Satellite News Channel". It was a joint venture of ABC and Westinghouse.
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