CNN's Larry King exits after 25 years

NEW YORK — Larry King pulls down the curtain on his CNN talk show, "Larry King Live," after 25 years Thursday, cable television's once dominant voice now faded in a sea of sharp talkers.

King, 77, said this summer he would "hang up his nightly suspenders," ushered to the door by a struggling network. British talk-show host and "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan takes over the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot in January.

Ryan Seacrest was booked as the ringmaster for King's finale. King has conducted some 50,000 interviews in a broadcasting career where he worked for decades in radio before joining CNN in 1985. He's recorded more than 6,000 shows for CNN.

Before Fox News Channel and MSNBC even existed, King was cable news' top-rated program. Politicians, entertainers, leaders of industry and the faces of news stories hot in the moment all sat across the table from King. Some critics said he often seemed ill-prepared and tossed softballs, while King described his style as "minimalist," with the goal of getting his guests to talk.

Rival MSNBC saluted King by buying an ad in USA Today on Thursday, calling King "one of a kind." ''Larry, thank you for everything you've done to advance cable news," the ad read.

Others were less nostalgic: The Los Angeles Times website posted videos of King's most embarrassing moments, including when he asked an incredulous Jerry Seinfeld whether NBC had canceled his top-rated comedy.

It's been a muted exit for King, with CNN touting Morgan's upcoming show in ads more than King's. Even as the end neared, King finished fourth in his time slot for Tuesday's interview with the Judds, behind Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and CNN sister network HLN's Joy Behar. King interviewed Barbra Streisand on Wednesday night.

CNN is owned by Time Warner.

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http://www.cnn.com