Larry King‘s contract with CNN is set to expire in 18 months — and the cable network’s chiefs are busy lining up his successor in case he retires.
King, 75, has been interviewing celebrities since 1985. Sources say CNN’s first choice to succeed him would be Ryan Seacrest — but his massive deal with “American Idol” makes him too expensive. Other contenders are CBS anchor Katie Couric, CNN “video wall guy” John King and Joy Behar, who is launching her own interview show on CNN’s Headline News.
A source predicted, “Larry will step down in 18 months. Ryan is the popular choice to take over, but his deal with Fox makes him unreachable. John King is popular but is more at home on politics.” The CNN suits will be watching Behar to see how she does on Headline News. Our source also said, “Diane Sawyer was looked at as a candidate for Larry’s show, but is out of the running now that she has ABC’s evening news.”
Couric, whose CBS deal also expires in 2011, launched her own Web talk show, “@ Couric,” on CBS online on Sept. 22 with an interview of controversial Fox News host Glenn Beck. And Couric was vague when recently asked about her future with CBS, telling the New York Times, “I really don’t know, is the honest answer.” Her spokesman had no comment.
King told Cindy Adams in May: “I’m signed through 2011 . . . then we’ll see. I should retire? Retire to what? If I didn’t work, I don’t know what I’d do. I’ll probably fall over right on the set one night.”
King’s spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, said, “Larry has the full intention of continuing in the job he loves, and he’s very confident about the future.” A CNN rep said: “Larry is at the top of his game. He gets the best newsmakers of anyone on television, and his ratings lead over MSNBC’s [Rachel] Maddow has never been wider.”