Larry King is back on CNN — sort of.
King, who anchored an evening interview program on the network for a quarter of a century, will be featured anew by CNN, but this time on its streaming properties. “The Best of Larry King,” a curated collection of interviews drawn from archival material, will stream at CNN.com/Watch or on CNN’s subscription-based streaming app. New episodes will be released every Friday through June 19.
King died in January of 2021, but remains a pop-cultural presence after decades leading radio programs and talk shows. “Larry King Live” ran on CNN from 1985 to the middle of 2010, and included interviews with everyone from Ross Perot to the remaining Beatles and Beatles’ spouses. King favored a genial, non-confrontational style that critics derided as too easygoing and soft for a news network, but which made his program a natural stop for politicians and entertainers who wanted to make their views known without sparking overt conflict.
“For decades, “Larry King Live” brought viewers face-to-face with the people shaping our world,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent and content development at CNN Worldwide, in a statement. “This collection celebrates those unforgettable conversations, making them accessible to audiences in a new way.”
King, traditionally clad in a bright dress shirt with suspenders, may represent a link to a different sort of video presentation. When he held forth on CNN, much less attention was paid to scrolling tickers at the bottom of a screen, or to screens that had little to do with the main television in a living room.
CNN has worked to monetize its archives in many ways. Anthony Bourdain’s popular food-and-travel program, “Parts Unknown,” has been featured on CNN and other Warner Bros. Discovery-based streaming outlets in recent years, as have past CNN documentary movies and series.
CNN’s “All Access” streaming outlet features its traditional cable programming — nearly all of the live hours of the linear grid between 5 a.m. and midnight, with a few exceptions. But the venue’s main goal is to bring broadband viewers into the CNN fold who are interested in the latest news on trending topics, and not necessarily on time slots or talent. Using the King interviews may draw fans, to be sure, but also aficionados of history and popular culture as well as younger viewers interested in delving into history.
CNN will release ten “Larry King Live” episodes each week in thematic batches, including Hollywood, politics, music, comedy and others.
.
Leave a Reply