Under the headline, "Is Larry King's CNN reign nearing its end?" The Washington Post's Tom Shales poison-pens a merciless column on CNN, mostly dealing with Larry King, but also taking an insider-sourced swipe at John King that is sure to cause some repercussions inside the cable newser.
In an 1100-word piece, Shales covers a lot of ground, including the obligatory surveying of the jokes being made about Larry King, including these:
David Letterman can barely get through a monologue anymore without a Larry King age joke. "Saturday Night Live" often spoofs King and his persona, with cast member Fred Armisen playing the talk-show host: "Hello, I'm Larry King, and I am 90 percent shoulders," he said in a recent sketch. An update on the Iceland volcano concluded with, "An ancient pile of ash has been set adrift. But enough about my divorce."
As the AP's David Bauder asked just yesterday, "When was the last must-see Larry King interview?" And the answer, of course, is that it's been a while--like 15 years.
OK, but Shales is more than just a pen-wielder; he is also a reporter, and he quotes a CNN insider, clearly a Larry King sympathizer, dumping on John King and also the completely ignorable Campbell Brown:
On the other hand, King's supporters point out that he is a victim to some degree of terrible lead-ins, perhaps the worst ever. "John King" at 7 p.m. is attracting "only friends and relatives," says one producer, and Campbell Brown at 8 p.m. is doing only slightly better.
"Only friends and relatives"? Pow! And ka-pow! So the various CNN-ites will no doubt be duking it out for a while.
But in closing, Shales seconds the suggestion--which makes a lot of sense to The Cable Gamer--that Katie Couric is a good bet to replace King. Couric is obviously not a good choice as a nightly news anchor, and since she is 25 years younger than King, she would provide a tonic to that time slot.
Of course, somebody has to break the news to King. I am sure Couric--who does not lack for ambition--would be happy to break it to Larry, but hard. But let's not forget CNN President Jon Klein. He's been a punching bag, and a laughingstock, for years, and while he might not have much news-talent judgment, nobody thinks he lacks for ruthlessness. So when it comes time to throw Larry from the train--to borrow freely from the old movie starring Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito--it's a safe bet that Klein and Couric will find each other to be willing and eager collaborators.
