King, Larry
KING, LARRY
KING, LARRY (Lawrence Zeiger ; 1933– ), U.S. radio and television talk-show host. Born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian immigrants to the U.S., King began in radio as a disc jockey on WAHR-Radio in Miami, Florida. He moved on to host shows on a number of Miami radio stations and wrote newspaper columns for the Miami Herald, the MiamiNews, and the Miami Beach Sun-Reporter. But his career suffered a setback in 1971 when he faced grand larceny charges because of his alleged misappropriation of funds given into his keeping. The charges were dropped with the expiry of the statute of limitations, and from 1972 to 1975 King worked as a sportscaster and freelance writer.
In 1975 King returned to WIOD-Radio, Miami. The Larry King Show was launched in 1978 on the Mutual Broadcasting System, Arlington, Virginia, and by the early 1980s the show was syndicated to some 250 radio stations in all 50 states. His television talk show, Larry King Live, on Cable News Network (CNN), started in 1985, became a leading talk show combining in-depth interviews with public figures and media personalities with viewers' telephone calls. King thus became the first American talk show host to have a worldwide audience. The program reached more than 200 countries, with a potential audience of 150 million.
Said to have interviewed more than 30,000 people during his career, King was listed in the 1989 Guinness Book of World Records as having logged more hours on national radio than any other talk show personality in history. Among his many honors and awards, King received the Peabody Award in 1982; the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio award; and the Jack Anderson Investigative Reporting award in 1985. He was named Broadcaster of the Year by the International Radio and TV Society in 1989; was named the American Heart Association's Man of the Year in 1992; and was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame in 1992.
As a result of his bout with heart disease, King established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, whose aim is to provide funding for life-saving cardiac procedures for individuals who cannot afford to pay for such treatment on their own.
From 1982 to 2001 King had a regular column in the magazine USA Today. He also wrote Larry King (1982), Mr.King, You're Having a Heart Attack (1989), Tell It to the King (with P. Occhiofrosso, 1989), Tell Me More (1990), How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere (1994), Daddy Day, Daughter Day (with C. King, 1997), Powerful Prayers (with Rabbi I. Katsof, 1998), Future Talk (with P. Piper, 1998), and Anything Goes (2000).
[Rohan Saxena /
Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)]