King bids farewell to CNN

LARRY King bought down the curtain on his CNN live talk show on Thursday evening, with his final words being “Let’s not say goodbye, but so long.”

The veteran interviewer bid farewell to an audience that sadly doesn’t seem to be interested in the US chatshow than it was over a decade ago.  Just ask the likes of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. 

DEPARTING: Larry King bids farewell after 25 years to CNN

Larry King Live has been a stalwart in the CNN television schedules for the past 25 years.  He managed to get celebrities to open up to him, which so many have failed before him.  This was down to his laidback approach and style to the interview.  Paris Hilton granted him the first interview when she left jail, whilst Bill Clinton, always a favourite with King, talked openly about the heart operations he went under. 

In a taped interview, Barack Obama thanked King for the 25 years of dedicated service he had given, not just to the CNN network, but talk shows in general.  Clinton made a live appearance from Arkansas to wish him the best of luck, as did the governor of California and film actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Sadly, a show that promised ‘loads of surprises,’ failed to deliver and it was a sad end to such a distinguished figure on US television.  In 1993, he attracted 20million viewers for chairing a heated debate between 1992 US President candidate Ross Perot and Clinton’s vice-president Al Gore.  By the end, ratings had diminished down to 700,000, as audiences drifted away from his show to other networks and different styles of programming.

NEW: Piers Morgan takes over in the New Year

From January, he will be replaced by former Daily Mirror editor and Britain’s Got Talent judge, Piers Morgan.  Morgan has experience in America, having already been a judge on America’s Got Talent and although some will not be pleased with his appointment, his comfortable and soft approach to talking to celebrities might mean that it is a better selection for CNN’s future.  If his fantastic ITV programme Piers Morgan’s Life Stories is anything to go by, Piers Morgan Tonight will be an interesting watch.

So, after over 40,000 interviews from George Bush to Marlon Brando, Larry King bids farewell and unfortunately, it wasn’t the explosive and fitting end that a TV legend deserved.