CNN: Piers
Morgan's the new Larry King
Brit newspaperman and judge on 'America's Got Talent'
By Bill Cromwell
Sep 9, 2010
After months of speculation, it's finally official: Piers Morgan will be replacing Larry King on CNN.
CNN said today that Morgan will succeed King, who is leaving in December, with a new interview program debuting in January.
Morgan had been rumored to be CNN's top choice to replace King ever since the latter announced his retirement in June. But Morgan had prior commitments to NBC, where he's a judge on "America's Got Talent," and in the U.K., where he's in his final season on "Britain's Got Talent," that held up the contract talks.
Morgan will remain with the American version of "Talent" in addition to his new gig.
King is leaving after 25 years with CNN, and he'll continue to host specials through the end of this year, when his contract runs out.
Though King had favored "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest as his replacement, and rumors swirled that "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric was also a candidate, Morgan has been atop CNN's list for months.
Though American audiences know the Brit mostly from reality shows – he won the first season of "Celebrity Apprentice" – Morgan has a long background in journalism.
At just 28 years old, he became the youngest editor ever of the News of the World, working for Rupert Murdoch. After two years, he moved on to the Daily Mirror, where he was editor in chief from 1995 to 2004.
He was sacked after printing what turned out to be faked pictures of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners.
Morgan will take over a timeslot that, like the rest of CNN's schedule, has been ailing for some time. Compared to last year, King's viewership slumped by half in August, which was also CNN's worst month in primetime in years.
The network is aggressively overhauling its primetime with the addition of Morgan and the upcoming debut of debate show "Parker and Spitzer," which takes over for "Campbell Brown" next month at 8 p.m.
|
|
|
