Night At The Newseum With Larry King

by Paul Raphel 

Earlier this week, the Newseum in Washington, D.C. honored Larry King by hosting “A Life in Broadcasting: A Conversation with Larry King," featuring the legendary broadcaster recounting some of the biggest stories and interviews of his career.

The theater was packed, and as Larry took the stage you could tell the crowd was excited for the evening’s discussion. Not surprisingly, Larry did not disappoint.

Larry’s former CNN co-worker and now lead anchor at Washington D.C.’s local ABC affiliate Leon Harris hosted the event. He started the conversation by discussing Larry's initial hiring by CNN founder Ted Turner.  People thought it was an odd decision -- ‘A radio guy coming over to TV?’ he explained. But from there Larry took over.

Larry recounted that five minutes into the first Larry King Live interview on CNN he knew the show was going to work. He describe there was a certain spark that gave him the feeling the show format was going to be a hit…and he was right.

After taking us through some of the major news events during his Larry King Live run, Larry revisited stories from his early struggles in life. He lost his father at a young age. He didn't grow up with money; his first glasses were paid for by a relief program. And when he started his career he went to Miami with just eleven dollars in his pocket.

Whether he was telling a story of success or struggle, there was one thing that probably surprised many in the audience — Larry was REALLY FUNNY. Talking to him after the show he told us, “It reminded me how much I love to make people laugh, and if I didn’t do broadcasting I would be a stand-up comic.”

The talk ended with Larry discussing his two latest projects, the talk shows Larry King Now and PoliticKING on Ora.TV. Radio, TV, and now the Internet – he has done them all. Each with a different audience, but he has found a following everywhere, regardless of the medium.

The night was informative, entertaining, and inspiring. A normal guy from humble beginnings, now celebrating a 58-year career in broadcast. 

Congrats, Larry! At Ora, we're proud to be a part of your continuing legacy.

(Photo credit: Paul Raphel)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.

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