CNN has tough choice to replace cable pioneer

A television pioneer will step down soon when Larry King ends his program as a five-show per week stalwart on cable news.

Like most CNN programs, Larry King Live has lost half of its audience in the last year. Mostly, CNN has fallen behind FOX News and MSNBC because it's maintained a straight news approach while the other networks have flourished with extreme opinions.

FOX and MSNBC have drawn viewers on both sides by energizing their constituents and enraging opponents.

King, along with Ted Turner, is credited with introducing the cable news format as we know it today. And in the day and age of axing shows after weeks because of poor ratings, King has endured 25 years. He's interviewed comedians, actors, athletes and politicians with knowledgeable and informed questions. It's a niche framed in King's versatility and raspy, baritone voice with the familiar, “Cleveland, Ohio, Hello.”

What CNN must do is change formats and hire a young host that would attract the coveted 20- and 30-something demographic.

Piers Morgan, Ryan Seacrest and Joy Behar are the most common replacement possibilities. Morgan, a 45-year-old British TV personality known mostly as a judge on "America's Got Talent." and Seacrest, 35, the emcee of American Idol and a Hollywood red carpet interviewer, are unproven outside of fashion and entertainment. And Behar, while she’s filled in for King, might find it difficult to establish herself with a primetime audience. Sure, she might have a show on Headline News, and of course is a mainstay on The View, but I wonder which demographic CNN goes after if it puts Behar in that time slot. Especially since her current show on HLN is “gossip news and commentary.”

Morgan and Seacrest, while they each have had their fair share of success, haven’t proven themselves with an hour show that would seem to have a large portion of current news events.

If I were the big wigs at CNN, I would hire Seacrest and try to play to the younger crowd, possibly with a combination of social media and user-generated content. A slice of the King format would work, but only as part of the show, certainly not the entire hour.

Regardless of who’s picked, look for the reports with unnamed sources and other leaks to trickle out the rest of the summer. And don’t be surprised if the CNN suits don’t officially announce a successor until King has been showered with plenty of accolades.