AFP
WASHINGTON-CNN president Jeff Zucker pulled the plug on British host Piers Morgan’s TV show after its ratings plunge, ending the former tabloid editor’s three year run on US television.
Morgan, who irked US gun owners after launching a crusade for greater gun control, struggled after stepping into the shoes of popular, down-to-earth host Larry King in the coveted 9:00 pm primetime slot. “CNN confirms that ‘Piers Morgan Live’ is ending,” CNN vice president of communications Barbara Levin told AFP. “The date of the final program is still to be determined.”
King, known for his ability to connect immediately and easily with ordinary Americans, hosted “Larry King Live” on CNN from 1985 to 2010. Now 80, King still wears his trademark wide-rimmed glasses, shirt with rolled-up sleeves and suspenders as he hosts a show broadcast on Hulu, Ora TV and Russia’s RT television. Morgan, in contrast, was inherently British - and it was not just his accent, which for many viewers was grating, smug and condescending. Morgan made repeated references to cricket, a sport with little US presence, and professed his ignorance about American football and preference for the round football, soccer.