ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style3 { height: 68px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style6 { height: 69px; } h2 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style7 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> &nbsp;<table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140" class="style6"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" class="style6"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style4">Larry King Retires from Daily Grind</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curt</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>is<a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright July 3, 2010<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style7">R</span>etiring from the daily grind, CNN s venerable host of  Larry King Live, decided its time to hang it up, after a broadcast career spanning over 53 years and 50,000 interviews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While King s ratings were in retreat, the 76-year-old master of the one-on-one interview decided it was time to go, possibly staying on CNN to host network specials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>CNN s U.S. President Joe Klein validated his commitment to the face-to-face interview format, though declining to say whether there s a frontrunner to replace the ever-popular King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Speculation has centered on  America s Got Talent British judge Piers Morgan and  American Idol host Ryan Seacrest. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;</span>CNN committed itself to a risky gamble of rehabbing the disgraced career of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, placing him with conservative columnist Kathleen Parker a primetime news and political talk show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Since Losing CNN s popular news anchor Bernard Shaw to early retirement in March 2001, CNN has struggled to keep its supremacy in cable news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Fox News Network s rise in the ranking also didn t help CNN s attempt to capture the magic and credibility from its former anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Shaw reassured an anxious audience in many national crises, becoming a household word in 1991 covering the first Gulf War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Replaced by Wolf Blitzer as CNN s trusty new anchor, the audience never got used to Wolf s hoarse and raspy voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Losing Shaw s silky smooth voice to Wolf s strained and raspy sound, left<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>CNN s audience craving for a more clear, forceful and comforting sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When Walter Cronkite left the CBS  Evening News Jan. 20, 1981 after 19 years, he was replaced by another forceful-sounding bass-baritone Texan named Dan Rather, completing seamless a transition.<![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Voices do count in the radio, TV and film biz, where audiences grow fond of charismatic sounding voices..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> When once closes their eyes and listens to CNN s Blitzer, it s no wonder that Fox News move up the ranks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Fox News anchors like Bill O Reilly, Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace mirror the audience cravings for strong, clear and credible voices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>King s retirement and search for a replacement raises a complicated process considering more than a good resume or current celebrity status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Given CNN s place in the ratings, Klein can t afford another mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Picking a British voice risks alienating an American audience, not, as one might think because of prejudice, but precisely because of its foreign sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>King was a master of American folksiness, much the same way as Shaw, Cronkite and Rather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Adding a Brit wouldn t do the trick.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>King s legacy behind the mike was his uncanny ability to speak to widest possible cross section at ease, whether politicians, celebrities, CEOs, sports personalities, scientists or the man-in-the-street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Nobody else does it, said Klein, referring to King s face-to-face interview format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It s an important too in the arsenal, as we want to keep it going, acknowledging that CNN doesn t want to backslide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Losing market share to Fox spoke less about programming and more about on-air voices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>King, above anything else, possessed a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>booming voice, was a bigger-than-life personality that carried with him a sort of clout, not seen in his competitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether interviewing presidents or homeless activists, King set people at ease, steering away from the combative  gotcha approach seen of shows like  The O Reilly Factor, where rancor and combativeness trumps good entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>King s approach to interviewing involved respecting his guest for their talent or expertise, not their affiliation to political parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While his show broke new ground in the early days of cable TV, it got less serious and more tabloid-like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Larry s obsession in recent months with Jon &amp; Kate Gosselin s tabloid divorce reflected a degree of bereftness, anticipating King s retirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His production quality headed south, a show bankrupt of new substantive ideas.  He lured so many people to this new frontier of cable back before anybody understood what it was all about, said Klein, calling King a  living, breathing Hall of Famer who is still doing his work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More interviews about infidelity with former Democratic VP candidate John Edward s cancer-surviving wife Elizabeth turned off viewers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever ground was broken before, King s show has become stale and banal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>King s wisdom came from over 50,000 interviews over 53 years of broadcasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>For the neophytes seeking to replace him, they should heed his advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I never learned a thing while I was talking, said King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> That would be my motto, handing advice to whomever replaces him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>CNN execs should think twice about replacing one the nation s most beloved celebrity voices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>King reflected a dying breed, personified by his old friend the late President Ronald Reagan, where politeness and manners still count in American society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Today s ultra-partisan and combative talk shows do little to advance the national dialogue and do much damage to the old fashioned idea of a common set of American values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More petulant hosts and combative talk shows have their place, just not replacing  Larry King Live. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before CNN jumps the gun, they should search carefully for the right replacement.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Homecobolos> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>