December 16

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
The Boston Tea Party, 1773
American Revolution
Sons of Liberty dump British tea, 1773
Automotive
OPEC states raise oil prices, 1979
Civil War
Johnston named commander of Army of Tennessee, 1863
Cold War
Truman declares state of emergency, 1950
Crime
A terrorist bomber begins his deadly rampage, 1989
Disaster
Two airplanes collide over New York City, 1960
General Interest
Earthquake rocks the American wilderness, 1811
Earthquake devastates Gansu province of China, 1920
Battle of the Bulge begins, 1944
Pakistani forces defeated in Bangladesh, 1971
Hollywood
Saturday Night Fever turns Travolta into movie star, 1977
"Larry King Live" ends after 25 years on CNN, 2010
Literary
Jane Austen's birthday, 1775
Music
Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony" receives its world premiere in New York City, 1893
Old West
Edwards declares the Texas Republic of Fredonia, 1826
Presidential
Clinton orders air attack on Iraq, 1998
Sports
OJ Simpson rushes record 2,000 yards in a season, 1973
Vietnam War
Westmoreland asks for more troops, 1965
Kissinger announces that North Vietnamese left negotiations, 1972
World War I
Germans bombard English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough, 1914
World War II
Battle of the Bulge, 1944

Hollywood

Dec 16, 2010:

"Larry King Live" ends after 25 years on CNN

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On this day in 2010, Larry King, the iconic, suspenders-sporting host of TV talk show “Larry King Live,” signs off after 25 years on the air. The 77-year-old King had hosted the hour-long CNN program, featuring interviews with movies stars, world leaders, politicians, musicians and other newsmakers, since June 1985. The farewell broadcast of “Larry King Live” included appearances by Ryan Seacrest, Regis Philbin, Katie Couric, Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton (via satellite) and President Barack Obama (in a pre-recorded video), among others. Toward the end of the program, Tony Bennett serenaded King, who had become a TV institution, along with his wife and two young sons.

Larry King, who was born Lawrence Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, began his career as a disc jockey and sports announcer for a radio station in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1957. During the 1960s and 1970s, he worked in Miami as a radio and TV host and newspaper columnist before getting his own nationally syndicated radio program in 1978. In June 1985, King joined CNN, the cable news channel founded by Ted Turner in 1980. “Larry King Live,” which anchored CNN’s prime-time lineup, originated from Washington, D.C., before moving to Los Angeles in the 1990s.

The first guest on “Larry King Live” was Mario Cuomo, the governor of New York. The program went on to receive big ratings boosts when billionaire Ross Perot appeared as a guest in 1992 and announced his intention to run as an independent candidate for the U.S. presidency, and in 1993 when Vice President Al Gore and Perot came on to debate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). That edition of “Larry King Live” was the highest-rated in cable history for more than a decade.

Over the course of 25 years, King, who became known for his straightforward, nonconfrontational interview style, consistently landed big-name guests, ranging from Marlon Brando (who famously kissed King on the lips) to Vladimir Putin to Lady Gaga. From a set featuring a color-dotted map of the world on a dark background, King often took call-in, and later email, viewer questions for his interview subjects. He has said that in order to be fresh and learn from his guests, he didn’t prepare extensively for interviews. This approach could occasionally backfire and make King seem out of touch, as in 2007, when he asked Jerry Seinfeld if his sitcom had been cancelled or if he had left voluntarily. A surprised Seinfeld, who had famously exited his show of his own accord, said to King, “Do you know who I am?”

In June 2009, King announced plans to end his show. At the time, “Larry King Live” had fallen into third place in the ratings behind political programs hosted by Sean Hannity of Fox News and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. By the time “Larry King Live” went off the air in December 2010, the legendary host had conducted some 50,000 interviews, by his account, during his more than 50-year career in radio and television.

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Previous Day December 16 Calendar Next Day

This Week in History, Dec 16 - Dec 22

Dec 16, 1977
Saturday Night Fever turns Travolta into movie star
Dec 16, 2010
"Larry King Live" ends after 25 years on CNN
Dec 17, 2003
Third and final Lord of the Rings movie opens
Dec 18, 1946
Director Steven Spielberg born
Dec 19, 1997
Titanic sails into theaters
Dec 20, 1989
Michael Moore's Roger & Me opens
Dec 21, 2001
Russell Crowe stars in A Beautiful Mind
Dec 22, 1979
Hollywood mogul Darryl Zanuck dies

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