CNN's Larry King calls it quits after 25 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Larry King pulls down the curtain on his CNN talk show, "Larry King Live," after 25 years today, cable television's once dominant voice now faded in a sea of sharp talkers.

King, 77, said this summer he would "hang up his nightly suspenders," ushered to the door by a struggling network. British talk-show host and "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan takes over the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot in January.

Ryan Seacrest was booked as the ringmaster for King's finale. King has conducted some 50,000 interviews in a broadcasting career where he worked for decades in radio before joining CNN in 1985. He's recorded more than 6,000 shows for CNN.

Before Fox News Channel and MSNBC even existed, King was cable news' top-rated program.

Politicians, entertainers, leaders of industry and the faces of news stories hot in the moment all sat across the table from King. Some critics said he often seemed ill-prepared and tossed softballs, while King described his style as "minimalist," with the goal of getting his guests to talk.